Slow-Cooker Recipe: Lone Star Sirloin Chili

I recently checked out from the library a ridiculous number of cookbooks with soup and slow-cooker recipes. With all of the snowy, cold weather, I have been craving these things like nobody's business. This Tex-Mex spin on chili was only made better by the fact that it contained a bottle of beer. I loved the fact that I could taste the flavor of the beer after it was cooked. I was also worried about the steak, and whether it would turn out to be tender enough. It absolutely was, my friends.

Even though this recipe required more preparation on the front end than I am used to with slow cooker recipes, the smell I woke up to the following morning after it cooking all night made it worth it.

I WILL be making this again. Maybe tomorrow since we have another snow day...

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (This was the most time-consuming part of the process. I think I will ask the meat counter next time if they have a machine that might make this easier. Also, the dude behind the counter asked if I wanted the top (read: good) sirloin, or if I wanted the less expensive one. We decinded on the cheaper one since it would have 8-10 hours to get tender in the slow-cooker.)
2 teaspoons salt
pinch of cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large sweet onions, coursely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno (I used the whole thing...seeds and all. Don't be scared!)
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup cornmeal
2 cups beef broth
one 12-ounce bottle Lone Star beer (I didn't have this, so I used Dos Equis Amber. Totally worked.)
one 15-ounce can tomato puree
two 15-ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

DIRECTIONS
Sprinkle the beef evenly with te salt and cayenne. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in batches and brown on all sides.

Transfer the meat to the insert of a 5 to 7-quart slow cooker.

Lower the heat to medium-low and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions, garlic, jalapeno, chile powder, cumin, and oregano and saute until the onions are softened, about 5 minutes, being careful to stir the mixture so the chile powder doesn't burn. Add the cornmeal and stir until blended with the other ingredients, and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, whisking, and bring to a boil.

Transfer the contents of the skillet to the slow-cooker insert. Add the beer, tomato puree, and beans. Cover and cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thickened.

Skim off any fat from the top of the chili. Serve the chili with yummy toppings like tortilla chips, grated cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and chopped pickled jalapenos.

Week 77: Tamale Pie with Pumpkin Cornbread

I am sorry to have to say that this recipe started out with some disappointment, but don't worry, it has a happier ending.

I was really excited to make this tamale pie because it was supposed to be a "one skillet" meal. The plan was to saute the vegetables in a cast-iron skillet, which I am always looking to get more use of, then it was to go straight into the oven after covering the pie filling with cornbread batter. Once I put the peppers and onions in the skillet to saute, it was quite obvious that it was not big enough for the rest of the ingredients. Instead I moved everything to a large, glass, rectangular casserole dish. wWhile there were now more dishes to wash, and the whole "pie" was probably thinner than it was supposed to be, it turned out to be something I enjoyed eating anyway.

The filling was a little liquidy, so I wonder how that would have changed if it were cooked in a cast-iron skillet. I also would like to try to use some kind of meat to this in the future.

Year of Yum Rating: 3 STARS

INGREDIENTS
1 package Jiffy cornbread mix
1 egg, beaten
1/3 c. skim milk
1/2 c. solid pack pumpkin
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 ears of corn kernels or 1 c. frozen corn kernels
1 yellow onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes with jalapeños
2 c. cooked pinto beans
1 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350*

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp. EVOO, peppers, onion and garlic.

Season with salt and pepper, saute' for 10 minutes, until vegetables have softened. While veggies cook, in a mixing bowl whisk together egg, milk, and pumpkin.

Add cornbread mix, sprinkle of cayenne, and stir until mixture just comes together.

Drain tomatoes and add to vegetables along with the corn.

Add beans and spices to vegetables, stir well and taste, adjust seasonings.

Pour the cornbread topping over the vegetable mixture and spread to the edges of the skillet. Place in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes, until cornbread is golden brown and set.

Spoon into a dish and serve with garnishes. We used sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

I enjoy a Saturday morning where I can wake up naturally, without an alarm, lay in bed, leisurely drink my cup of coffee, watching the news. It quickly occurred to me this morning, however, that I didn't have much else planned for my day. While I consider myself to be especially talented at wasting time, I'm not very good at being intentionally lazy. It's even hard for me to sit and watch TV without doing something else at the same time. Maybe that just speaks to my attention span...

Anyway, in order to give myself a task and some focus for the day, I asked Lisa if I could make dinner for her, Lucas, and Joel. I so enjoy cooking, but it's infinitely more fun if you have PEOPLE to cook for.

I don't have any pictures from tonight's meal (that's what happens when you leave your camera's memory card in your computer...), but here's what was on the menu:

Sloppy Buffalo Joes

These have been on my list of recipes to try for a little while now. I am always drawn to food with buffalo sauce. They were pretty delicious, but I did wish the ground chicken would break up into smaller pieces. Also the sauce seemed a little thin. I ended up simmering it longer than the recipe says to in an effort to cook it down a little, and that helped.

Roasted Broccoli and Cauliflower with Lemon and Garlic

Wow. Let me tell you. This is THE way to eat vegetables. Roasting veggies turns them into something I WANT to eat, rather than just something I feel obligated to put on my plate. And the addition of thinly sliced garlic and lemons = GENIUS.

Chocolate Ricotta Mousse

I absolutely loved how easy this dessert was to prepare. The hardest part was cleaning the food processor after it was done. (Do you like how I said that as though it wasn't still sitting dirty in my kitchen sink...?) The flavor of the mousse was good, but the texture was a little dry. This might have been because I used part-skim rather than full-fat ricotta. Also, the ricotta was cold when I put it in the food processor, and I think I would bring it to room temperature if I tried it again. The melted chocolate seemed to harden some when it met with the cool cheese.
I topped the mousse with fresh raspberries and mini semisweet chocolate chips...which was a pretty good choice.

Week 76: Turkey and Wild Mushroom Mini Meatloaves with Savory Mushroom Gravy

If you make it a habit to follow along as Abby and I cook, you may have noticed that a lot of our ventures don't include meat. There are a few different reasons for this, but I just love that Abby is similar to me in the fact that we don't NEED meat to have a yummy, satisfying meal. I also love that she brings recipes like this to the table that show me that I AM capable of cooking with meat, and I DO occasionally think it's delicious!

Thinks I loved about this meatloaf:

-it's healthy AND comforting
-mushrooms!
-individual loaves...they were so little and cute
-it was pretty easy to make
-gravy, gravy, gravy
-LEFTOVERS.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 1/2 STARS

INGREDIENTS
olive oil
1 large portebello mushroom, chopped
6 shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and pepper
1 1/3 pounds ground turkey, the average weight of 1 package
2 tablespoons A-1 Steak Sauce
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 egg, beaten
3 tablespoons butter
3 large button mushrooms, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup low fat milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat a large saute pan over medium high heat. Add about 2 tablespoons of oil. Add chopped mushrooms and onions. Saute for 5 or 6 minutes until dark and tender. Add garlic and saute an additional minute. Stir in thyme and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. Transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set pan aside.

Add turkey to the mushroom mixture. Add A-1 sauce, breadcrumbs, and egg. Mix ingredients together. Divide meat loaf mixture into 6 equal parts and form 6 equal oval meatloaves. Heat the saute pan or a grill pan and coat with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil and arrange meatloaves in the pan. Sear each side of the meatloaves for about 2 minutes per side. Remove to a baking sheet and finish baking in oven for about 13 - 15 minutes or until cooked through. Transfer to a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm.

Return pan to heat and add butter and mushrooms. Saute for about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in stock and milk and season gravy with salt and pepper, to taste. Simmer gravy until it reaches desired thickness, and pour over patties, reserving a little to pass at the table.

Week 75: Butternut Feta Muffins

Ever since I saw the recipe for these savory muffins on one of the blogs that I follow, I have had it in the back of my mind as something I would like to try. Butternut squashes have been accumulating on my counter from my organic produce box that I get delivered to my house every other week, so I thought it was about time.

Something that caught my eye with these muffins was that they had the slight sweetness from the butternut squash, which I thought would go nicely with the saltiness from the feta. One of my favorite flavor combinations recently has been sweet potato and feta, and this seemed like it would be similar. I also liked that it would have the savory elements of the sunflower seeds, parmesan, and mustard.

Now, when I first bit into these muffins, I was a little confused. My first thought was that it tasted a bit like scrambled eggs. Strange. As I worked my way through my muffin, I decided that it was enjoyable, but I was a little disappointed that I couldn't taste all the individual ingredients that were in it. Overall a winner, but just didn't quite live up to my huge expectations.

Year of Yum Rating: 4 STARS

INGREDIENTS
2-3 cups diced butternut squash
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 large handful baby spinach leaves, chopped fine
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
3 tbsp sunflower seeds
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup feta cheese, in small cubes
2 tsp whole grain mustard
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups unbleached flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
black pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 405 degrees. Toss squash in oil, salt and pepper, then place in roasting pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through and slightly mushy.
2. Transfer cooked squash to large bowl, add spinach, parsley, sunflower seeds, parmesan, feta and mustard. Mix.
3. In separate bowl, beat eggs and milk together and add to squash mixture. Sift flour and baking powder into mixture, add salt and pepper and fold together, being careful not to over mix.
4. Spoon mixture into a greased 12 hole muffin tray and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.