Cincinnati Chili

I wanted to make chili tonight but couldn't decide what I wanted to make.  I came across this recipe for Cincinnati Chili.  Of course I tweaked the recipe to make it my own.

1 pound ground beef (I always use grass fed beef products)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (I actually buy whole cumin and grind it myself, it has a much stronger taste.  Just use a coffee grinder to grind it to the consistency you want but DO NOT use the same grinder you use for coffee.  It is always better to have one dedicated to just spices)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounce)can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup beef broth
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 ounce (1/2 square) unsweetened chocolate, grated
12 ounces spaghetti, cooked (use any type of spaghetti - wheat, rice, etc)
3 tablespoons butter
1 (16 ounce) can kidney beans, heated (optional)
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated (I used sharp and extra sharp)
Chopped raw onion (optional)
Crackers (optional)

In a large dutch oven, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic, stirring often to break up lumps of meat, until beef loses its pink color, about 5 minutes.  Add chili powder, salt, cinnamon, cumin, basil, oregano, allspice, and pepper.  Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, beef broth, vinegar, and chocolate; break up tomatoes with large spoon.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until thickened, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, adding more beef broth if chili gets too thick.

Toss cooked spaghetti into butter. 

Place spaghetti in bowls, top with chili.  Add onion, kidney beans, crackers and cheese to your liking.

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Sourdough Pancakes with Banana Smoothie

There is nothing better than a breakfast with homemade pancakes.  I have this recipe that came with my sourdough starter.  I also added a banana smoothie to go along with this breakfast  The smoothie is also a great way to get a protein filled breakfast if you are in a hurry.


Sourdough Pancakes

Combine 1/2 cup fresh starter, 2 cups warm water and 2-1/2 cups flour.  Set aside in a warm place until bubbly.
To this batter add:
1 Tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
Add 2 beaten eggs and thin the batter with milk to desired consistency.  Add 1/4 cup of batter to a hot skillet and cook until bubbly and flip over and continue to cook until done.  Serve with maple syrup or your favorite fruit.

Banana Smoothie

2 ripe bananas, peeled and frozen (this is great if you have ripe bananas and don't know what to do with them, just peel and freeze and then you are all set for a smoothie)
2 cups milk (you can any milk you choose, I have used soy as well as cow's milk)
8 ice cubes
1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.  Will make 2 big glasses of smoothie.

Baked Salmon

I love salmon and this recipe that I found is wonderful, simple and cooks the fish perfectly.

3/4 cup dry white wine (I usually use a Chardonnay, which pairs great with this dish)
1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon of Old Bay Seasoning

1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar

1/3 cup spicy brown mustard

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit On a cookie sheet, add a piece of foil and place salmon on top of foil.  Sprinkle salmon with pepper.   Add wine, butter and seasoning to a small saucepan and cook until mixture boils, cook for 2 minutes.  Pour liquid over salmon and place in center of oven.  Cook for 14 minutes until fish is opaque.  Mix brown sugar and mustard together.  Remove from oven.  Preheat broiler to high.  Spread mustard mixture onto top of salmon and put into oven for about 3 minutes until top is brown and bubbling. 

I added some cooked quinoa to go along with this dish. 

1-1/2 cups water

1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup quinoa

Add water and broth to a pot, bring to boil.  Add quinoa, cover, lower heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes until all water has been absorbed.

A little cooked spinach (frozen) and a side salad rounded out this meal.

Chicken Manhattan

I found this recipe in a "365 Ways to Cook Chicken " Cookbook years ago.  It is a great recipe and tonight I adapted it to what I had available.

1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to about 1/4 inch thickness
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 package (10 ounces) frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/2 teaspoon fresh nutmeg
4 slices Swiss cheese (the recipe calls for provolone cheese, but I had Swiss available)
1/4 cup dry white wine (I used a chardonnay from King Family Vineyards in Virgina)

Place bread crumbs and egg in separate shallow dishes.  Dip chicken in egg' then dredge in bread crumbs to coat.  In a large pan, heat oil  over medium heat.  Add chicken and cook about 4 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken to a platter, cover and keep warm.  In pan, add butter and melt over medium heat.  Add onion and garlic, saute until beginning to soften about 2 minutes.  Add spinach and nutmeg.  Mix well and cook until heated through.  Add chicken back to pan, top with spinach mixture.  Arrange cheese slices on top.  Add wine and cover.  Cook about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and chicken is tender.

Use the extra amount of spinach as the side for this dish. 

To this I added a small side salad of lettuce, tomato, carrots and a small sprinkling of blue cheese.  I used a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and a little balsamic vinegar.

Chicken Salad

Really wanted something simple and easy for dinner tonight so I decided to make a salad.

I sprinkled chicken breasts with some fresh ground pepper and a little bit of a chicken seasoning rub.
1 tablespoon coarse salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried oregano

Sauteed the chicken until it was done.  Sliced it and added it to a bed of green leaf lettuce, tomatoes, salad beans (combination of kidney beans and garbanzo beans), carrots, blue cheese crumbles and half of an avocado.

Served with a mixture of olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Bavarian Style Cube Steak

I have this recipe from many years ago that actually came on a package of cube steak.  I decided to adapt it this time and liked it much better. The original version uses packaged mushroom gravy mix.   Here is my version.

4 beef cubed steaks (1 to 1-1/4 pounds)
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups homemade chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seed
1/3 cup chopped onion
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 package of frozen mixed mushrooms (thaw and drain)
2 teaspoons arrowroot (arrowroot is a starch, similar in texture to corn starch)

In a large skillet, quickly brown steaks on both sides in hot oil.  Add onion, cook til onion is almost tender about 5 minutes.  Combine broth and arrowroot, whisk together.  Add broth, mushrooms, brown sugar, red wine vinegar and caraway seeds. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until sauce thickens.

I served this with buttered noodles.

Meatloaf with Mac and Cheese

When the weathr turns a little colder I love traditional comfort food like meatloaf.

Tonight I took
1 pound of ground beef
1/4 of a green pepper, diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 small cloves of garlic, diced
1 egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Mix all ingredients together and form into a loaf.  Bake at 375 degrees Farenheit for about 45 minutes.  After 45 minutes spread on a topping of tomato sauce, 1/8 to 1/4 cup of molasses, a sprinkling of garlic powder, onion powder, and parsley.  Mix up and spread on meatloaf.  Bake for an additional 15 minutes until done.

Here is the recipe for the macaroni and cheese sauce.  You can do this same recipe on the stove in a double boiler (just heat the first ingredients and then add the cheese until it melts).

Homemade Macaroni and Cheese
2 cups of cooked elbow macaroni
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-1/3 cups milk
1 cup cubed american cheese or other mild yellow cheese (I used a sharp cheddar)

Mix sauce with cooked macaroni in a 8 inch x 8 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with a non stick cooking spray.   Add a bread crumb topping and bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven.