Chili Weather

I don't know how your weather is, but ours has turned suddenly and bitterly cold. Like, wind-chill-of-17-at-the-bus-stop-this-morning cold. So it was a perfect day to make some of my signature chili. I created this recipe last year when one of my husband's work mates gave us some deer meat. It was outstanding with the deer meat, but it's just as good with plain old beef.

Annie's Signature Chili (mine, all mine!)

1 lb. chopped meat (beef or venison)
1 lb. smoked sausage (beef or deer sausage), sliced into rounds
1 lg onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 Anaheim chili, chopped
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, drained and rinsed
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TBSP chili powder
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Combine all ingredients in a large slow cooker and stir. Heat on low for 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

I serve this over rice with corn bread on the side. It's nice with some grated cheese or sour cream on top. You can top with jalapenos for more kick. This is flavorful, but not so spicy that my son can't eat it. Tonight, he had a whole bowl. This would be great for a large group.

All Hail the Slow Cooker!

Tuesdays are a very busy day for us. My son and I both have Tae Kwon Do, so I have to have a meal that can be cooked and eaten in about 1.5 hours. Slow cooker to the rescue! I set it up in the morning, went about my business, and had dinner waiting when we came home from class.

Slow-Cooker Carne Guisada (from EveryDay Food magazine)

2 1/2 lbs. beef chuck roast or bottom round, cut into 1-inch pieces
coarse salt and pepper
2 TBSP vegetable oil
1 medium white onion, diced medium
1 medium green pepper, seeded and diced medium
1 large jalapeno, seeded and diced small
5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 1/2 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp dried oregano
6 TBSP all-purpose flour
1 3/4 C chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
2 bay leaves
flour tortillas, warmed, grated cheddar and cilantro for serving

1. Season beef with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tsp oil over high. In two batches, cook beef until browned on all sides, 5 minutes per batch (add 2 tsp more oil for second batch). Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

2. In the same skillet, cook tsp oil, onion, pepper, jalapeno, and garlic over medium, stirring and scraping up browned bit, until vegetables are tender, 5 minutes. Add cumin, chili powder, oregano and flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour broth into skillet, stirring until liquid is smooth. Simmer 2 minutes, then transfer mixture to slow cooker, along with tomatoes and bay leaves. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir to combine. Cover and cook on high 6 hours.

3. Serve in tortillas with cheese and cilantro.

This was a huge hit. My son ate two tacos. It has a stew-like consistency, so you could easily serve it over rice. You can serve this with rice and beans as tacos. Also with chips and salsa. I used fire-roasted tomatoes which I think added to the rich flavor.