Pretty Yummy Chili

I made this chili last month and it turned out rather yummy! The kids even liked it!

Ingredients:

1 lb of organic ground beef (we buy ours at Costco)

1 bottle of V8 juice

1 can of diced tomatoes (or several fresh ones cut up if you have them)

1 can of organic kidney beans

1 can of organic black beans

2-3 cups of frozen corn kernels

1 onion (I used medium yellow), chopped

1 teaspoon of chili powder

Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown and break up the ground beef in a large chili pot until it's no longer pink inside (over medium-high heat). Add the chopped onion and cook until it's translucent. Add the chili powder, tomatoes, beans, V8 juice and corn and mix it all up. Continue to cook on medium heat until everything has heated through.

You can serve this with grated cheddar and fresh chopped onions if you desire.

Beef Shells Supreme with Veggies

I made the Beef Noodle Supreme recipe from this site and of course I had to modify it (just because I wanted to use my veggies on hand and add a little spark). My mom used to make this recipe but instead of green onions, she'd use parsley.

I followed the recipe but added fresh spinach and asparagus to the sauce as well as fresh parsley to the cream cheese mixture. It turned out so well!! I like the canned tomato sauce rather than using a pre-made "Prego-type" sauce.

It wasn't a total kid pleaser, but honestly, what is these days? My kids don't like pizza, so don't bank on your kids not liking this (I loved it as a kid).

Ingredients I used:

1 lb ground beef

1 tblsp olive oil

2-3 garlic cloves, crushed and minced

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

3 small (8oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 package of cream cheese (spreadable is easiest, but if you get regular, let it sit out for an hour before making this meal)

1 small jar of sour cream (about 1 cup)

8-10 green onions (whites and greens, chopped)

handful of chopped fresh parsley (or about 1 tblsp of dry parsley)

handful of fresh spinach* (optional)

5 stalks of asparagus (cut into about 1/2 inch pieces) * (optional)

12-16 oz noodles (I've used egg noodles as well as medium shells)

2 cups of shredded cheese (cheddar or colby/jack)

First start the noodles in boiling water. While the water is boiling, brown the ground beef with the garlic and olive oil (if needed). Cook until it's no longer pink, then add the pasta sauce, salt and sugar. Let this simmer for a few minutes. Add the spinach and asparagus * (optional) and cook until the spinach has shrunken down.

While the pasta is simmering, mix together the softened cream cheese with the sour cream until smooth. Fold in the onions and fresh parsley. Set aside.

Once the pasta has cooked to al dente, drain, then layer on the bottom of a casserole dish.

Add the cream cheese mixture to the pasta and spread it out in an even layer on top.

Top with the meat sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 (or 340 for convection oven) for about 30 minutes. Watch to make sure the cheese doesn't burn or dry out.

Serve with salad and a nice Malbec or Chianti wine.

This is a great meal to double up on and freeze some for later. Just cook about 1 hr - 1.5 hours from a thawed state. With the recipe above, this made dinner for 4, lunch for 2 adults the next day, and a meal for 4 in the freezer. A pound of ground beef goes a long way.

Whole Foods Muenster and Jalapeno Sliders

We bought the pre-made mini sliders at Whole Foods (they're a pretty good deal) as well as their mini buns. These turned out sooo good topped with fresh jalapeno slices and then Muenster cheese on top. Of course we left the jalapenos off for the boys, but they loved them!!

Peruvian Soup with Potatoes

Last night we made Whole Foods Peruvian Sopa a la Minuta and it was just as good as the first time we made it. I omit the red bell pepper and add two carrots instead (my kids seem to eat more of it this way). It seems as though we had two thumbs up from our guests (my parents) as well. My dad, the cook, is hard to please when it comes to the kitchen, so I'm always happy when he likes a meal I've made!

I popped some cheese bread in the oven and roasted some zucchini slivers in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and served as a side. This is a pretty simple meal after everything is peeled!