Fiery Football Feast!

Being a wife of an avid football fan (go Cowboys!), we like having what we call football food, good food easy to eat while watching the game. Our favorite appetizer is  Jalapeno poppers. The poppers recipe is an easy one to make and isn't deep fried its baked which makes it a bit healthier.

Ingredients:

4 ounces cream cheese, room temperature      

1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar

6 large jalapenos, halved and seeded      

Coarse salt and ground pepper

      

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small bowl, mix together cream cheese and cheddar. Season with salt and pepper. With a small spoon, fill each jalapeno half with about 1 tablespoon cheese mixture. Place peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake until cheese is browned and bubbling, about 10 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through.

They come out delicious every time I make them and are always a huge hit with everyone and go fast so make plenty!



Our favorite football Sunday dinner is Chili and you cant have chili without cornbread, bacon cornbread that is! My husband and I have searched and made many recipes, we like having chunks of meat in our chili not ground beef and have tried to find recipes with lots of flavors and not too basic. After searching the recipes we have created our own, what I think is one of the best, Chili recipe.

 

Fry up the bacon

Make the spice paste

season the chuck roast

 

brown the roast

sauté the onions

 

add garlic and peppers

add paste tomatoes water lime juice and sugar

add Louisiana hot sauce like franks

 

 

 

Monday's Chili

 

 Ingredients:
2 Tbsp. red chili powder
1 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground oregano
1 tsp. thyme
1/2 tsp. ground coriander seeds
3-4 tbsp. of water
4 strips of bacon
2 tbsp. of butter
2 1/2 lb. chuck roast
salt, pepper and paprika
1 medium white onion, chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed seeded and ribs removed, minced
2 chipotles in adobo, roughly chopped, plus a tbsp. of adobo sauce
1 14 oz. can of whole tomatoes, drained
1 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
2 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp. lime juice
1 tsp. sugar
1 28 oz. can of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp. of hot sauce, like Franks
1 tsp. cornstarch, dissolved in a couple tbsp. water
 cheddar cheese, grated for a garnish

Directions:
In a small bowl mix the chili powder, chipotle chili powder, cumin, oregano, thyme, and ground coriander seeds. Mix in water to form a paste, set aside. In a Dutch oven or large pot fry up the bacon on medium heat, until crisp. Remove from pan and set aside to cool on a paper towel when cool crumble. Reserve bacon fat for later. Sprinkle the chuck roast with salt, pepper and paprika. Increase the heat to the pot and add the butter. When butter has melted brown the chuck roast on all sides 5-10 min, it does not have to cook through. When done browning remove from pan and set aside to cool, when cool cut into bite size chunks. Add a tbsp. of reserved bacon fat to the pot, add chopped onions and sauté till soft, about 5 min. Add garlic and jalapenos, cook until fragrant, about 1 min. Add roughly chopped chipotles and the tbsp. of adobo sauce, cook another minute. Add the spice paste and cook for another 2-3 mins. Add beef, bacon, both cans of tomatoes, water, lime juice and sugar. Cook on medium heat until it simmers, then reduce to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. Uncover and cook for another 30 min, maintain a simmer. Mix corn starch into water, then add to chili to thicken it. Gently add the kidney beans and the hot sauce, cook for another 15 min, then serve. Adding cheese is optional its great either way!

Makes about 12 servings.



We have tried several different ways of making chili this is our final product, we feel its the best. Its hearty and not too spicy, the perfect chili (if I do say so myself)! We also like to make regular and sweet potato fries they both taste fantastic with chili on top.

And what is chili with out some yummy bacon cornbread in a cast iron skillet.

Ingredients:

4 strips of bacon

1 1/4 cups coarsely ground cornmeal

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup whole milk

1 cup buttermilk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place a 9-inch cast iron skillet inside to heat while you make the batter. Fry up the bacon until crispy, set aside to cool the crumble. In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk in the milk, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in almost all of the melted butter, reserving about 1 tablespoon for the skillet later on. Whisk in crumbled bacon. Carefully remove the hot skillet from the oven. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet with the remaining butter. Pour the batter into the skillet and place it in the center of the oven. Bake until the center is firm and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. I like my corn bread on the sweeter side so I sprinkled the top with some sugar and a tbsp. of melted butter and cooked another 5 minutes. Allow to cool for 10 to 15 minutes and serve

I hope you get to try these recipes and enjoy them. Let me know how they turn out, or if you have any questions.

Oktoberfest!

Its October, time to celebrate hoodies, football and hearty foods! To kick off October I made a great Oktoberfest Lager Stew, for my family and brother-in-law. My husband and his brother both aren't fans of cabbage however, they did enjoy this stew. Its hearty and delicious and goes great with a crusty bread and for those of you who enjoy it a cold beer. My kids weren't fans of it but the recipe made enough for 4 so it was the perfect amount for the adults to enjoy.

 

 

 

 

(the finished product sorry it was too good to wait to take a pic)

Oktoberfest Lager Stew with Sausage, Potatoes, Caramelized Onions and Golden Cabbage(Serves about 4)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14 ounce) package beef smoked sausage, cut into bite-size slices
1 ½ onion, sliced into thin semi-circles
½ head small cabbage, halved again, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds
• Pinch salt
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1cup German-style lager beer (Oktoberfest variety)
2 russet potatoes, peeled and cubed to bite-size pieces
2 ½ cups hot chicken stock
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley, chopped

           

Directions:

Place a medium-large pot over medium-high heat, and add the olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the sliced beef smoked sausage, and allow the slices to caramelize and brown in the oil, for about 4-5 minutes; once the sausage is browned, add in the sliced onions, stir, and allow the onions to caramelize with the sausage for another few minutes, until golden-brown and softened; once onions are caramelized, add in the sliced cabbage, stir to combine, and allow the cabbage to soften and take on the flavors of the sausage and onions for  few minutes; once the cabbage is softened and golden, add in the black pepper, ground caraway seeds and the pinch of salt, and stir to combine; next, stir in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the cup of lager, and stir the mixture to combine; allow the beer to slightly reduce for about 3 minutes or so; next, add in the cubed potatoes and the hot chicken stock, stir, and allow the mixture to come to the boil; once it comes to the boil, place a lid on (slightly askew to allow just a little steam to escape), and reduce the heat to low to gently simmer the stew for about 40 minutes; after the 40 minutes, turn the heat off, and finish the stew by stirring in the apple cider vinegar and the chopped parsley (add more salt if necessary, too).Serve in large bowls with some hearty, rye bread or rustic rolls with butter or cream cheese.

 

Very easy to make, and great eats for watching some football!