Fire Roasted Poblano Chili

Since we've discovered milk, corn and tomato allergies in the family I've been forced to become a bit more creative in my meal planning. One of my favorite meals to have in cold weather is chili. Alas and alack, tomatoes are the base of my recipe. So, I began searching for a tomato free chili, and Pinterest came to the rescue. I discovered Maid in Alaska's recipe for Tomato Free Chili with Fire Roasted Poblanos. Honestly, I thought that I would have to try several recipes before we found one to please everyone in the family. Happily that wasn't the case. This recipe (with only small changes to the original) has become our go to recipe for allergy free chili!

Tomato Free Chili with Fire Roasted Poblanos Recipe:

2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, and chopped (directions below)

2 lbs. organic ground beef

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

4 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon Mexican oregano (if you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can use regular oregano)

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can Ranch style pinto beans

32 oz. beef broth (she only used 2 cups, but we like ours to simmer a long time and not too thick)

salt & pepper to taste

To fire roast the poblanos:

Maid in Alaska's directions: Roast the poblano peppers directly on your grill or on top of your gas stove top burner (directly over the flame) until they are black and charred all the way around. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to steam (this will sweat the skin and make peeling the peppers easier). Set aside for at least 10 minutes. I didn't have a grill or gas stove top available so just put my peppers in the oven at 545° for a few minutes until charred and then followed above directions to steam and peel.

Hold the top of the pepper and use a large kitchen knife to scrape off the blackened skin. Cut the peppers open and remove the stem and seeds. Then spread the peppers out on cutting board and chop.

To make the chili:

In a large Dutch oven, brown the beef with the onion and garlic and drain grease. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and oregano, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chopped poblanos, black beans, pinto beans, and beef broth. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 30 – 50 minutes, depending on how thick you like your chili . Water may be added to thin it down a bit if desired. The longer it simmers, the thicker it will become. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Now I'm dreaming of finding a tomato and cheese free pizza and lasagna. A girl can always dream.

Mom's Bread

One of my favorite memories is coming home from school as a little girl smelling all the good things Mom had cooking. Cookies, food for supper, pies and more would all fill the kitchen with wonderful aromas. One of my favorites of all was (and still is!) her bread. I finally went to her house one day several months ago to make some with her and made her measure all the ingredients. So, here's one of my favorite, treasured recipes:

Mom's Rolls

1 Tbsp. yeast

2/3 cup warm water

3 cups warm milk

1 egg

1 Tbsp. salt

1/3 cup oil

1/4 cup sugar

7 1/2 cups flour

Dissolve yeast in 2/3 cup warm water.

Add yeast mixture, egg, salt, oil and sugar to the milk. Mix and add flour to make thick sticky dough (about 7 1/2 cups). Mix and Knead. Let rise in warm place. After doubled (or more), punch down and knead again. Form into rolls or loaf. Allow to rise and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes.

She makes it look so easy, but mine still don't measure up to hers!

Chili Pot Pie

I found a recipe online to try out tonight. I ended up changing it so much, that it looked almost nothing like the original. So, I decided I could call it my own and post it. I did use some of the puree's I had made before but you could leave them out and not notice the difference. It was a hit with my family - I made one larger pan instead of 2 pies (the crust ended up too thick because I didn't divide it out) and had meat left-over. We wrapped the left-over meat in flour tortillas and made burritos for a second meal.

Meat mixture:

1 lb. ground beef

1 cup chopped onion

4 cups fresh spinach torn into bite sized pieces

1 can (16 oz.) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (15 oz.) pinto beans, rinsed and drained

2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce

1 can (14 1/2 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained

1 pkg. taco seasoning mix

1 tablespoon molasses

1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

1/4 cup orange puree

1/4 cup white puree

Crust (or use your favorite pie crust recipe):

2 1/2 cups unbleached flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

4 tsp. sugar

2 tsp. salt

2 cups cold butter

12 to 14 tablespoons cold water

Directions: In skillet, cook the beef and onion (you could also add green bell pepper at this point) until meat is no longer pink; drain. Stir in remainder of meat mixture ingredients. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 20 - 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Cut in butter until crumbly. Gradually add water, mixing with fork until dough forms a ball. Divide into fourths; roll each portion into a circle. Cover w/ plastic wrap. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
Line two pie plates with pastry. Divide meat mixture between the two crusts. Roll out remaining pastry to fit tops of pies; place over filling. Flute top and bottom crusts together. Cut slits in top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 min. Reduce heat to 375 degrees; bake 30 to 35 min. or until golden brown. Let stand for 10 - 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 servings

Shhh...don't tell!

Last night my family ate spinach, broccoli, peas, sweet potatoes, carrots, tomatoes, and red peppers. Tonight we will add cauliflower and zucchini. Shhh....please don't tell them!!! They just think we had pizza and will think we're having chili tonight.

I've always been known to "hide" vegetables in my kids food. Mainly, I'd grate carrots into any tomato based or ground beef meal we had. Tacos, spaghetti, meat loaf - were all good ways to get a veggie into my kids. You'd have to be a part of our family to appreciate it, but my kids are always laughing at me - letting me know I didn't fool them. In fact, last time Sarah was here, she let me know that I no longer needed to "hide" it - that they were all old enough to know the carrots were there. :-) But as funny as they thought I was, it worked! They would eat the vegetables. I didn't really want to "fool" them, but teach them to eat vegetables willingly, so I never denied my attempt at deceit.

Several months ago I was given an electric steamer. I thought "this takes up so much space in my kitchen, I'll play with this awhile then donate it." but then yesterday I declared a play day for me - and went shopping. I went to a book store and came out with The Sneaky Chef and Deceptively Delicious cookbooks that I found on sale - really cheap. I went home played all afternoon - cooking! (Yes, I'm weird, I know, but I LIKE cooking.)
I fell in love with the steamer - not only does it cook perfect rice, but it works great with all the recipes in my new cookbooks. It may have earned its' space in my kitchen, at least until I lose interest. I made and froze several vegetable purees to add to recipes. Because the vegetables are steamed and then pureed in the food processor, a small amount of puree goes a long way - one cookbook called it "nutritionally dense". I wish I'd had this when my kids were small! No one noticed the difference, but I did notice that everyone ate less pizza than normal, with the vegetables in the sauce, I think it was more filling. (maybe that was my imagination). I'm thinking this is going to be great - not only were the kids eating better, so were the adults. (I normally wouldn't touch sweet potatoes or cooked spinach). How great would it be if it works on my mother-in-law, the world's pickiest eater? I have to admit, it was FUN being sneaky. (maybe one day I'll tell them.) So, what do you do that makes your family think you're strange - or maybe I should just ask what do you do to spend a fun day alone?

Volcano!

I made the Volcano Cake this weekend. YUM! (Well, it would have been good if I hadn't over cooked it.) I did want to warn anyone planning on making it that it is called Volcano Cake for a reason. Make sure your pan is deeper than the average glass 9x13" pan or put a cookie sheet under it. Mine oozed lava batter all over the bottom of the oven. :-)
The cake tasted like a German chocolate cake with the icing in the middle. If you make it, let me know if yours turned out better than mine!

Squash!

I'm not sure why I saved this recipe. My family doesn't like squash, so I'll never get to try it! But I had a squash casserole once at church that I loved, and I've been looking for a good one ever since. If you try this one, let me know if it's good enough for me to make just for me!

Squash Casserole

1 large onion, chopped

4 Tbsp. butter

3 cups cooked squash, drained and water squeezed out

1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (plus additional)

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp. House Seasoning (see below)

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350*. Sautee' onion in butter for 5 min. Mix all ingredients and top with additional crushed crackers. Bake 25 to 30 minutes.

Variation: layer slices of cooked red potatoes in bottom of casserole pan followed by squash mixture; repeat layers and top with 1 cup Ritz crumbs tossed with melted butter.

House Seasoning

1 cup salt

1/4 cup black pepper

1/4 cup garlic powder

Another Recipe of Clara's!

Chocolate Chip Pound Cake

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups water

1 tsp. vanilla

1 pkg. butter recipe cake mix

1 - 3.4 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix

1 - 3.4 oz. pkg. instant chocolate pudding mix

1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6 oz. chocolate chips

Powdered sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease & flour tube or bundt pan. In mixing bowl beat eggs, water and vanilla by hand. Stir in cake and pudding mixes. Slowly add butter and oil. Mix well. Stir in chocolate chips and pour into prepared pan. Bake 50 - 60 min. Cool for 10 minutes then invert onto cake plate. Sift powdered sugar over cake or drizzle chocolate sauce over it, if desired.

Black Bean Soup

1 lb. dry black beans

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 cups chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped carrots

1 cup finely chopped celery

2 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. cumin

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 lb. smoked ham hocks

2 cans 14 1/2 oz. chicken broth

4 cups water

1/4 tsp. dried thyme

1 can 14 1/2 oz. Mexican tomatoes (Del Monte is one brand)

1 1/2 t. salt

sour cream

chopped green onion

Finely chopped bacon

Soak beans over night and drain. Heat oil and add onions, carrots and celery. Cook until tender. Add garlic, cumin and pepper flakes and cook 30 seconds longer. Add ham; stir in beans, broth, water and thyme. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Stir in tomatoes with liquid and salt. Simmer covered until beans are tender. Remove ham from bones and return meat to pot. Mash some of solids to thicken broth, if desired. Serve with sour cream, green onion and bacon.

Volcano Cake

I found a few recipes today that I had saved from Clara Imel's file while working for her. I'll be posting them here just to have a place to save them. I haven't made any of them yet, so if you make it, let me know if it's good!

Volcano Cake

1 cup coconut

1 cup pecans or walnuts

1 pkg. German chocolate cake mix

10 bite size Almond Joy candy bars, chopped

1 - 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temp.

1/2 cup butter, room temp.

2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray 13x9x2" pan. Mix coconut & nuts and spread evenly in pan. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Stir in candy bars and pour batter over coconut and nuts. Combine cream cheese, butter, and sugar. Randomly drop tablespoons of mixture on top of batter - do not spread them. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until sides of cake pull away from pan.

If feeling indulgent, serve with whipped cream.

Update: See review here

Peach Enchiladas

Sunday morning I woke up early and made the perfect plate of creamy caramel. Why was I up early before Sunday School to make a plate of caramel? Strange cravings? Nope, accident!
Once a month we take breakfast to our class and I began making a great recipe for peach enchiladas. Failing to read the recipe correctly, I put the sugar mixture on the stove thinking it would help the lumps of sugar dissolve as I searched for the butter in the fridge. Evidently, it took me way too long to find that butter. I turned around to find this wonderfully amber colored liquid in the sauce pan. I quickly added the butter hoping to salvage it. Nope, too late - it didn't work. I poured it into a plate and it developed into the aforementioned caramel! YUM!
Kudos to Mark for coming to the rescue and helping me make the peach enchiladas in time for Sunday School. The verdict? Both the caramel and enchiladas were delicious! Never would have thought cinnamon in caramel would be good.
(Organizing the fridge is now on my to do list...)

Thanks to Mark's cousin, Jessica, for sharing her recipe!

Ingredients:
2 packages (8-ounce size) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup butter
4 firm ripe peaches, peeled and quartered, or 1 bag of frozen unsweetened peaches, thawed
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 can (12-ounce size) Mountain Dew or Sprite

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt butter and add sugar and cinnamon. Mix together and set aside.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate on the perforations. Place a peach quarter in each triangle. Roll from large end to small. (If desired, after rolling, encase peach with dough by gently stretching and pinching dough together.)

Place rolled dough in a 12x10x2-inch baking pan. Pour or spoon butter mixture over all. Pour Mountain Dew (or Sprite) on top. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Serve as is or with ice cream. (This recipe can be easily halved.)

Hope you enjoy!

Give-Me-More Barbecued Ribs

Becky gave me a "Fix-It and Forget-It" cookbook for Christmas. We've been taking turns choosing a recipe to make and tonight was Aaron's night. The results were a LOT better than I expected (I'd have never thought to cook ribs in a crock pot!). They were called Give-Me-More Barbecued Ribs, and since I found a package of ribs at 40% off, we tried them out. :-)

Makes: 6 servings

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6 quart

4 lbs. pork ribs

1/2 cup brown sugar

12-oz. jar chili sauce

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. hot sauce

1. Place ribs in slow cooker

2. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour half of sauce over ribs.

3. Cover. Cook on low 8 - 10 hours.

4. Serve with remaining sauce.

I used plain mustard because that's what I had, and I used more hot sauce. Also, our ribs were tender and meat literally falling off the bone after 6 hours, so 8 to 10 hours may be too long. This was good, but you could just as easily use a bottle of your favorite Barbecue sauce.

You know it's true love when....

...He chooses YOUR favorite meal for HIS birthday! So, tonight Mark had meatloaf, black eyed peas (his choice) and salad. Then - HIS FAVORITE- coconut pie for his birthday "cake".

Happy Birthday Mark!! I love you!

Mom's Coconut Pie:

Pie Crust

1/3 heaping cup shortening

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. salt

cold water

Cut shortening into flour and salt and add cold water to correct consistency. Roll out and bake.

Pie Filling

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 egg yolks

4 Tbsp. corn starch

3 cups milk

1 tsp. vanilla

Cook until thickened and pour into cooked crust.

Meringue

Beat 3 egg whites

with 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar and

1/4 cup sugar

Bake until golden brown.

Mmm, Mmm, Good!

Sarah discovered a new recipe and after digging the recipe card out of the trash can (oops), we decided to make it tonight. This is really good! I'd be all "pioneer-womanish" and post pictures if I'd thought to take photos before my brood scarfed up all the food. Really - even the youngest son ate it! Now, that's success.

Chicken Romano (serves 4)
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. salt-free seasoned dried breadcrumbs *
3 Tbsp. grated Romano cheese
4 thin-sliced boneless chicken cutlets
1 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs, liquid reserved
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 Tbsp. sliced pitted Kalamata olives*
1 tsp. balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes*
3 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves*

1. Combine bread crumbs and cheese in shallow dish. Dredge the chicken pieces in crumb mixture to coat on both sides.
2. Heat 1 1/2 tsp. oil in 12 inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook half of chicken until golden and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat.
3. Add drained tomatoes, garlic, olives, vinegar, red pepper and 1/3 cup of tomato liquid. Cook two minutes, stirring occasionally until slightly thickened.
4. Remove from heat and discard garlic. Stir in basil. Spoon sauce over cutlets and serve.

*Our changes: We doubled the recipe for my family, using chicken breasts that we flattened. I don't think our bread crumbs were salt-free and we used plain ole' black olives. We didn't have the red pepper flakes, so, those were omitted. Also, even though we doubled the recipe, we didn't double the amount of basil (ours was freeze dried and supposed to be equivalent to fresh) and it was plenty. Let me know if you try it out. Enjoy.

Mark's Favorites

Becky and Amy both "tagged" me to list some of my husband's favorite things, so, here I go!

First and foremost is : GOD

(and I won't attempt to get HIS picture.)

OUR KIDS - all 5! (and I hope I'm included SOMEWHERE in here!)

His favorite SCRIPTURE passage is Jeremiah 29:11-14

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."

MUSIC - Contemporary Christian and Classical are his favorite types of music. He plays trumpet and french horn.

Radio Station: America Family Radio

One of his favorite T.V. channels: The History Channel

MOVIE:

FAVORITE FOOD:

CANDY BAR:

His favorite DRINK is Vanilla cream Dr. Pepper:

(Pour a 16 oz. bottle D.P. over ice and add 3 Tbsp. Half & Half and 2 Tbsp. vanilla syrup)

COLLEGE AND MEMORIES:


SPORT: Baseball
SPORTS TEAM:

VACATION SPOT: The mountains!

FAVORITE PLACE HE'S BEEN: Ireland



BOOKS:
"Red Storm Rising" by Tom Clancy and "The Walking Drum" by Louis L'Amour


and finally, his favorite HOBBIES are reading, shooting, camping, fishing, computer and sleeping!

I Love you, Mark!

Whew! I finished! Now, I tag Sue.

Our Veteran's Day

One thing I've discovered about homeschooling is that it pushes me to do things that I should have been doing all along....like teaching about patriotism and gratefulness...

The traveling Vietnam Memorial wall was in town for the week of Veteran's day, and the boys (Nathan, Aaron and Ben) helped clean the grounds with their Tae Kwan Do class.
They liked the wall so much that we made several trips to see it.

The last day I finally thought to borrow Scott's camera and get a few pictures.

On the day before Veteran's day we made flag and star shaped cookies. (Thanks for the idea, Amy!)

We even tinted them red and blue!

Here is the finished product.

Aaron drew cards that said "Thank you for our freedom" and we delivered cookies to a couple of our favorite veterans.

The one pictured above sat down with Aaron for about an hour and told stories of being in Okinawa Japan.

Unfortunately, by then Ben was sick and Nathan was in school, so they didn't get to help deliver cookies. But the vet pictured above was teary-eyed when we came. He showed up at our house yesterday morning to bring the boys flag pins to "help you remember all veterans" and to thank the boys. He said, "You touched my heart that I was remembered on Veteran's Day by fine young men." How sweet. We should have done this years ago!