Couples' Chili/Soups/Pie Night (Rachel's recipes)

Grandma Audrey's Chili

Brown 4 lbs. of hamburger with 2 finely diced onions.

Drain off the grease.

Add 4 cans of Chili Beans

2 – 3 cans of stewed tomatoes

1 can of Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup Ketchup

3-4 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons Chili Powder (or more to taste)

Simmer together for several hours in a crock pot – then serve with homemade rolls.

Creamy White Chili

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves fresh garlic, finely minced

1 tablespoon oil

2 cans (15 1/2 ounces each) Great Northern Beans, rinsed and drained

1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth

2 cans (4 ounces each) chopped green chilies (if you like less kick, add just one can)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a large saucepan, saute chicken, onion and garlic powder (or fresh garlic, if using) in oil until chicken is no longer pink. Add beans, broth, chilies and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in sour cream and cream. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired. Serve immediately. This is especially good served with tortilla chips.

Slow Cooker Option: In a medium round slow cooker, place 1 pound chicken breasts (fresh or frozen) without cubing them. Add the chopped onion, garlic powder, beans, green chiles and all of the spices. Do not add the sour cream or whipping cream yet! Reduce the chicken broth to 12 ounces (about 1 1/2 cups) and pour in over the other ingredients. Stir the mixture around a bit to incorporate the dry spices. Cook on low for 5-7 hours (if using frozen chicken you’ll cook on the longer end of that spectrum, fresh chicken will cook in less time). Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred in bite-size pieces. Stir back into the slow cooker. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the sour cream and whipping cream  until smooth. Whisk the cream mixture into the crockpot with the other ingredients. Let the soup cook until heated through. Serve.

Sixty Minute Rolls

Dissolve:

1 T yeast and 1/3 c. sugar in ½ c. warm water

In the meantime:

1 ½ c. scalded milk

1/3 c. butter (place in warm milk to melt it and to cool the milk)

*cool to lukewarm before adding yeast mixture to it

then add:

2 eggs-well beaten

add:

4 ½ cups flour (measure before sifting)

1 t. salt

Stir all ingredients together about 100 times.  This will be very sticky. 

Let rise 20 minutes.

Stir down.

Shape rolls and let rise another 20 minutes.  Sprinkle flour on top of the dough as you shape them-use just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers)  It is a very soft dough!

Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes

*How I shape them: 12-14 round circle about ½ - ¾ inch thick and use a pizza cutter.  Cut 12 triangle pieces. From the wide end roll each one to the end.  

Creamy Coconut Lime Bars

Foil line your 8 by 8 pan, lightly spray with oil spray.  Set aside.

MY CRUST I DO: (can do your favorite crust)

325 degrees for about 15-18 min.

1.5 cups crushed graham crackers or animal crackers

¼ c. brown sugar

1/3 c. butter

Filling

2 ounces cream cheese , room temperature

1 tablespoon grated lime zest (I used 2 limes & that was fine too) 

1/8 teaspoon salt

1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup fresh lime juice (I TOTALLY used some bottled lime juice after squeezing 2 limes)

Topping

3/4 cup sweetened shredded coconut , toasted until golden and crisp

Pour mixture into foiled lined pan and press down firmly and evenly using a bottom of a measuring cup.  Bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 minutes.  Set aside to cool while making the filling.

Using a hand held mixer in a medium speed, mix softened cream cheese and condensed milk until just combined, add lime zest, salt, and egg yolk until incorporated.  Using a rubber spatula, add lime juice and fold in until combined.

Pour filling into the prepared crust and bake until just set, about 15-18 minutes, longer if doubling or tripling the recipe (cover loosely with foil if top is getting too brown).  Cool to room temperature and then chill, covered in refrigerator, 2 or more hours.

Using the foiled edges, gently lift the cheesecake out of the pan, cut into 16 squares, top with toasted shredded coconut flakes and serve.

Spinach Salad

Baby Spinach rinsed and drained

fresh strawberries, sliced

Feta Cheese, crumbled

Slivered almonds (saute with brown sugar over the stove until caramelized) 

        Ratio can be flexible: almonds 2: 1 Brown sugar

Serve with your favorite vinaigrette (I prefer a nice strawberry one or Brianna's Poppyseed!)

Caramel Cookies (I made it into a pie that night, but best as bars/cookies) 

Crust:

1/2 lb. butter (2 cubes)

1/2 c. sugar

2 c. flour

Mix the ingredients above together and then press into a 9 x 13 sprayed baking dish.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 min. or until edges begin to brown slightly.

Topping:

1/2 lb. butter (2 cubes) *BUTTER, not margarine) 

3/4 c. sugar 

1/2 c. (8 T.) corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Chocolate chips to taste (optional)

Nuts (optional)

In a saucepan melt butter.  Add sugar and corn syrup.  Cook over medium heat until sugar mostly dissolves (otherwise it will be grainy).  Add sweetened condensed milk and continue cooking over medium heat until light brown in color.  Pour over crust.  (sprinkle with chocolate chips and spread them around as they melt.  Top with nuts if desired.)  Optional