Emily's Chili Beans

2 cans, #2 size, Hunts Chili Beans
2 cans tomatoes
2 pounds hamburger, browned
1 onion, chopped

Simmer all together.
Serve with corn muffins and a green salad.

Pepperoni Pizza Chili Recipe

A good one for chili contests because it is unusual and good. It originally came from Taste of Home.

8 Servings

Prep: 5 min. Cook: 40 min.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
  
• 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
  
• 1 can (15 ounces) pizza sauce
  
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) Italian stewed tomatoes
  
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  
• 1-1/2 cups water
  
• 1 package (3-1/2 ounces) sliced pepperoni
  
• 1/2 cup chopped green pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon pizza seasoning or Italian seasoning
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• Shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, optional
  

Directions

• In a large saucepan, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the beans, pizza sauce, tomatoes, tomato sauce, water, pepperoni, green pepper, pizza seasoning and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until chili reaches desired thickness. Sprinkle with cheese if desired. Yield: 8 servings.
  

Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1 cup) equals 236 calories, 11 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 38 mg cholesterol, 1,102 mg sodium, 18 g carbohydrate, 5 g fiber, 18 g protein.

Pepperoni Pizza Chili published in Taste of Home February/March 2001, p25

Diana’s Bluewater Beans

 

 

Pinto beans (soak overnight if possible)

Onion

Salt

Tomato sauce

Optional:

Garlic

Sage

 

Cook pinto beans with onion and salt to taste (you'll need lots of salt). If you wish, put cooked tomatoes or tomato sauce in the beans, then season with garlic and sage.

Serve the beans with hot scones for a real old fashioned cowboy meal. Up the atmosphere by serving these beans with western music, clothing and décor.

 

Mom used to sing this song:" EAT YOUR BEANS RIDE YOUR HORSE! EAT YOUR BEANS AND RIDE YOUR HORSE! YOUR A COWBOY, A COWBOY, EAT YOUR BEANS AND RIDE YOUR HORSE."

Dennis' Broccoli and Cheddar Soup

 

Dad is the master of soup. This recipe is for Broccoli Cheddar but can be adapted for asparagus or cauliflower as well. He usually makes enough for a couple of meals and then freezes the rest for another day.

 

4 crowns of broccoli, cut into small bite size pieces

2 cups cheese, shredded

 

Fill a stockpot 1/3 rd with water and start it boiling. Cut the stems from the broccoli, leaving only the florets. Put the stalks into the boiling water and put the florets into a separate pot. Begin to flash boil/steam the florets.

 

To the boiling stockpot add:

4 stalks celery, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

 

By now the florets are finished (still firm but softened). When the vegetables in the stockpot are tender, turn off the heat and pour the water into a large bowl, straining out the vegetables. Put 1/3rd of the vegetables into a blender bowl then take a cup of the water from the boiled broccoli and add a tablespoon of instant chicken bouillon. Pour into the blender with the veggies and blend for about 1 minute, or until they are creamy. Repeat this for all the veggies. Pour them into another bowl that will hold it all. Then add to the pot:

A cube of margarine

 

Melt it over medium high heat. When it is melted put a cup of flour and blend it with a whisk then let it cook for a minute or until it just begins to brown. Now add:

A couple quarts of milk all at once

 

As it thickens add all the blended veggies and let them simmer till it all thickens. If it is not thick enough, take a cup or two of milk and whisk in a tablespoon or two of flour and, when there are no lumps, pour it all into the pot and let it thicken up. Then dump in all the florets that have been sitting aside in a bowl and stir carefully. You don't want to disintegrate the florets. Now when it is all set, turn off the heat and pour in:

Two cups of shredded cheese

 

Bring to a simmer, carefully stirring it all together. Now the secret seasonings:

Garlic powder or minced garlic

Basil

Oregano

Thyme

Salt

Coarse ground black pepper

Lawry's seasoning

Split Pea and Lentil Soup

 

The portions and ingredients in this recipe are not set in stone--they're up for experimentation. All Dad's soup recipes can be divided or multiplied easily.

 

In a large stockpot add:

Water

1/4 cup of chicken bouillon

Equal amounts of split peas and lentils (usually 1 or 2 cups of each)

Ham hocks or chopped pieces of ham, to taste

Herbs and spices (bay leaves, basil, sage, marjoram, minced garlic and Lawry's seasoning).

 

Bring to a boil then turn heat down to low, cover and let simmer for an hour or two. When the peas are tender, take out the bay leaves and ham hocks. Add desired vegetables while the meat is cooling down a bit.

 

2 chopped onions

2 or 3 ribs of chopped celery

3 or 4 carrots, sliced 1/8th inch thick

2 ribs of chopped bok choy, chopped (optional)

 

Chop meat into bite-sized pieces then put back into the pot (without the bones). Let this simmer on med/low heat till all is tender, but not overdone. Carrots are good indicators or readiness.

Succotash

This is one of Dad's favorite soups.

In a large sauce pan of lightly salted boiling water, cook:

2 cups of fresh or frozen whole kernel corn

2 cups of fresh or frozen baby lima beans

2 cups of peas

For 10 minutes. Then add:

1/2 cup of chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped green or red pepper

Cook for 5-10 minutes more, or till the vegetables are tender, then drain. Stir in:

1 or 2 Tbsp. Butter (or margarine)

1/2 tsp. salt and

1/4 tsp. pepper

Makes 6 or 7 servings

Melanie's Minestrone

There are no set proportions for this recipe. Just follow your instincts.

Brown ground beef/turkey and onions together, drain

Add what you have on hand:

Stewed tomatoes

Green beans

Kidney beans

Garbanzo beans

Celery

Red cabbage

Green Pepper

Corn

Zucchini

Carrots

And anything else that sounds good

Then add to taste:

Beef soup bouillon

Garlic

Oregano

Basil

Pepper/Salt

Then throw in pasta (macaroni or whatever you have)

The Soup Nazi's® Indian Mulligatawny Soup

This fabulous recipe comes from a restaurant cloning web site. Here's the story: "Al Yeganeh -- otherwise known as the Soup Nazi from the Seinfeld episode which aired in 1995 -- is a master at the soup kettle. Yeganeh's mastery shows when he combines sometimes unusual ingredients to create unique and delicious flavors in his much-raved about soups. In April I took a trip to New York and tasted around a dozen of the Soup Nazi's creations. The Mulligatawny was among my favs. After each daily trip to Soup Nazi's headquarters, I immediately headed back to the hotel and poured samples of the soups into labeled, sealed containers which were then chilled for the trip back home. There, in the home lab (okay, it's a kitchen) portions of the soup were rinsed through a sieve and ingredients were identified. After that, it was a matter of trial and error, figuring out the measurements for those ingredients. The result was a successful clone that I can now share with you. Just be sure when you make this soup, that you simmer it for at least four hours or until the soup reduces by more than half. The soup will darken as the flavors intensify, the potatoes will begin to fall apart and the nuts will soften."

4 quarts water (16 cups)

6 cups chicken stock

2 potatoes, peeled & sliced

2 carrots, peeled & sliced

2 stalks celery, with tops

2 cups peeled & diced eggplant (about 1/2 of an eggplant)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup frozen yellow corn

2/3 cup canned roasted red pepper, diced

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

1/2 cup roasted cashews

1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon thyme

1 bay leaf

dash marjoram

dash nutmeg

Combine all ingredients in a large pot over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours or until soup has reduced by more than half, and is thick and brownish in color. It should have the consistency of chili. Stir occasionally for the first few hours, but stir often in the last hour. The edges of the potatoes should become more rounded, and the nuts will soften. Serve hot. Makes 4-6 servings.

Tidbits: Because of the extreme reduction, I found that the salt in the chicken stock was enough for the recipe. However, if you use a stock that isn't so salty, you may find you need to add extra salt to the soup.

The Soup Nazi's® Mexican Chicken Chili

This addictive recipe comes from a restaurant cloning web site. In it they say: "In the most recent edition of Zagat's New York City Restaurant Survey, Le Cirque 2000, Al "The Soup Nazi" Yeganeh's International Soup Kitchen scored a whopping 27 out of 30. That puts the Soup Nazi's eatery in 14th place among the city's best restaurants! It's common to see lines stretching around the corner and down the block as hungry patrons wait for their cup of one of five daily hot soup selections. So here now is a clone for what has apparently become one of the Soup Nazi's most popular culinary masterpieces. The secret to this soup, as with many of his creations, seems to be the long simmering time.

1 pound chicken breast fillets (4 fillets)

1 tablespoon olive oil

10 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

½ cup tomato sauce

1 potato, peeled & chopped

1 small onion, diced

1 cup frozen yellow corn

½ carrot, sliced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 cup canned diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, plus liquid

¼ cup diced canned pimento

1 jalapeño, diced

¼ cup chopped Italian parsley

1 clove garlic, minced

1 ½ teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

¼ teaspoon salt

dash cayenne pepper

dash basil

dash oregano

On the side:

Sour cream

Pinch chopped Italian parsley

Sauté the chicken breasts in the olive oil in a large pot over medium/high heat. Cook the chicken on both side until done -- about 7-10 minutes per side. Cool the chicken until it can be handled. Do not rinse the pot. Shred the chicken by hand into bite-sizes pieces and place the pieces back into the pot. Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and turn heat to high. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4-5 hours. Stir mixture often so that many of the chicken pieces shred into much smaller bits. Chili should reduce substantially to thicken and darken (less orange, more brown) when done. Combine some chopped Italian parsley with sour cream and serve it on the side for topping the chili, if desired. Makes 4-6 servings.

Dennis’s Cream of Vegetable Soup

Dad is a bit of a soup and salad fanatic. But many of his creations are made up on the spot, so it's difficult to get a firm, set-in-stone recipe out of him. Here's what he came up with for Creamy Soups.

You choose: Cream of Cauliflower, Broccoli, Asparagus, Potato, Mushroom or Squash

Cook the vegetables (saving best bits to steam and add later)

Add a chopped onion to the vegetables

Add chicken bouillon to the cooking water

When all is cooked, put the vegetable/onion/broth mix into the blender and blend it for 1 minute till smooth. Now to a stockpot on medium heat add:

1 cube of butter/margarine

When it melts, add: Flour to soak up all the liquid (usually 1 T. flour for each T. margarine, so about 8 T. flour).

Let that brown to remove the raw taste of the roux. Then add:

Milk or cream, all at once

Adjust the thickness with leftover broth or milk. How much you put in depends on the thickness you prefer. Stir with a whisk often and as it begins to bubble and thicken, you can add more milk until you are satisfied with the thickness. Turn the heat down and let it simmer for a minute or two. Then add the blended vegetables (and steamed vegetables). Again, let it simmer for a couple of minutes to bring up the temperature to even throughout.

Add whatever spices you like (basil, oregano, a little thyme, a couple minced cloves of garlic, coarse black pepper, sage, marjoram, etc.)

Dad's Clam Chowder

This clam chowder is excellent and can stand on its own feet--but always tastes a bit better with those little octagonal oyster crackers that we used to eat by the handfuls as kids. Also, clam chowder is always better the second day once the favors have had a chance to mingle overnight.

3 6 ½ oz. cans minced clams

Drain and save the juice, add water to make 3 cups, and chop the clams to small size.

3 slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled (set aside bacon and drippings)

Into 2 Tbsp. of bacon drippings add the clam juice and:

3 cups of raw diced potatoes

1 large chopped onion

2 tsp. instant chicken bouillon granules

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

½ tsp. thyme

¼ tsp. coarse ground black pepper

Snow Day Chili (Both Parental Versions)

Our annual Christmas tree trek in the mountains of Oregon just wouldn't be the same without chili. We always started with a traditional hot chocolate and chili lunch before Dad would lead the way through the deep snow and into the far reaches of the wilderness in pursuit of the perfect tree

Mom's version:

Pinto Beans

Ground Meat

Tomato Sauce

Chili Seasoning (cumin, cayenne and chili powder)

Salt to taste

Soak pinto beans overnight in a large bowl of water. Next day, discard the water and add beans to a large pot of fresh water. In a pan, brown meat and add tomato sauce and seasonings. Mix together and reduce to desired thickness. Let set in fridge overnight to allow flavors to mix for the best taste. Heat and serve.

Dad's version:

In a large pan cook:

1 lb. ground beef

1 or 2 chopped onions

2 or 3 cloves of garlic

Until the meat is brown and the onion is tender.

Then add:

1 can of diced tomatoes

1 can of kidney beans

1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce

2 or 3 teaspoons of chili powder (or use a packet of chili mix)

½ t. basil

Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and let it simmer for 20 minutes or so.

Corn Chowder

3 T. margarine
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup each chopped onion & bell pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 cup zucchini
2 cups corn
1 medium tomato
2 T. diced green chilies
1/2 cup half and half
3 T. flour
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper

In large saucepan add butter, oil, onion and bell pepper. Saute over medium low hear. Stir in garlic. Add broth, cumin, zucchini, paprika and simmer covered 15 minutes.
Add tomato, corn and chilies. Simmer 5 minutes.
Transfer 1 cup mixture to blender and add half and half. Puree mixture. Leave in blender for a moment.
In a small cup, mix flour and milk. Bring soup to a boil. Stir in flour mixture. Add pureed mixture. Heat until steaming hot but do not boil.
Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Good served with biscuits, fried ham slices and a green tossed salad.