Amber's Chili {budget friendly}

During the entire 2010 year I seemed to have had an obsession with chili. I'm not sure why, but I was lovin' it! 
This is the recipe I use the most often-it reminds me of Wendy's Fast Food Restaurant Chili...

AMBER'S CHILI

1 lb. lean ground beef

2 c. tomato juice

1- 15oz. can tomato puree

(I love tomatoes, so I add a 15 oz. can of petite diced tomatoes)

1- (15 oz.) can red beans, drained & rinsed

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1/2 c. celery, diced

1/4 c. green pepper, diced

3-4 Tbsp. chili powder 
(adjust amount to suit your family's taste)

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. sugar

A pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

In a skillet brown the ground beef, (ground turkey works really well too) until no longer pink then drain off the fat

(I actually rinse the cooked beef to remove as much fat as I can).

Place all the ingredients in a 4 quart crock pot, stir well and cook on low for 6-8 hours.  For faster cooking, you can place all the ingredients in a 4 qt. stock pot, cover, and let simmer for 1-1 1/2 hours, stirring about every 20-30 minutes.

You can double this recipe because it freezes very well, and reheats easily on the stove.

 This is a quick and economical dish, and we love it!

(re-posted from Oct. 2010)

Spinach Tomato Spaghetti Al Fresco

THIS RECIPE IS MY NEW FAVORITE DISH!

1 POT, NO DRAINING, AND 9-10 MINUTES COOKING TIME! 

AWESOMENESS  X  10!

I love this dish so much that I've made it 3 times in 2 weeks. My husband and daughter like it too.  Hubby isn't a spaghetti fan, but he sincerely likes this dish, in fact he requested I make it for the 3rd time.

Fresh spinach and basil, thin spaghetti pasta, tomatoes, onions and Parmesan cheese....Mmmmmm.  It doesn't get better than that for me! 

SPINACH TOMATO SPAGHETTI Al FRESCO

12 oz. thin spaghetti noodles
4 1/2 c. chicken broth
1 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 medium onion, julienne sliced

2 tsp. fresh garlic, minced or chopped

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. dried oregano (leaf or ground)

2 large sprigs fresh Basil, chopped

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 c. torn baby spinach
8 slices bacon, cooked and chopped into small pieces-keep warm (optional)

Parmesan cheese (optional)

In a large stock pot, pour in the chicken broth, diced tomatoes, onion, garlic, black pepper, oregano, chopped basil and olive oil.
Break the pasta noodles in half and drop in.

Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to a simmer, stirring pasta every 3 minutes or so. Cook about 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed (I found that I liked the pasta best when there was about 1 inch of water left in the pot when I finished cooking it. The starch from the pasta will thicken the sauce as it cools a bit).
During the last 1-2 minutes of cooking, drop in the fresh spinach and stir, stir, stir to mix it in.  It may seem like that's a LOT of spinach, but remember that it wilts down.
Sprinkle with the warm bacon and Parmesan cheese.

Stinkin' good!

Recipe source:  unknown, I found it on Facebook with no link back...

Fresh Strawberry Cream Pie

Here's great recipe that takes advantage of seasonal fruit-originally posted on 8/20/10, it's definitely worth sharing again!

STRAWBERRY CREAM PIE

3/4c. Flour

6 Tbsp. Butter

1/3c. Pecans, finely chopped

3 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

1c. Heavy whipping cream

1 Tbsp. Sugar

1c. Cold milk

1 pkg. Vanilla Instant Pudding mix (4 serving size)

1-2c. Fresh Strawberries, sliced.

(the recipe calls for 1 cup of berries, but I always use 2)

3 drops Red food coloring

Preheat oven to 425 Degrees.

Combine the flour, butter, pecans, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix until crumbly and moistened in appearance. Press into a 9" pie dish.

 Bake crust for 10 minutes, remove from oven and cool completely. (To keep the crust from shrinking during baking, place another pie dish on top of the crumb crust before baking. Remove after the crust has cooled for about 10 min.)

In a large mixing bowl combine the pudding mix and milk.  Whisk until the pudding powder is completely dissolved.  Let stand 5 minutes to thicken. Add food coloring.

Whip the cream and sugar together until the cream forms thick peaks 

(I whip the cream until it appears almost dry). 

Gently stir the whipped cream into the pudding mix, add strawberries and pour into the prepared pie crust.

Chill for 3 hours or until firm.  Garnish with additional berries and enjoy!

Katie's Garden Fresh Vegetable Soup

Note:  I originally posted this recipe in 2010, but it's the perfect dish for this time of year-still plenty of garden veggies and cooler weather...

This  oh-so-yummy recipe is from my friend Katie  http://princesskddesign.blogspot.com
Besides be an extremely talented cook, she does some fantastic crafting as well!
Visit her blog to see some of her projects...

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Summer Garden Vegetable Soup

• 3 medium zucchini, chopped into bite size pieces
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into bite size pieces
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil (or 1 tbsp. fresh basil chopped)
• 2 tbsp. butter
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 c. chicken broth
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
• 1 1/2 c. frozen or fresh corn kernels
• 1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini, basil, parsley and onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes. 
Add the flour, salt and pepper and saute for one additional minute. 
Gradually add the chicken broth, whisking constantly. 
Add the lemon juice; mix well. 
Bring the soup to a simmer, stirring to prevent sticking, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until the zucchini is tender but still has some bite to it.
Add the tomatoes, evaporated milk, and corn. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce the heat to medium-low. 
Cover the soup and simmer until the corn and zucchini are tender. 
Stir in the cheese just before serving.

Serve with corn bread...yum!

THANKS FOR SHARING THIS WITH US KATIE!