Winter-spiced Beef Stew...

Similar to Moroccan or Azorean Stew but better, in my opinion anyway...

2 pounds beef stew meat

3 stalks celery, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 medium parsnips, sliced(bigger pieces halved too)
5 smallish potatoes or two large baking potatoes, diced(I left skin on)
10-15 baby carrots, chopped
5 green onions, sliced

1-2 Tsp beef broth paste or 2 broth cubes(optional)
1 quart water
2 cans diced tomatoes(I use no-salt-added)
2 bay leaves
onion and garlic powder to taste(about 1/2 tsp each probably)
couple sprinkles of ground cinnamon(1/8th to 1/4th tsp) and tiny sprinkle of ground cloves
couple shakes of red pepper flakes
1 tsp ground cumin

Chop veggies and put in 6 quart crockpot, turn on low
Brown beef in skillet(I cut mine into smaller pieces)

Add beef, spices, and water, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 5-6 hours. Serve over couscous or noodles of your choice.

Chicken Veggie Soup

The kids and I are a bit under the weather so I thought a good chicken soup would hit the spot. The more veggies the better, right?



Chicken Veggie Soup

2-3 bone/skinless chicken breasts

Cook chicken in water until cooked through, cool and cube.

Meanwhile....

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped carrots
1 small turnip, chopped
1 bunch kale, torn into small bits and rinsed well
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, pressed, or a tsp garlic powder
seasonings of your choice, I used savory and a bit of greek seasoning
1 tsp chicken boullion paste or a cube
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 cup elbow pasta or rotini(or pasta of your choice)

Cook first 4 veggies in oil until soft. Add kale and a cup or so of water and spices. Add chicken and several more cups of water, maybe 7-9 total, to fill your pot up(I trust your judgement). Simmer about an hour, until the kale is tender, add pasta and cook til soft. Serve with parmesan cheese and crackers or a good bread.

This was soooo satisfying, perfect on a winter's night, and even better the second night!

Cinci-Tex Chili

Being a Texas Southerner, I had never had occasion to eat Cincinnati Chili before now. I assumed it was kind of a combination of Italian spaghetti sauce and Texas-style chili, which sounded good but not all that intriguing. Sometimes I love it when I'm wrong!!

Last night Mark was running late, Ryan was at a friend's house and I had nothing going on for dinner. It was our homeschool group's park day and we'd been out of the house all day. We were all starving and the prospect of microwaved burritos, egg rolls, or baked potatoes was looming. Just last week I had cooked my last 10 pound roll of ground turkey from Fran's Fryers so I decided to thaw one out for a quick chili. Finding I had no canned beans(I know, right??) I carried on with my plans anyway. Being the slapdash cook that I am, I added many things that just sounded good. That's just how I roll. Sooooo, here's what I made....

Texas-Cinci Chili
1.5-2 pounds ground beef or turkey
1-2 onions(I cook mine with the meat so I didn't add more for this recipe)
2 cans diced tomatoes(the no-salt variety is what I use)
1 small can tomato sauce
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons chili seasoning blend*
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 each cinnamon, cloves, cumin, allspice or nutmeg, garlic powder, and oregano
1 teaspoon worchestershire sauce(I'm not a big fan)
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper(optional, I like it hot)

Brown meat and onions together til meat is cooked through. Add tomato stuff and spices, start out with the lower amounts and add more if you want. If you are using allspice you may want to adjust or leave out the cloves and cinnamon. Simmer on low heat for 30-45 minutes. Meanwhile grate some sharp cheddar, boil up a pkg of spaghetti(we just used small elbows because I was out of long noodles) and chop some green onions. Serve hot chili over noodles and top with cheese and onions. Oh my Gawd this was good!!!

*I used a prepared blend, Chili Seasoning Mix, from Frontier but you can make this one or your own favorite blend.

So, this morning when I decided to search for Cincinnati Chili to see what I'd have to change, I happened upon recipes that were very similar to mine. Hmmmm.

Here are some that are making my mouth water for more! Enjoy!!

Cincinnati Chili from What's Cooking America.

Cincinnati Five Way Chili from Frontier Natural Products Co-op.

and Cincinnati Chili from Apartment Therapy.

Mexican Bulghur Stew

Today was our homeschool group's weekly park day and, as usual, we stayed later than we planned. All day long I had been thinking of the Homesick Texan's sweet potato biscuits and chorizo gravy and Big Red Kitchen's crustless quiche but I didn't have enough of the ingredients for either meal and I did NOT want to stop at the store after 5pm. Soooo, I went pantry diving! Came up with a handful of canned goods, a jalepeno chili and a bag of bulghur. Here's what came of it....


Or Can-Can Chili(but don't tell Amy because she doesn't like chili). Holy Smokes this is good!!!

1 cup medium bulghur
2 cups boiling water
1/2 teaspoon beef broth paste(I use Better than Boullion) or 1 beef cube
1 tablespoon olive oil or 2 tablespoons water
1 onion, chopped
1 jalepeno chili, seeded and chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste(no salt added)
1 can diced tomatoes(no salt added)
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1-2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2-1 teaspoon oregano
1/2-1 teaspoon cumin

Add bulghur to water and remove from heat. Meanwhile soften onion, jalepeno and garlic in a little oil or water. Add tomato paste, diced tomatoes and beans, then the spices. Add bulghur and the water it soaked in, if any is left. Add about a can of water, if you think its needed. Simmer, covered for about 20 minutes or so, stirring frequently to prevent sticking. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, cornbread, tortilla chips or whatever you usually eat with chili.

Spicy Spicy Chicken...

I wish I had time to make this tonight! Wednesdays are our busy nights so we usually grab a frozen eggroll or burrito or make a baked potato or something else simple. This doesn't take much time but we are literally out the door around 4pm and not back in til after 9pm. Thursdays aren't much better because of activities with our homeschool group. Soooo maybe Friday, and I promise to take a picture!

A melting pot of spicy flavors...

2 large bone/skinless chicken breasts, in 1-inch cubes
2 bone/skinless chicken thighs, in 1-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
couple glugs of olive oil
1/2-1 teaspoon of each of the following spices, adjust to your taste:
cumin, cayenne(about 1/4tsp of this one), dry mustard, curry, ginger, celery seed, garlic powder, onion powder and salt.
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 14 oz cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes with juice
1 14 oz can pineapple chunks in juice, with juice
1 bunch cilantro, washed and chopped fine


Cook chicken and veggies in oil for 15 minutes. Add spices and cook 5 more minutes. Add soy sauce, tomatoes, and pineapple and simmer for 20 minutes, covered, stirring occasionally. Throw in cilantro and simmer another 10 minutes or so. Serve over hot, buttered rice or grain of your choice.

Pumpkin Soup's On!

I sometimes(mostly) post my recipes with no pictures. This is because I suck at taking them. Right now in my life, with two teens and a 10-year-old(going on 30), all of whom are homeschoolers, a husband who works out of town, and the daily chaos that is, remembering to take pictures is also an issue.


As usual, all measurements are approximate. This soup kicks the butt of all previous soups I've ever made, LOL, it is *that* good!

Pumpkin Black Bean Soup with Chipotle and Cumin


1 pie pumpkin(about 3-4 pounds), roasted and peeled

1(or 2 if you've got more to feed) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/8 to 1/4th tsp chipotle powder(go easy, this stuff is powerful hot)

1/2 tsp cumin powder

1 onion, chopped and softened

1-2 garlic cloves, pressed and cooked with the onion

6-7 cups chicken or veggie broth(I use Better than Boullion paste)


Combine half the pumpkin, half the onion, garlic, spices, and half the beans in a blender. Add enough water to blend it well(this will be part of your water count, I used 4 cups but it will depend on your blender's size). Pour into a large pot or saucepan(3 quart). Blend remaining pumpkin with more broth but reserve the beans. Combine pumkin mixture, remaining beans and onions, and the leftover broth in saucepan/pot, and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes. Serve hot topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Let me know if you make this!

Bob Talbert's White Chili

Go Here for the original recipe. I will include my variations here...

I boiled the chicken but almost any cooking method would work, grilling would give it a great flavor boost! Instead of canned broth, I used Better Than Boullion paste, drained and rinsed the beans, added a bigger can of green chilis, a dash of cayenne pepper, and about 2/3 cup cream cheese. It was very warm, spice-wise, but that just makes it better to me.

This was amazing and too easy for words!

By the way, this is my first post on my latest blog. I intend to comb my facebook older posts for the many recipes I've posted there, as well as my other two blogs, so you may see things you've seen before. (-: