Halloween Night Chili

As expected, Halloween night was a wet one.  The rain came just in time for the trick or treaters to hit the streets.

Only one of ours went out, the rest are too old for trick or treating.  But that didn't stop them from dressing up.  Halloween parties quickly take the place of collecting candy door to door.

I made a wicked batch of chili, roasted some pumpkin seeds, and ate an obscene amount of chocolate.

The next time you roast pumpkin seeds, add a splash of sriracha sauce to the oil and salt that you toss the seeds in.  Amazing!

And if you're looking for a good chili recipe, for Halloween night, or any other night, try this one.  It's got just the right mix of meat, beans, and spice.

Chili Con Carne

2 lbs extra lean ground beef

2 ribs celery, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2 medium sized onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 large cans tomatoes

1 can tomato paste

2 cans red kidney beans, drained

2 cans mixed beans, drained

3 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp dried parsley

1 1/2 tsp oregano

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

a few dashes of Tabasco sauce

Scramble fry the beef, celery, pepper, and onions with one tablespoon of the chili powder and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, until the meat is cooked and the vegetables are soft.  Add the garlic and stir to combine, remove from heat.   I read something once about layering flavours in dishes.  I think that's what I did here.  Spicing the meat separately adds an extra layer of flavour to the chili.

Are you laughing at me?  I really did read it somewhere.

Combine the remaining ingredients in either a large slow cooker or a large pot.  I prepared this in my slow cooker but it can simmer just as easily on the stove.  Add the beef mixture and stir well.  Simmer on the stove top for an hour, stirring occasionally, or cook 4-6 hours on low in a slow cooker.

You can play it pretty loosey goosey with the spices.  I sometimes add more or less of the amounts listed.  Go with what you love and make it yours!

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Crock Pot Taco Chicken Bowls

Short days, long nights, bulky sweaters, and slow cookers.  This time of year feels heavy, with it's extra layers, warm blankets, and sturdy boots.  Winter is about comfort foods.  Substantial soups, hearty stews, and casseroles.  And Taco Chicken Bowls.

Our Crock Pot is seeing so much use, that it's taken up permanent residence on the kitchen counter.  It will likely find it's way back into a cupboard in a few month's time, but for now it's front and centre in the kitchen.

These Taco Chicken Bowls are a favourite in our house.  I was inspired by this recipe.  I've tweaked the spices slightly and used more beans.  Sometimes I'll add an extra chicken breast if I want to ensure leftovers for lunch the next day. 

Have you ever made your own tortilla shells?  I used this recipe.

Crock Pot Taco Chicken Bowls

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

1 large jar salsa

2 cans black beans

½ lb (8 oz) frozen corn

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp cumin

½ - 1 tsp chili pepper flakes (depending on how much heat you like)

½ tsp ground pepper

½ tsp sea salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ cup water

Add everything to the crock pot, stir well, making sure chicken is covered.  Cook on low 8 hours.  Roughly chop or shred chicken before serving.

Serve over cooked rice with sour cream, shredded cheddar and avocado.  Or try it with quinoa...or wrap it all up in a tortilla shell!

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Crock Pot Adventure

It was shaping up to be another one of those days. I'm working late, knowing everyone will be coming and going from school, work, and hockey at different hours - and there's no plan for dinner. Lately there's been a lot of pizza nights, last minute drive-thru nights, breakfast for dinner nights, fend for yourself leftover nights... I'm definitely not going to win Mom of the Year anytime soon. 

So. I raced home at lunch and looked at my Crock Pot. Then I loaded the dishwasher, moved laundry from the washer to the dryer, and looked at the Crock Pot again. I love my Crock Pot, but I was in a rush and had no idea what to do with it. Most of my recipes are simple but still require meat to browned, veggies chopped, spices and sauces to be prepared... none of that was going to happen today. Instead, I took a package of frozen chicken breasts out of the freezer and put them into the Crock Pot (seriously frozen, I couldn't even separate the pieces so I just plopped the whole frozen slab in there) along with some leftover raw carrot & celery pieces, 2/3 of a bottle of Italian Salad Dressing, some water, and some parmesan cheese. I literally grabbed whatever was handy and tossed it in. I have no idea how this will taste, whether the chicken will be done on time or what to serve it with... rice maybe? This has the potential to be an epic fail, but there's no way they're going to end up eating pizza again tonight.

Stay tuned...

Update.  Dinner was edible, maybe even good.  Hubby added some frozen corn when he got home and ended up serving it with rice.  Did I mention I love my Crock Pot?

And sorry for the crappy taken-in-a-hurry-with-my-phone photo.

And as we're on the subject, here's a peek at my Pinterest Crock Pot board:

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