Mr. T's favorite Spicy Two-Bean Chili

Mr. T loves chili.  He could probably eat it every day.  This is the recipe I use when I'm making a pot of chili just for him.  He likes things much spicier than I do.

I'm lucky to have a farmer close by that makes a spicy ground sausage.  It's delicious and really adds a lot to the chili pot.

Everyone makes chili differently but this method works well for me. 

Mr. T's favorite Spicy Two-Bean Chili:

1 pound spicy ground sausage
1 large can chili beans
1 large can black beans
2 cans tomatoes with green chilies
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 large white onion, diced
2-3 jalapeno peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon black pepper

In a large skillet heat 1 tablespoon olive oil.  Add the diced onion and cook until soft.  Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute.

While the onions are cooking add the cans of black beans, pinto beans, and canned tomatoes to a crock pot.  Add the cooked onions and garlic to the crock pot and add the ground sausage to the hot skillet.  Stir and cook until brown. 

Add the sausage and all of the rest of the ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Fun Fact:

Peppers are all over the Farmer's Market right now and I stocked up on these 'Chocolate Jalapenos'.  They're much smaller than the traditional green peppers but are just as spicy.  I'd recommend trying them out if peppers are your thing.

Hibachi Soup

We like to frequent our local Japanese Steakhouse for special dinners, like my birthday!  One of my favorite parts of the experience is the soup that they serve.  I love brothy soups and this is the perfect brothy soup.

It can also be made gluten free by using gluten free bouillon cubes and skipping out on the french fried onions (or making your own).  Not all bouillon cubes are gluten free but these are.  I know that my local grocery store sells them.

Hibachi Soup:
(found on Pinterest, from Cooking with Carrie)

Ingredients:
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 tablespoons ginger, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
3 tablespoons beef bouillon granules
1 cup thinly sliced mushrooms
2 quarts water (8 cups)
French fried onions

Directions:
In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the celery, onion, carrot, ginger, garlic, and a few of the mushrooms. Add chicken bouillon, beef bouillon, and water. Place the pot over high heat, and bring to a rolling boil. When the mixture reaches boiling, cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 45 minutes.

After it's cooked for at least 45 minutes strain the cooked soup and discard all of the vegetables, leaving the broth. Serve the broth with sliced mushrooms and sprinkle french friend onions over the top.

French Onion Soup

French onion soup is my all time most favorite soup. When I was a kid it was because of all of the cheese on top, now I really just love the rich flavor of the broth. (the cheese is still great though)

This soup did take a little bit of time to make but it wasn't hard at all and the broth freezes really well.

French Onion Soup [Soupe à l’Oignon]:
(Smitten Kitchen; Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

1 1/2 pounds (about 5 cups) thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups) beef stock
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper

Cheesy Top (Not Optional):
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss (I often use Gruyere) or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon butter, melted
12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard

Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat slightly and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown.

After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle them with flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed.

Cheesy Top:
Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you.

Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly.

Mexican Chicken Soup

It's been cold and rainy here which makes me want soup.  Mr. T and I have both been sick so I decided to make something easy.  Thank you Mr. Crock-Pot inventor!  This was really easy and I think it turned out pretty well.

Mexican Chicken Soup:

3-4 large boneless, skinless chicken breast
1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can of reduced sodium black beans
8 oz frozen corn (about half a bag)
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 can fat free chicken broth
1 white onion, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 
1 tablespoon Mrs. Dash Chipotle

Combine everything in the crock pot.  Cook on low for 10 hours or high for 6 hours.  About 30 minutes before serving take the chicken breast out and chop into bite size pieces.  Add back into the crock pot and let cook for an additional 30 minutes.


Garnish with some additional fresh cilantro.

Crab and Corn Chowder

I've been holding onto some awesome shrimp stock.  I have been wanting to make crab and corn chowder but i've been trying to hold off until the weather cools off some.  I just can't enjoy a bowl of soup when it's 99 degrees outside.

This recipe came out of one of my Disney cookbooks.  It was the first time I've ever made it.  I did make some changes.  The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of dill and some Pernod.  I don't like dill and I had to Google Pernod.  It's a liquor that has a licorice flavor, which I can't stand.  I decided to leave them out.

Crab and Corn Chowder:
(Disney Chefs)

Ingredients:

2 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half
1 cup milk
1 cup finely diced potatoes
1 cup finely diced carrots
1/2 pound lump crabmeat, picked over
1/2 cup corn kernels, preferably fresh
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup clan or seafood broth
2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

Directions:

In a 4 or 5-quart Dutch oven, heat the heavy cream, half-and-half, and milk to a simmer over medium heat.

Add the potatoes, carrots, crabmeat, corn, salt, and pepper. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

Whisk the water and the cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture and the clam broth to the cream mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute, or until thickened.

Just before serving, stir in the scallions.

Vegetable Bean Soup

We had an excess of turnip greens at the house and in an effort to use them all before they went bad I decided to make some soup.  I'm glad I did, the recent storms that made their way though the southeast brought some cold weather with them.  There's few things better in this world than having a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup on a cold night.

Vegetable and Bean Soup:

4 strips of bacon, cut into inch long pieces (optional)
1 large onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 carrots, cubed
3 stalks of celery, chopped
5 cups turnip greens
2 large turnip roots, cubed
5 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 cans of diced tomatoes
2 cups black eyed peas
2 cups field peas (acre peas, pink eyed peas, etc)
1 cup pinto beans
1-2 cups black beans
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed or chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon Old Bay

Wash your greens and remove the rib.  I wash mine at least 5 times.  Slice them into strips.

In a stock pot on medium heat add the bacon.  Let it cook until the bacon starts to render some fat in the bottom of the pot.  Add the onion and garlic, cook until onion is soft.  Add the celery, carrots, peas, turnip roots, and beans.  Add the chicken stock, tomatoes, turnip greens, and seasonings (salt, peppers, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, Old Bay).  Simmer for 60-70 minutes or until everything is tender.

Black and Pinto Bean Chili

Chili is a staple in our household.  I tend to stick with my normal recipe but I had a bag of black beans in the house and decided to try something different.

Black and Pinto Bean Chili:

1 cup black beans, soaked over night

2 cups pinto beans, soaked over night

2 pounds ground beef

2 cans tomatoes with chilies

2 tablespoons dried onion
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

In a pot brown the ground beef.  Add spices as the beef is cooking and mix together.  Add tomatoes and beans to the beef.  Simmer on the stove for 30-45 minutes.  Or longer depending on how smokey you want it to be.

Black Eyed Pea and Collard Green Soup

The Linda Blondheim Art Studio is having a soup party this week. One of the soups that they are having is a black eyes pea and collard green soup.  I've never made this before but it turned out fantastic.    Stop by the loft this week and get a sample.

Black Eyed Pea & Collard Green Soup:

1 bag of black eyed peas (soaked overnight and picked through)
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
4 stalks of celery, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups collard greens
2 ham steaks, cut into cubes (optional)
5 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf

Wash your greens and remove the rib.  You can also buy them in the bagged salad section if you don't want to worry about the cleaning.  Slice them into strips.

In a stock pot on medium heat add the olive oil.  Add the onion, garlic, and celery.  Cook until the onions are tender.  Add the chicken stock, carrots, peas, ham, and seasonings (salt, peppers, thyme, bay leaf).  Simmer for 20 minutes.  Add greens and simmer for an additional 60-70 minutes or until tender.

Crock-Pot Chili

I love chili, Mr. T loves it more.  To me nothing says fall more than chili.  It's the perfect thing to eat when the air starts to get cold.  (of course cold is relative depending on where you are)

There are different styles of chili depending on the part of the country you are.  I was raised on chili with tomatoes, ground meat, and beans.  Topped with sour cream, cheese, and red onion if you like.  It's a little thicker.  Everyone likes eating their chili a different way, because of this I tend to set up a "Chili Bar" so everyone can just go through the line and pick the toppings that they want.

Crock Pot Chili:
(Inspired from the Publix Chili Seasoning packet)

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
2 cans pinto beans (or kidney beans)
1 seasoning mix packet
2 tablespoons Worchestershire sauce

Brown ground beef or turkey in a skillet.  Add worchestershire sauce and seasoning packet and mix, making sure that all of the meat is covered in spice.














In the crock pot add the cans of beans and tomatoes (undrained).

Add the meat to the pot, stir to combine, and let cook for a couple of hours.


As I said I love to set up a chili bar so everyone can make their chili how they like it.

Here's what I add:
red onion
bell peppers
cheese
sour cream
corn chips
fresh tomatoes
chopped jalapenos