Barbeque Chili

this is some of the best dang chili I ever made. I was trying to use up a bunch of stuff I had left in the fridge and freezer and this is what I came up with...

1 lb ground deer (or beef)
1 chopped onion
2 cans ro-tel chili and tomatoes, one original, one mild
1 small can Bush's Baked Beans
1 large can Bush's baked beans
1 c water
1 c barbeque sauce (Cattlemen's is best)
2 T chili powder
1 t cumin
2 t salt
brown meat and onion. drain and add remaining ingredients. bring to a boil, lower temp and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Sweet and Sour Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts
1 small jar apricot or strawberry preserves
1 envelope lipton onion soup mix (see homemade mixes on this blog!)
1 small bottle Russian dressing (see homemade mixes on this blog!)
1 large can crushed pineapple

mix all ingredients and pour over chicken in casserole dish. Bake at 350 for 1 hour, baste occasionally. Serve with rice

this also works well with pork chops. for a larger crowd, dice meat first, so it will stretch to make more servings.

Mom's Spaghetti Sauce

My mom loved to cook, and she was good at it. She would often take a recipe and modify it to make it better. This is one such case. She got this recipe out of a small cookbook for recipes using Hunt's tomato paste. I remember seeing the original cookbook, with her recipe changes noted out to the side. Growing up, I learned how to make it, and have since memorized her version - don't know what the original was cause we never made that!


1 lb ground beef
1/2 c chopped bell pepper
1 T instant onion

2 6 oz cans tomato paste, plus 7 cans hot water
1 t oregano
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t pepper
2 t salt
1 t sugar
3/4-1 c Heinz ketchup

brown meat, onion and bell pepper. Add remaining ingredients - do not drain off grease (yet)
Mix well, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 45 min to 1 hr
As sauce cooks, dip grease off top of surface with a spoon. Serve with cooked pasta of your choice.
I have also used other ground meats such as turkey and deer successfully.

Mojo Fajitas

I have not personally tried this yet, but have always loved Mojo marinade, so I wanted to save this homemade recipe for it. You can sometimes find it commercially, but it is rare.

Ingredients
2 1/4 pounds skirt steak, fat trimmed and cut into thirds
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 1/2 lime, juiced
extra-virgin olive oil
12 flour tortillas, warm
1 orange, juiced
2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 -3 chipolte chiles in adobo sauce
3 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
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Cooking Instructions
Prepare the mojo (marinade). Combine 1-3 chiptole chiles in adobo sauce, 2 limes (juiced), 2 garlic cloves (roughly chopped), 1 orange (juiced), 3 tablespoons rough chopped cilantro leaves, 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, and some fresh ground pepper in a bowl. Using a stick immersion blender, regular blender, or food processor, puree the mojo until smooth. Transfer mojo into a re-sealable plastic bag. Add 2 1/4 pounds skirt steak to bag (flank steak, New York Strip, and filet mignon are great alternate cuts). Seal and shake to coat meat thoroughly. Refrigerate for up to 4 hours to fully tenderize and flavor the beef.

Lightly oil grill or grill pan, and preheat to medium-high heat. Remove beef from the bag of mojo, throw the steaks on the grill, and season liberally with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Grill for approximately 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare steaks, or around 10 minutes on each side if you prefer well-done steaks. Transfer meat to a cutting board and let rest.

Once the beef is off the grill pan and resting, add 2 red bell peppers (thinly sliced), and 1 large onion (thinly sliced), to the grill and toss with lime juice and olive oil. Grill the veggies for 7 to 8 minutes, until just barely limp.

Heat up flour tortillas. Turn any free burners on a medium low flame by placing a tortilla on each flame. Let it char about 30 seconds to 1 minute, flip the tortilla and repeat on the other side. Remove the tortillas to a clean kitchen towel and wrap to keep warm. You can also heat your tortillas in a microwave by wrapping tortillas in a lightly dampened kitchen towel and heating for about 1 minute. Check to see if they are warm, and if not, continue heating at 1-minute intervals until tortillas are warm and pliable.

Thinly slice steak, against the grain on a diagonal.

To serve fajitas, spread some guacamole on a tortilla, top with a few slices of steak, peppers and onions, and salsa. You may serve with sour cream and shredded cheese. Roll up the tortilla to enclose the filling.

My favorite chili

this recipe came from a bottle of Mexene chili powder. I have updated it by adding beans.

1 lb ground meat
2 T chili powder
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 T flour, dissolved in COLD water
3/4 c chopped onion
1 t salt
1 sm (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1/2 t cumin
1 can tomatoes (14 oz)
1/2 t sugar
2 cans chili hot beans
1 c water
brown ground beef, onion and garlic, drain fat. add rest of ingredients, and mix well. bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 40 minutes.