CINCINNATI CHILI ( Georgia's Style)

5# ground chuck or round (thawed)

2 to 2 and 1/2 ounces chili powder (about half a container)

Garlic Salt

Black ground coarse pepper

Cinnamon

2 squares unsweetened chocolate

3 - 6 oz. cans tomato paste

1 small can tomato sauce

2 cans diced tomatoes (chili ready)

8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese

1# spaghetti, cooked and drained

1 large onion, chopped

Chili beans or kidney beans  are optional and can be added later onto the chili

In an 8 quart stock pot, place ground beef that has been broken up and fill with enough water to cover  the meat entirely (very important in tenderizing the beef). Wash hands and mash the meat between fingers until very smooth. It will give the meat a very fine texture as it cooks as  opposed to chunks.

 Put on medium high heat and cook until  it has a mild rolling boil.  Continue to stir and break up the meat and skim off the fat. That's why I choose a leaner ground beef because there's  less fat and skimming. Cook for at least an hour, turning down the heat to medium low. Add  tomato paste, sauce, diced tomatoes, chocolate, chili powder, 3 good shakes of cinnamon a

nd 4 shakes of black pepper, plus add at least 1 tablespoon of garlic salt at first. Stir well and let simmer. This is where the flavors really come together. Keep on medium low or low and cover.  Let simmer for 2 hours.  Stir occasionally.  The longer this is cooked the better. 

At this point, taste and see what the flavor is like. If you want more garlic salt, shake it a  little more until you are satisfied with the taste. Keep the lid off and let simmer another 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Sometimes I even like to make this overnight and simmer on low  or warm until we eat after church. 

To serve, you can eat this in a bowl as chili served with oyster crackers.   Or you can put spaghetti in the bowl or on a plate and top with the chili, chopped onions, and cheese, hence  Cincinnati Style Chili Spaghetti.

Either way (as soup or with spaghetti), you finally top it with chopped onions and shredded cheddar cheese.    If you're really daring,  shake hot pepper sauce on top and WOW!

Rolled Up Pizza Loaf

Ingredients for Dough

1 cup warm water

2 Tbsp olive oil 

1 Tbsp milk 

1 tsp salt

3 cups white flour 

2 packets active dry yeast 

1 tsp sugar 

1 tsp Italian seasonings (or 1/2 tsp. basil and 1/2 tsp. oregano)

Toppings and Sauce

6 oz. pizza or spaghetti sauce (I like Hunts Garlic Herb)

About 1 cup pepperoni 

And whatever toppings you like

I used mushrooms, onion, black olives

8 oz.  shredded mozzarella cheese 

And any other favorite pizza toppings will do!

 Serve with  baby carrots  or other veggies  and dip

Directions

Combine water, salt, sugar, and yeast in medium bowl.

Let sit for 15 minutes til it bubbles.   Add  the olive oil,  milk and the flour and mix  along  with the Italian seasonings.  

Mix well  and  turn out onto the floured table and knead lightly until  it doesn't stick anymore.   You can either make two small loaves or one large loaf.  I recommend making two because the one big one was hard to transfer onto the pan. 

Cut the pepperoni into smaller pieces as well as the other toppings you want on your bread. 

Preheat the oven to 350.  Spray your large cookie sheet with vegetable spray.

Gently knead the dough and divide into 2 dough balls.  Roll out each dough ball into a long rectangle. 

Add the sauce, pepperoni, other chopped veggies, and shredded mozzarella cheese.

Roll it up tightly and place onto the greased baking sheet.  Slit the tops 4 or 5 times to allow to breathe and not to break open.  Lightly brush olive oil on top along with a little garlic salt and parmesan cheese.  

  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Let cool slightly before cutting. 

Serve sliced Pizza Bread with dipping sauce and a side of carrot sticks or other veggies.

TACO CHILI

(A fresh made pot of chili with the steam rising)

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground beef (or turkey)

1 cup diced onions

1 (15 1/2-ounce) cans chili beans

1 (15 1/2-ounce) can  black beans

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes

2 (14 1/2-ounce) can tomatoes with chiles

1 (4 1/2-ounce) can diced green chiles

1 T. sliced, chopped jalepenos

1 (4.6-ounce) can black olives, drained and sliced, optional

2 (1 1/4-ounce) package taco seasoning mix

1 (1-ounce) package ranch salad dressing mix

Corn chips, for serving

Sour cream, for garnish

Grated cheese, for garnish

Chopped green onions, for garnish

Pickled jalapenos, for garnish

Directions

Brown the ground beef and onions in a large skillet; drain the excess fat, then transfer the  browned beef and onions to a stockpot. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, green chiles, jalepenos, taco seasoning, and ranch dressing mix, and cook  uncovered on stop top for 2 hours on medium heat, turn down to low and cook for an additional hour or two covered.

To serve, place a few corn chips in each bowl and ladle soup over them. Top with sour cream, cheese, green onions and jalapenos or however you want.

Chocolate-Chip Pretzel Cookies

Ingredients

3/4  cup  butter, softened

3/4  cup  granulated sugar

3/4  cup  firmly packed dark brown sugar

2  large eggs

1 1/2  teaspoons  vanilla extract

2 1/4  cups  plus 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1  teaspoon  baking soda

3/4  teaspoon  salt

1 1/2  (12-oz.) packages semisweet chocolate morsels

2  cups  coarsely crushed pretzel sticks

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Beat butter and sugars at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until creamy. Add eggs and 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla, beating until blended.

2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl; gradually add to butter mixture, beating just until blended. Beat in morsels and pretzel sticks just until combined. 

(See the pretzels in the dough?)

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto baking sheets.

3. Bake at 350° for 10 to 12 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Remove to wire racks, and cool completely (about 15 minutes).

(Closeup of cookie with the yummy twist of pretzels...  great flavor)

Ham Potato Cheese Soup

I had a lot of ham leftover from Christmas so I cut up small chunks of ham and froze them to make use of them in other ways.  Found this recipe and it really tastes great on a cold winter day.  Hope you enjoy it too.

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes

1/2 cup diced celery

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup diced cooked ham

3 1/4 cups chicken broth (or enough to cover the potatoes)

2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules (I used a chicken base)

1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground  black pepper, or to taste

5 tablespoons butter

5 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar

Directions

Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. 

Bring to a boil, then cook 

over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

 Stir in the chicken 

bouillon, salt and pepper.

In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. 

Whisk in flour with a fork, and

 cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. 

Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps 

to form until all of the milk has been added.  

Then, add the shredded cheddar and continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick for 4 minutes.

Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. 

You can either serve immediately or set aside on low covered until you're ready to eat.

Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches

"This is a spicy, hearty sandwich that will please those who love buffalo chicken wings. This recipe is perfect for those days spent watching football. "

Ingredients

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

1 (17.5 fluid ounce) bottle hot sauce

1/2  package dry ranch salad dressing mix

2 tablespoons butter

4 oz. shredded cheddar (optional)

Hamburger buns (preferably the nice big ones)

Directions

Place the pre-cooked shredded chicken breasts into a slow cooker

 and pour in hot sauce, butter  and 1/2 packet of ranch dressing mix. 

Mix well, cover, and cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours.

Pile the meat onto the rolls and serve with celery and ranch/blue cheese dressing.

(Makes 10 - 12 sandwiches)

Double or triple as needed for larger groups.