Chili

 

Chili is one of my favorite meals to make.  Several years ago I used to pull out a recipe for a No Chop Chili.  As time progressed and I became more comfortable in the kitchen I looked at the recipe less and less.  Now I can honestly say I have no idea where that recipe got to, but I do know that chili is a favorite around here.   I like it because I can use what I have on hand and have dinner on the table in a jiffy.  

This pot of chili was made with ground turkey, two kinds of beans, salsa, diced tomatoes, onions, corn, chili powder and oregano.  I use a fresh onion everything else comes out of a can or from the freezer, so I always have the ingredients on hand.  We topped our bowls with a little bit of cheddar and a side of tortilla chips.

Leftovers are great either on top of a burger or mixed with macaroni and cheese sauce.   

Hit or Miss?

Wednesday was a busy evening.  I knew it would be so I stuck a pot roast in the crock pot.  I thought it was an ok dinner.  I was alone in this opinion, so there was a lot of leftovers.  DaGoof proclaimed dinner to be "blander than what DaKids are used to."

Thursday night I decided to be a little creative.  The leftovers were diced up and turned into and Italian style beef and barley soup.  The kids shoveled the soup into their little mouths, and my dad who was visiting ate 2 bowls.  I guess the soup was better than pot roast.

Italian Style Beef and Barley Soup

1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
14 ounce can diced tomatoes
14 ounce can beef broth
2 cups water
1 tablespoon Italian Seasoning
pinch of ground red pepper 1 cup barley
2 - 3 cups diced beef, and vegetables (leftovers)
In a large dutch oven saute the fresh vegetables and garlic until they start to get tender.  Add diced tomatoes and liquids, bring to boil.  Add seasonings and barley reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer for about 45 minutes.  Toss in leftovers heat until everything is heated through and enjoy.

 

Meatball Subs

When I have a crazy day planned, and I know there will be very little time to cook I pull out the crock-pot.

I know this doesn't look like a crock-pot dinner but it was. I filled the crock-pot with onions, meatballs, peppers and a can of diced tomatoes. I also added some Italian seasoning and a little bit of wine. After simmering in the crock-pot all day I used the meatballs to make grinders. I sliced a couple of small baguettes from the grocery store, and stuffed them with the meatballs and vegetables from the crock-pot topped it with sliced fresh mozzarella and popped the grinders under the broiler for a few minutes to toast the bread and melt the cheese. These were way better than take out!

Breakfast for Dinner

I was feeling lazy and needed something quick to make, so I whipped up a batch of pancakes with a side of scrambled eggs and sausage. To make the pancakes extra tasty I added a mashed banana and some mini chocolate chips to the batter. The kids loved having breakfast for dinner. I liked that it was quick and easy to get dinner on the table.

Fish Sticks & Potatos?

My kids love fish. Then again I think DaKids just love to eat. This was lightly breaded tilapia that I baked in the oven. For a quick side I zapped couple of sweet potatoes in the microwave then whipped them with a pat of butter, a bit of milk, and a touch of maple syrup. DaKids requested corn. Seemed like a good dinner to me, and I think they liked it.

Shrimp & Asparagus

This is one of my favorite springtime dinners. I know I have made this recipe before. I probably only make it a few times a year when the Hadley grass is available everywhere. I did double the recipe so that there would be enough for leftovers for lunch, because everyone loves this dish.