Beef-Chipotle Chili

Beef-Chipotle Chili

Ingredients:

Flour,  ¼ cup (1½ oz/45 g) Salt and freshly ground pepper Boneless beef chuck, 3 lb (1.5 kg), trimmed of excess fat and cut into chunks Olive oil, 4-6  tablespoons (2-3 fl oz/60-90 ml) Dried oregano, 1½  teaspoons Garlic, 4 cloves, minced Red onions, 2, finely chopped Beef broth, 2 cups (16  fl oz/500 ml) Chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, 1 can (7 oz/220 g)

Serves  6 - 8

1. Brown the beef

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Add the beef chunks and shake to coat evenly with the flour mixture; reserve the excess flour mixture. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, warm 4 tablespoons (2  fl oz/60 ml) of the  oil. Add half of the beef chunks and cook, turning as needed, until evenly browned on all sides, 10-12 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain briefly, and then transfer to the slow cooker. Repeat with the remaining beef chunks, adding the remaining 2 tablespoons oil if needed. Sprinkle the oregano over the meat.

2. Sauté the vegetables

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the garlic and all but about  ½ cup (2½ oz/75 g) of the  onions and  sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture and sauté for about 1 minute longer. Pour in the broth and add the chipotle chiles with their sauce, breaking up the chiles coarsely with your fingers. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan,  stirring to scrape  up the browned bits on the pan  bottom.  Pour over the beef.

3. Cook the chili

Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3-4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6-8 hours. The beef should be very tender. Spoon the chili into bowls, sprinkle with the remaining ½ cup chopped onion, and serve.

BBQ style brisket

Ingredients:

Flour,  ¼ cup (1½ oz/45 g) black pepper Beef brisket, 3½-4 lb (1.75-2 kg), trimmed of excess fat Olive oil, ¼ cup (2 fl oz/60 ml) Yellow onions, 2, thinly sliced Garlic, 2 cloves, minced Cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Beef broth, 1 cup (8 fl oz/250  ml) Red wine vinegar,½ cup (4 fl oz/125 ml) Sugar, cup (3 oz/90 g) Tomato paste, 2 tablespoons

Serves 6-8 

1. Brown the brisket

On a large plate, stir together the flour, 1 teaspoon  salt, and  ½ teaspoon black pepper. Coat the brisket evenly with the flour mixture, shaking off the excess; reserve the remaining flour mixture. In a large frying pan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the brisket, fattier side down, and cook until browned on the bottom, about 7 minutes. Turn the brisket over and brown the second side, about 7 minutes longer. Transfer the brisket, fat side up, to the slow cooker.

2. Sauté the vegetables

Pour off all but about 1 tablespoon fat from the frying pan and return the pan to medium-high heat. Add the onions, garlic, and cayenne and sauté until the onions begin to turn translucent, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the reserved flour mixture and cook for 1 minute longer. Pour in the broth and vinegar. Raise the heat to high, bring to a boil, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the pan bottom. Add the sugar and tomato paste and stir until evenly blended. Pour over the brisket.

3. Cook the brisket

Cover and cook on the high-heat setting for 3-4 hours or the low-heat setting for 6-8 hours.  The meat should be very tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer the brisket to a cutting board. Cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, skim off the excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Slice the meat across the grain. Spoon the sauce over the meat and serve.

Vegan chocolate cupcakes with strawberry filling

Ingredients for the cupcakes (makes 2 1/2 dozen):

3 cups flour
6 Tablespoon's cocoa powder
2 teaspoon's baking soda
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons vegetable oil (I recommend you substitute this with applesauce for a healthier version. If you care only about the taste, however, then use the oil for a darker chocolate flavor, and use the applesauce for added sweetness.)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups cold water

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Ingredients for the strawberry filling (makes enough to fill about 2 dozen cupcakes):
2 cups of fresh diced strawberries
1/2 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons of corn starch (and maybe 1 extra teaspoon depending on total thickness)
Making the cupcakes:
1. Preheat your oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cocoa powder, sugar and salt until thoroughly mixed.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the vegetable oil, vanilla extract, lemon juice and cold water. Stir until completely combined and free of lumps.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
3. Grease your muffin tins with oil or nonstick spray. Fill cupcake tins to about three quarters full. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Making the filling:
1. While the cupcakes are baking, start your strawberry filling. Add strawberries to a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly as they heat up and begin to soften.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. When the strawberries are mostly liquid, add the sugar and corn starts and continue to stir constantly for a few minutes more as the mixture thickens. Stir until the sauce is almost jelly-like in consistency.
3. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
How to get the strawberry filling into the cupcakes:
1. Using a paring knife, cut a cone out of the top of each cupcake, going deep enough to allow plenty of filling but not so deep that you cut through to the bottom.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
2. Remove the cone and fill the space with the strawberry mix almost to the top but not quite.

© Jaymi Heimbuch
3. Cut the "iceberg" portion off the cone you pulled from the cupcake so you have just the thin disk for the top and replace the "lid" over the strawberry filling. (Pop the remaining portion of the cone in your mouth because it's so perfectly bite-sized!)

© Jaymi Heimbuch
Decorate and serve! One thing to note: These cupcakes aren't as good hot as they are cooled off, so wait to dive in until they're at least room temperature. And they're really best the next day. I don't know why this is, but they seem to get sweeter and more chocolate-y over the course of a day or two (if they last that long).

© Jaymi Heimbuch

Crockpot Ham, Bean and Dumpling Soup

Ingredients:
-lima beans 1 or more packs depending on the number of ppl (1 pack feeds 4ppl medium sized bowls)
-water
-chicken bouillon cube
-bisquick or dumpling mix whatever you prefer, you can flavor you dumplings with garlic powder melted butter and parmasan cheese or just have them plain
-ham either from a ham steak or leftovers from a whole ham
-add spices to your taste...I add garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper
-you can add other items such as chopped onion, celery, carrots and potatoes but I prefer it to be just beans, ham and dumplings

How to make it:
-Soak lima beans over night or boil day of
-put beans and ham in crockpot
-cover completely with water and throw in chicken bouillon cube
-let simmer in crockpot on high for 4-5 hours, until the beans are cooked and the soup is bubbling
-at this time you may add your dumplings, the soup will thicken up as you add your dumplings in so if you need put more water in ...cook dumplings through and the soup is done

Shepherd's Pie

I've never made Shepherd's Pie before today. I always seem to be missing one thing when I pull up a recipe for it, but tonight we received a bag of fresh potatoes from a friend's garden. I had a pound of ground beef in the freezer so Shepherd's Pie made sense for dinner. I knew the basics of a Shepherd's Pie...meat, veggies, gravy...mashed potato topping. I winged the details and this is what I created. I thought it turned out awesome, we ate on it for several days, so it stretches pretty well, and cheap to make!

This makes a great freezer meal. Just line your casserole with tinfoil and then saran wrap. Assemble the Shepherd's Pie like normal but instead of baking it, freeze it! To reheat, put the unwrapped frozen Shepherd's Pie back into the pan you froze it in, and let thaw in the fridge. Once thawed, bake as normal.

Shepherd's Pie

Ingredients

1lb lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup flour

1/4 cup heavy cream

4 Tbs butter

2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I used 1/2 cup green beans, 1/2 peas, 1/2 cup carrots, and 1/2 cup corn)

1 can of cream of mushroom

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cups of mashed potatoes (seasoned with butter and salt/pepper to taste)

1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Step 1  

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, brown the ground beef, onions, and garlic together.

Step 2

Once the meat is browned, add the flour, cream, and 4 Tbl butter. Stir to combine.

Step 3

Add the frozen vegetables, stir to incorporate. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Step 4

Add the cream of mushroom soup. Stir to combine. Cook until heated through, season with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Pour the beef and veggie mixture into a greased casserole dish.

Step 6

Cover the beef and veggies with a thick layer of mashed potatoes. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Step 7

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Chicken Quesadillas

This is perfect for those grocery store rotisserie chickens. It's fast and delicious. 

This makes a great freezer meal: Prepare and bake as normal. Let cool and place the quesadillas on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen, wrap each one with saran wrap and place in a labeled Ziploc bag. To reheat: Unwrap frozen quesadilla and microwave for 2-3 minutes until heated through.

Chicken Quesadillas 

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cubed cooked chicken

2/3 cup salsa

1/3 cup finely diced red onion

1 Tbs finely chopped garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp salt

Flour tortillas (between 8-10)

1/4 cup melted butter

8oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Sour cream for serving

Step 1

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a skillet, saute the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until softened. 

Step 2

Add the chicken to the garlic and onion. Stir to heat through.

Step 3

Add the salsa, cumin, oregano, and salt. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

Step 4

Butter one side of the tortilla and flip over. Fill with 2 Tbs of chicken filling and sprinkle cheese over top. Fold the tortilla over and press down. Assemble the quesadillas on a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 9-11 minutes until tortilla is lightly browned.

Step 5

Serve with sour cream, jalapenos, guacamole...whatever you want

Blackened Tuna Steaks

8 oz sushi grade tuna, lightly add olive oil to both sides, creole spice (if you like it more spicy) or just use Chef Pauls blackening season cook 3-5 minutes on each side Has to be done on a grill, not in a pan or it won't taste the same
*picture to follow when I try this recipe

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes

I made this recipe the other day and it was sooo darn good. Also I was thinking that you may be able to use the garlic gravy to make garlic bread for spaghetti :)

Spaghetti in Garlic Gravy with Herbs and Lemon Marinated Chicken and Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients:
500 grams spaghetti pasta (cooked al dente)
1 pound chicken breast fillets (sliced into 1 inch chunks)
For the chicken marinade:
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped (if using dried, use half of the amount)
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of ½ a lemon
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon coarse salt (not table salt)
½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (to sauté the marinated chicken)
-  Add all the marinade ingredients into the chicken and marinade for 20 minutes (if making this dish in pronto) or over night (if making this dish the next day… much better).
-  Saute the marinated chicken in extra virgin olive oil until cooked (about 4-5 minutes) then set aside.
For the garlic gravy:
½ stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups chicken stock
1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup parsley, chopped (to sprinkle/finish the pasta)
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cups whole cherry tomatoes
-  Place sauté pan over medium heat and add butter and olive oil.
-  Saute garlic until fragrant and soft.
-  Add the flour and cook for a minute.
-  Add chicken stock and simmer gravy until thickened then add the chopped basil.
-  Season with salt and pepper.
-  Add the sauteed chicken in the gravy then toss the cooked spaghetti into this  sauce.
-  Add the cherry tomatoes and finish the dish with the chopped parsley and grated parmesan cheese (serve extra on the side).
Makes 5-6 servings.