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I am not big into the Super Bowl, but I hear that chili is often a big part of game day parties.  This is a very quick version which is just as tasty as a chili that has simmered on the stove for hours.  And this one really does take about half an hour to prepare.  And I see no reason why this recipe could not be doubled or even tripled to feed a crowd.  The only thing is that you will likely need to puree half the beans and tomatoes in batches, if you more than double it.  Two cans of beans and two cans of tomatoes are about all that your average sized food processer can handle.  As long as you have a large enough pot to handle it, you are good to go.  I’d also suggest simmering it a bit longer if making more than one recipe’s worth.

As the recipe card suggested, I made cornbread to have with this.  The cornbread recipe I used called for 1/2 cup of frozen corn.  I had bought a 16 ounce bag of it, and I threw the rest into the chili as it simmered.  It came out great!

The best way to bake cornbread is in a cast iron skillet, I used a 10-inch one here.

Black Skillet Cornbread

1 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk*
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
1 cup Cheddar cheese, grated
2 pickled jalapeno peppers, minced
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375º F.  Grease a 10-inch cast iron skillet.  In a large bowl, combine corn meal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt.

Combine the egg with the buttermilk, and mix this into the dry ingredients.  Mix in corn, 2/3 cup of the cheese, and jalapenos.  Then add the butter and and mix together until just combined.

Spread the batter into the prepared skillet.  Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 cup cheese on top.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bread comes out clean.  Let cool for a bit before slicing into wedges and serving.

*If you do not have buttermilk, pour about a tablespoon of lemon juice or white vinegar into a 1 cup measure.  Add regular milk to make 1 cup.  Let stand for at least five minutes.  The lemon juice/vinegar will *sour* the milk and cause it to thicken.

When you serve the chili and cornbread, be sure to have lots of toppings – sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced scallions and/or regular onions, cilantro, lime wedges, avocado, sliced jalapenos (either fresh or the jarred picked variety).  Enjoy, and GO PATS!

Oh…the Pats are not in the Super Bowl?  My bad!

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This recipe actually takes longer than the 30 minutes that most of the other Shaw’s/America’s Test Kitchen “Get Inspired” recipes claim.  The prep and assembly alone take about half an hour (even considering the fact tht you boil water and cook pasta while the sauce simmers), and then it takes 20 minutes to bake it.

Save time buy using pre-shredded cheeses, as well as a garlic press.  The garlic press I linked to here is the one I have, it came highly recommended by the folks at America’s Test Kitchen/Cook’s Illustrated.  These guys review just about everything you need for the kitchen, short of the tv stands that you need to hold the tv’s you watch their shows on…LOL!

This garlic press not only works, but it also allows you to mince the garlic without bothing to peel it first…a HUGE time-saver!  It’s also easy to clean, as it has a little thingy that sticks into the holes to get the crud out.

The one thing I do NOT recommend is that grated Parmesan cheese in a jar or a cardboard box.  That crap has NO flavor.  Either buy packages of SHREDDED Parmesan in the refrigerated cheese section, or buy a wedge of it and grate it yourself.  I do the latter, it doesn’t take too much extra time.  A wedge of Parmesan may look expensive at first, but remember that a little goes a long way.

I used bulk Italian sausage for this, and just crumbled it into the pan, breaking it up with a spoon as it cooked.

This is a very easy and tasty recipe, and I think you should try it.  It is just as good as recipes that take much longer to prepare.  Try it!

I had not taken advantage of this in a while.  But when I saw the Retro Metro alphabet set for only $20 (retail $149.95), I had to grab it!  Good thing I did, as it is now sold out.

Sizzix.com has a $25 minimun order, so I picked out a few more dies I’d been wanting, some of them also marked down.  I got the Animal Dress-Ups Santa Outfit, for my Animal Dress-Ups Kitty that I already have.  I also got the Animal Dress-Ups Girl Outfit, but I got mine for just six bucks.  Finally, I got MacKenzie’s Cat Latte, which was not marked down, but it’s cute and I wanted it.

But hey…I saved $152.48 off retail…not that I woud have paid retail, at least not for the alphabet set!  I have many Sizzlits alphabet sets, and I never paid full price for any of them.  I either got them really cheap as Tuesday Teasers, or on sale/with coupons at Michaels or A.C. Moore.

You can check Sizzix.com every Tuesday to see what will be marked down for the day.  In case you forget, you can sign up for the Sizzix Scoop, a free email newsletter which will remind you of Tuesday Teasers and other special sales.

I just love finding bargains like this!

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I made this last night, and it’s yet another winner from Shaw’s and America’s Test Kitchen.

For some reason, thick-cut pork chops are difficult to find around here.  All of the packaged ones at supermarkets seem to be too thin, and therefore run the risk of drying out from being overcooked.  I solve this problem by buying a whole pork loin and cutting my own chops.

A whole pork loin is a big hunk o’meat, about two feet long.  But it’s often a great bargain, when it’s on sale for $1.99 a pound.  You can get several meals out of this, cut off what you need to make the pork chops, cut the rest into meal-sized portions, and freeze.  You’ll have enough to cook as a roast, or more chops.

If you don’t want to buy a whole loin, they do sell half-loin roasts.  But they usually cost more per pound.  Both the whole and half-loin roasts are usually sold boneless…I know this recipe calls for bone-in, but boneless chops work well, too.

You can save time by buying pre-sliced mushrooms, often they are the same price as whole ones.  But if you buy whole ones, you can make quick work of slicing them by using a gadget like this.  That’s the slicing tool I have, I like how it can slice eggs and mushrooms in slices and wedges.  I use it enough to justify its existence in my kitchen.

The ideal pan for this recipe is the trusty old 12″ cast iron skillet, as it gives the chops that nice brown sear that you want here.  I do not recommend using a pan with a nonstick coating, as it will never give you that sear.  If you do not have a cast iron pan (and why not?), you can use a stainless steel pan.  A good one will have an aluminum and/or copper clad bottom, to help distribute the hear evenly.

If you can’t find fresh thyme, you can use dried.  I don’t know what it is, but every time I go to the store to look for a specific fresh herb for a recipe, that’s the one they never seem to have.  When I want tarragon, they have tons of thyme, when I want thyme, they have tons of tarragon, etc.

I think 2009 will be the year I finally get in gear and plant a small container herb garden.

Anyhoo, I hope you enjoy this recipe!

This is the recipe that I promised you in the previous post, the one that got burnt in the oven that the evil Circuit City sold me.  Only yours won’t get burnt, not if your oven thermostat works properly.

This makes a lot (8-10 servings), so you will need a deep casserole dish for this, I use one that is 10 inches square.

I got this from a book called “Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seasoned America”.  It is one of my favorite cookbooks.  It’s sadly out of print, but check sites like Half.com for used copies.

Beef Noodle Casserole

For the Seasoning Mix:
1 tablespoon salt
1 3/4 teaspoons onion powder
1 3/4 teaspoons garlic powder
1 3/4 teaspoons dried oregano leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons white pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons dried thyme leaves
1 1/4 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon black pepper

Combine all herbs and spices in a small bowl. Set aside.

1 (1 pound) bag wide egg noodles
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, in all
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (80% or leaner)
4 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 cup chopped green onions (some folks call them green onions, but they’re really scallions…did you know that?)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 cups chopped regular onions
1 cup chopped celery
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
2 1/2 cups beef stock, in all
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup each of shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses, OR 2 cups of Cheddar-Jack mixture

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Cook the noodles al dente, according to package directions.  Drain, run hot, then cold water over, drain again.  Place in a bowl or back in the pot.  Pour a teaspoon of the oil over the noodles and mix well.  Add 2 teaspoons of the seasoning mix, combine well.  Set aside.

Put the ground beef in a bowl, and mix in 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix.  Set aside.

In another bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream, lime juice, scallions, and parsley, mix well.  Set aside.

Place a large skillet over high heat and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil until very hot.  Add onions, celery, garlic. and remaining seasoning mix, and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are golden and a crust forms at the bottom, about 7-8 minutes.  Add 1/2 cup of the beef stock, scrape the bottom of the skillet, and cook until another crust forms on the bottom of the skillet, about 3 minutes.  Add another 1/2 cup of the stock, scrape again, and cook for another 2 minutes.  Add the seasoned meat, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook, scraping occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 7-9 minutes.  Be careful not to let the meat get too dry.  Add the butter and cook without stirring for 3-5 minutes.  Stir in the tomato sauce, scrape the bottom of the skillet, and cook for 3-4 minutes.  Add the remaining 1 1/2 cups of stock, bring to a boil and then remove from the heat.  Stir in the sour cream mixture until thoroughly blended.

Spread half of the seasoned noodles in the casserole.  Pour half of the meat mixture over this, and sprinkle 1 cup of cheese evenly over that.  Cover with the remaining noodles, then the remaining meat mixture, and finally the remaining 1 cup of cheese.  Put it in the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes, until brown and bubbly(but not NASA hot and burnt!)

Yumyumyumyumyum!

Enjoy!