In the Kitchen

Today was a rainy day, and after playing in the puddles for a bit, I decided to make a couple of batches of this rice craft. It is so incredibly easy, and although it can make a mess (albeit a very easy one to clean up), Jack has such a great time that I like to do it for him while I'm doing the dishes or cooking dinner. He loves to push his matchbox cars around in it, spoon it into cups, and pour it into other containers (or all over the floor).

I absolutely love to cook. I am (very) far from a gourmet chef and I'm not very creative when it comes to designing my own recipes. But I love to try new things. The best online source I have found thus far is www.recipezaar.com. I have been using it for several years now, and some of my tried-and-true recipes are on there. I'm going to try to post some of my favorites on a regular basis. I don't know the rules in terms of copyright, so I will just post a link whenever possible.

Last night, I made Paula Dean's Asian Orzo Pasta Chicken Salad for the first time. I thought it was a clever way to get some vegetables into my family's mouth. Jack didn't care for it, but John Mark and I ate it up. It would be great for a potluck or a picnic. I thought it was a tad bland, so I added more soy sauce and a dash of salt. Chilling it overnight made it more flavorful, too. I have a hard time finding a big chunk of time to devote to dinner, so I always see what I can do the night before after Jack is asleep. I chopped up the veggies, thawed a whole chicken, and cooked the orzo pasta. The next day, I steamed the chicken using the method found at my other favorite website, Hillbilly Housewife. Pulled the chicken off, mixed all the ingredients together, and tossed the bowl in the fridge for later. So much less stressful!

Today, I made Cincinnati Chili, one of our favorites. I also cooked this for my whole family while we were at our family reunion in Pennsylvania. It's a great comfort food! And it's very easy to double or triple, which I did this time around to give to a family we know who just had a baby and another friend of ours who just underwent surgery. The recipe is below. I guess it would serve about 4 people, but I almost always double it (and in this case did x4), and whatever I have left we eat for lunch or I freeze. It freezes very well!

Cincinnati Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (~1/2 tsp)
1 T chili powder (edited to add this - I can't believe I forgot it!)

1 tsp all spice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cayenne (I use 1/4 tsp to reduce the heat)
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 Tbsp cocoa (the powder stuff)
1 (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/2 C water
16 oz box of spaghetti noodles, cooked and drained
1-2 C cheddar cheese

1. Saute onion, beef, garlic, and chili powder until beef is slightly cooked. (I usually fully cook the beef and it's still great.)

2. Add remaining ingredients besides the spaghetti noodles and cheese.

3. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1.5 hrs.

4. Serve over noodles and sprinkle with cheddar cheese.

Yum! I like to serve this with a simple salad on the side.