Recipes

Friday

You may have noticed I'm rather haphazard with this 'recipe' idea. There are certain things for which specific measurements are more ideal than not (cornbread, quiche, cookies), but many other things have a lot of what I call "wiggle room".

I'm kind of a 'dump' cook: Dump it in, stir it together, plate and serve.

I'd like you to think of my recipes less as specific project instructions and more as general how-to, like a You Tube video.

Cheating Chili

1 large can stewed or diced tomatoes
2-4 cans chili beans
2 cans kidney beans
1 envelope taco seasoning
1/2 -1 onion, chopped
additional seasonings as desired

Dump all ingredients into crock pot, liquid and all. Cover and cook at Medium all day.

Serve with shredded cheese, chopped onion, sour cream, salsa and cornbread or tortilla chips. It's Taco Salad without the Salad part.

Bean Pot

1 can each kidney, pinto, green, Lima and white or Great Northern beans, liquid included(substitute others if you prefer; I usually avoid Black beans in Bean Pot, as they make it look grimy.)
bay leaf
dried minced onion
fresh ground black pepper, plenty of it
garlic powder or minced garlic, 1 teaspoon or so

Dump everything together in the crock pot or slow cooker. Cook on Medium-Low all day, or at Medium High for two to three hours. Serve like soup with bread and butter, or over leftover rice or cornbread.

Corn Bread- Preheat oven to 450*F

1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1/3 cup milk
1 can corn or creamed corn
2 Tablespoons bacon grease

Melt butter in iron skillet. Pour off into medium bowl or measuring beaker. In separate bowl, blend dry ingredients together. In bowl with butter, add milk and egg. Beat well. Add corn. Melt bacon grease in skillet. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, scraping wet bowl well and folding gently to combine. Pour into hot skillet. Cook on stove ~3-5 minutes to create crispy crust, then put in oven ~20 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean or with solid crumbs clinging to it. Cook 3-5 minutes before slicing into wedges.

White Bean & Chicken Burritos

2 cans white beans (or Great Northern, if there's a difference)
~1 cup chicken, shredded
~1 cup diced tomatoes
hot sauce
pepper
salt
thyme
sage
cheddar cheese, sliced or shredded
tortillas

Drain beans.Dump in large-ish bowl. Stir in spices, chicken and tomatoes, and salsa, too, if you wish. Onto each tortilla, plop two large spoonfuls of bean mixture. Top with cheese. Add a small bit of cheese to the edge of the tortilla, to glue it together when you roll it. Place all burritos (I made 8) in baking dish. Top with additional cheese, if you wish- it doesn't change the flavor, but makes them reel purdy.  Bake at 350*F for 20-30 minutes. Serve with salsa & sour cream. Pitcher of margaritas optional.