Better Homes & Gardens New Cookbook: Chili con Carne

Okay, I admit that I did not cook up this pot of chili for my family's pre-trick-or-treating repast.  That would be my sister's creation.  But this chili recipe has played such a part of my family's history, going back to my early childhood, that I wanted to capture it while it was hot from the stove.  While this isn't anything close to a real Texas chili, it was my mother's go-to for us, and I highly recommend it served over some egg noodles for maximum enjoyment and nostalgia.

Chili con Carne
From the 1974 edition of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

1 pound ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
¾ cup chopped green pepper
1 (1-pound) can tomatoes, broken up
1 (1-pound) can dark red kidney beans, drained
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1 to 2 teaspoons chili powder
1 bay leaf

In a heavy skillet, cook meat, onion, and green pepper until meat is lightly browned and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Remove bay leaf.

Makes 4 servings

Triple Chocolate Cake

This is a ridiculously easy cake.  And yet, whenever my mother makes it, it gets scarfed down in 3.5 seconds.  Possibly less.  Especially if it's still warm from the oven.  This recipe makes a moist, oozy chocolate cake slice that is so rich, you don't even need frosting.  Just a generous sprinkle of confectioner's sugar to crown each slice.

Triple Chocolate Cake

1 (15.25-ounce) box Devil’s food or fudge cake mix
1 (3.9-ounce) box Jell-O instant chocolate pudding mix
3 large eggs
½ cup canola oil (or whatever is on package)
1½ cups water (or whatever is on package)
1 cup Nestlé Tollhouse semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put oil in the bottom of the cake pan. Add cake mix, pudding, and eggs and stir with a fork. Add chocolate chips last. Bake according to box instructions.

Natasha's Kitchen: Salami Cream Cheese Sandwiches

I may have said it before, but I am not a sandwich girl.  If I'm going to eat one, it had better be the best sandwich EVER.  Well, as you can tell from this post, this is a pretty fantastic sandwich.  The herbal-garlicky cream cheese just does some magical things with that hard salami that are borderline indecent.  I was tempted to leave out the lettuce, but I think it adds the right crispness.  This is a sandwich for sandwich haters.

Salami Cream Cheese Sandwiches
Adapted from Natasha's Kitchen blog

8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

¼ cup finely chopped green onion

¼ cup finely chopped fresh dill

1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

8 slices sandwich bread

8 to 10 ounces hard or Genoa salami

4 large leaves green lettuce

In a small bowl, combine the cream cheese, green onion, dill, garlic, and Worcestershire sauce.  Mash the herbs into the cream cheese.  Spread 1 to 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture on one side of each bread slice.  Top with lettuce and 6 to 8 pieces of salami, or to taste.

Makes 4 sandwiches

Cooking in Flip Flops: Alonti's Italian Wedding Soup

I know this soup doesn't look like much, but stick with me.  Here in Texas there's a deli called Alonti, and if you're lucky, you will order the Italian Wedding Soup for lunch.  It looks nothing like a traditional "minestra maritata", which is clear and full of little meatballs and greens.  This version is creamy and full of delicious roasted chicken pieces and herbs.  And somehow it just works in this magical way.  After changing jobs, I wasn't in the vicinity of an Alonti, but luckily I found a pretty good copycat recipe on the internet that I was able to adjust very slightly to get this amazing version.  Try it.  I promise it's amazing.

Alonti's Italian Wedding Soup
Adapted from Cooking in Flip Flops blog

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
6 ribs celery, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small bunch Italian parsley, finely chopped

8 sprigs fresh oregano leaves, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bay leaves
2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 (32-ounce) carton chicken broth
2 cups water

3 teaspoons roasted chicken bouillon
Breasts and thighs of 1 rotisserie chicken, bones and skin removed, chopped in bite size pieces

3 cups heavy whipping cream

1 cup orzo pasta

Melt butter in large Dutch oven and add onion, celery, green onions, parsley, oregano, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and white pepper. Cook until veggies are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Add chicken broth, water, chicken bouillon, and chicken pieces into pan and simmer about 20 minutes.  Add cream and bring to a simmer.  Add orzo and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Taste for seasoning.

Makes 8 servings

Melissa Clark: Rosemary Shortbread

Sometimes I get ideas for recipes from friends and acquaintances, mostly because I'm incredibly nosy when someone mentions something delicious that they've eaten lately.  I can't stop the interrogation until I've identified what the heavenly item was and exactly what made it so fantastic.  This recipe was an attempt to recreate a cookie based solely on description, and I must say that it really outperformed my expectations.  It was strange to me to eat rosemary in a dessert, but this shortbread is salty and sweet in a surprising way that makes you want to grab another finger.

Rosemary Shortbread
From Melissa Clark, as seen in NY Times Cooking

2 cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon plus 1 pinch kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted cold butter, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 to 2 teaspoons rosemary, chestnut, or other dark, full-flavored honey (optional)

Heat oven to 325°F.  In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, rosemary, and salt.  Add butter, and honey if desired, and pulse to fine crumbs.  Pulse a few more times until some crumbs start to come together, but don't overprocess.  Dough should not be smooth.

Press dough into an ungreased 8- or 9-inch-square baking pan or 9-inch pie pan.  Prick dough all over with a fork.  Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch pan, 45 to 50 minutes for 8-inch.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Cut into squares, bars or wedges while still warm.

Makes one 8- or 9-inch shortbread

Allrecipes: Habanero Pepper Jelly

After I made my jalapeño jelly late last summer, I broke it out at Thanksgiving thinking my brother-in-law would be a huge fan.  After all, he had talked about how much he loved pepper jelly.  Well, let's just say he was less than enthused, and I couldn't figure out why that might be.  At least until he forwarded me the recipe for "pepper jelly" that his good friend used.  Then it dawned on me - his idea of pepper jelly included habanero peppers, not those timid jalapeños.  My mistake, but easily corrected.

Habanero Pepper Jelly
From Allrecipes

8 half pint canning jars with lids and rings
1½ cups apple cider vinegar
6½ cups granulated sugar
1 cup grated carrot
½ cup minced red bell pepper
15 orange habanero peppers, seeded and minced
2 (3-ounce) pouches liquid pectin

Stir the vinegar and sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar has dissolved, then stir in the carrot and red bell pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 5 minutes. Add the habanero peppers and simmer 5 minutes longer. Pour in the pectin, and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Skim and discard any foam from the jelly.

Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pour the jelly into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within ¼-inch of the top. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 5 minutes.

Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all).

Makes 8 half pint jars