It Must Be the Cooler Weather

I am feeling very domestic right now. It must be the cooler weather, because it happens to me every year about this time. I have a burning desire to cook and bake. I have been searching blogs and websites for recipes. I have found some winners. Since I found all of these recipes online, I wanted to share the recipes with you all. Thank you to my family and in-laws for being my guinea pigs. I have also made some tried and true recipes that I will post also.

Monday:

Karma's Chili - Karma Gifford

1 pound hamburger
1 onion
2 T. flour
1 T. chili powder
2 cans red kidney beans, drained
2 cans tomato soup
4 cans of water

Brown meat and onion. Sprinkle flour on meat to soak up grease and thicken sauce. Add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer until thicker. If not thick enough for your liking, add a rue to thicken of flour and water. Serve with cheese.

Honey Cornbread - Allrecipes.com

Prep Time: 8 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yields:16 servings

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups yellow cornbread
1/2 cup white sugar
2 T. baking powder
2 cups heavy cream (I used whole milk because that is what I had)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
4 eggs, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. In a large bowl, stir together flour, cornmeal, sugar, and baking powder. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Add the cream, oil, honey and eggs; stir to combine. Pour batter into prepared baking pan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.

*Measure oil in measuring cup first and then the honey so the honey does not stick to the measuring cup.

Tuesday:

Scurritos (Burrito Filling) - Leila Scurr

1 lb. Hamburger
1 onion, chopped
1-2 cans of Refried Beans
1-8 oz. can tomato paste
1-2 T. Chili powder or to taste
1-2 T. Garlic powder or to taste
2 cups sour cream

Brown hamburger with onion. Drain fat. Add refried beans, tomato paste, chili powder and garlic powder. Let simmer until sauce is thick. Stir in sour cream. Use to fill burritos. Top with salsa, lettuce, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, etc.

Wednesday:

Pork Chop Marinade - Becoming Betty (Williams Sonoma)

3 T. Soy Sauce
3 T. Olive Oil
Zest of 1 Lime
Juice of 2 Medium Limes
2 Jalapeno Peppers, diced (I also removed the seeds and ribs from inside to decrease the heat)
5 Cloves Garlic, minced
4 Regular Pork Chops or 8 Thin Sliced Pork Chops

Combine ingredients and pour over pork chops in a Ziploc bag. Refrigerate for 2-6 hours. Remove chops and grill.

Side-Dish Rice - Becoming Betty

Yield: 8 Servings

1 cube butter
4 chicken boullion cubes or 4 tsp. boullion powder
2 cups regular rice
3 1/2 cups water
1 tsp. salt
3 green onions, chopped
1 small package silvered or sliced almonds

Combine 1st four ingredients in a large sauce pan. Simmer on medium-low, covered, until all water is gone. Add last three ingredients.

Never Fail Pie Crust - Debbie Robinson

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup plus 2 T. real butter, softened but not melted or 1 cup shortening
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup COLD milk
1 T. vinegar

Mix flour, butter/shortening, and salt until fine as cornmeal or small peas. Add vinegar to milk and combine this with the flour mixture (don't use quite all of the milk). Mix together with a fork or pastry cutter. Make into a ball. Roll out 1/2 on a flour-dusted dishtowel. Flip over into pie pan. Flute edges. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes 2 pie crusts.

Peach Pie - Jennifer Talbot

2 baked pie shells
8 - 10 peeled and sliced peaches
2 1/2 cups water
1 package Peach Jell-O
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cornstarch
1/4 cup lemon and lime juice
1/8 tsp. salt

Boil 2 cups of water. While the water is boiling, combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl. Mix well with a fork to break up clumps of cornstarch. Add 1/2 cup of water and stir to try to get as many of the clumps of cornstarch out as you can to make a paste. Get all of the rest of your ingredients ready to pour in. Add paste to water and stir continuously until the mixture turns clear and into a gel-like substance, over medium heat. It may get clumpy, but you can stir it quickly after it completely turns to gel to get it smooth. Turn off the heat. Add Jell-O, lemon and lime juice, and salt. Pour over peaches and stir to combine. Pour peaches into the two pie shells. Cool in refrigerator until firm.

Thursday:

Amazing Apricot Chicken - Becoming Betty

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 - 8 oz. bottle of Russian salad dressing
1 cup apricot preserves
1 package dry onion soup mix

Place thawed chicken in a 9x13 inch pan. Combine dressing, preserves, and soup mix. Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve on rice. (Can also use chicken tenders and cook for about 40 minutes.)

Enjoy the food and the cooler weather!