Chili con Easy

Yesterday, I did the homemade chili. It's really an easy dish that you can have the ingredients in the pantry.

Start with about 2 lbs of lean ground beef and brown it in the bottom of a large kettle. Make sure to break it up small. Add about one medium onion diced and cook until the meat is cooked, and the onion is translucent. Now it is time to start opening some cans. I put in 2 cans of undrained diced tomatoes (28oz size). Add about 4 cans of beans (the smaller ones) I use kidney, pinto, black, whatever I have on hand (use more if you like) Add a can of the black bean soup from Goya. Add about 1/2 jar of salsa (I usually find the old one in the back of the fridge that needs to be used.) 3 T chili powder and 3T cumin. A few good shakes of garlic powder. Then let it simmer for about an hour. Taste and adjust as necessary.

Now what to do with this lovely. I like putting this over mescalin mix in a bowl like taco salad. Take some corn tortillas and cut into strips and bake them in the oven until crispy and sprinkle over the top. You can also use this as a filling for some great burritos. Or put over tortilla chips for the base of some great nachos...And you can just stick it in a bowl with some grated cheddar and chopped raw onions and a scoop of sour cream. Yum Yum.

And for the kids

Well, I haven't yet trained my kids to eat sea bass and lentils so tonight I made them Mac and Cheese....not the box kind, the one from scratch.

And here is how I make it.

Boil up a box of pasta--we did bow ties tonight.

I chop up some fresh broccoli and add it to the last three minutes of cooking ( you can use frozen chopped broccoli as well) drain and let sit when the pasta is done. Open a can of diced tomatoes and let it drain over the pasta in the colander.

Start with about 3T of butter in a sauce pan, after it's melted add 3T of flour and stir until mixed in. Add about 4 cups of milk. Start with about a half a cup and make sure that what you are dealing with is smooth (use a whisk). After it has started to thicken (it should come almost to a boil) turn the burner off and add 1T mustard (I use Gulden's) a sprinkle of nutmeg, and a sprinkle of pepper. Then add 2-3 cups of grated cheese. You can use any leftovers or get the preshredded kind. I usually make sure it has some of the orange color in it as my kids happen to like that better.

Put the pasta back into the pot you cooked it in and pour the sauce over it. Mix well. I then put it in a 9 x 13 pan that has been greased, put bread crumbs on the top and stick it in the over at 350 for about 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Any different veggies will work and adults actually like this as well as kids.

It's Sunday night and here's what's dinner

4 ounces diced bacon
(or the pre-cooked crumbles-- if you use the crumbles, use 2 tablespoons olive oil )
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced raw coleslaw mix
1/4 cup diced carrots
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 pound lentils
1 bay leaf
1 pinch thyme (or a sprig if you have it fresh)
4 cups chicken stock plus a little extra to make them a little juicy

In a saucepan set over medium heat, saute the bacon until crispy, about 7 to 8 minutes. (if you are using the crumbles, skip this step and use olive oil for the next part. Do once around the pan (as Rachel Ray would say) Remove and reserve the bacon from the pan and saute the vegetables in the bacon fat for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the lentils and stir to cover in the fat and fold in the bay leaf and thyme, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the lentils are soft, about 30 to 35 minutes. Stir the reserved bacon (or the bacon crumbles) into the lentils and cover to keep warm. Add a little extra chicken stock to make these a little jucy if the stock has been absorbed.

This is a yummy side dish or you could add chopped leftover Easter ham, chicken, or fish to the leftovers.

Tonight we are adding Sea Bass to the mix. I found a great frozen (I know, I know but it has been pretty good and sooo convenient) fish at Costco in the freezer case, portion packaged.

For the marinade, I used about 2T of good olive oil, chopped garlic and thyme (so that the flavors are compatible). With a preheated grill pan, you get a nice crispy outside to the moist fish inside.

You can grill the seabass or use a grill pan about 4-6 minutes per side. If your steaks are thinner than 1 inch, reduce the cooking time slightly. If they are thicker, increase the cooking time.

Serve a green veggie or a salad on the side.