Jalapeno Cheddar Cream Cheese

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 oz. pickled jalapenos, finely diced
1 oz. shredded cheddar
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

Chili v.2

Our first chili recipe was okay, but we needed something different. When we had company for the Super Bowl, I made a fairly simple ground beef chili using a Lawry's seasoning packet, and it was excellent. This is a fairly close reproduction of the Super Bowl chili using a copycat Lawry's seasoning recipe and a combination of ground beef and cubed round steak.

Crockpot Chili

3/4 lb. ground beef, cooked (about 1/2 lb. cooked weight or a little more)
1 lb. round steak, trimmed and cubed in 3/8--1/2 inch dice
1 Tbsp. A1 steak sauce

1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (12 oz) hoppy beer (I've used both New Belgium Rampant and New Belgium Shift)

1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 yellow squash, diced

1 Lawry's chili seasoning packet (or equivalent -- see below)
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
Salt and pepper to taste

As a general rule of thumb for chili, I dice all of the vegetables so that the pieces are smaller than the beans. Brown the round steak cubes with A1, but do not cook through. Cook the ground beef (if it isn't already). Mix all ingredients in a 4 qt. crockpot (it will be full). Set crockpot on high for 3-4 hours, and turn to low until ready to serve.

Verdict: This chili was very good, but not quite the same as the one we made with the original Lawry's seasoning packet. We prefer all ground beef chili.

Lawry's chili seasoning copycat recipe
Slightly modified from The Hayley Daily

1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 Tbsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cocoa powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. oregano

Slow cooker chili

1 c. pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
1 6-oz can tomato paste
1 c. water
1 12-oz bottle beer (I used the New Belgium Rampant IPA)

8 oz bacon, diced
1/2 lg onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced

2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 Tbsp. chipotle chile powder
1 tsp. black pepper

1.33 lbs stew meat, cut in bite-sized chunks

Early in the morning (7am-ish), put the soaked beans and all of the liquids in the crock pot. Cook on High. Mid-morning (11am-ish), saute the bacon and onion until the bacon fat is mostly rendered. Add the peppers and saute until softened. Add the sauteed vegetables to the crock pot, along with the spices and stew meat. Continue cooking on High until the beans and meat are tender (about 6-7 more hours). Cook on Low with the lid ajar to thicken, if desired. Ready to serve by 7-8 pm.

We decided this would probably be better with less poblano. 

Cauliflower "mac" and cheese

Adapted from Vegetarian Times.

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8 c.)

3 Hatch chilies, diced, or about 4 oz. canned green chilies

1 15.5-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, drained

2 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 c. whole milk
1 c. half and half
2 c. grated extra-sharp cheddar (I used 1 c. aged white cheddar and 1 c. sharp cheddar, packed)
1 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 egg yolks
salt and pepper, to taste

1.5 c. fresh breadcrumbs + 2 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, and cook the cauliflower florets for 5-7 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and add to a large bowl with the diced chilies and fire-roasted tomatoes.

Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the flour, and cook for 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. Whisk in milk and cream. Cook over medium heat for 7-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Incorporate the cheese one handful at a time. Let the first handful melt before adding another. Once the cheese is fully incorporated, remove the pan from the heat. Allow to cool slightly. Whisk in the mustard. Add the egg yolks one at a time, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. (Or temper the yolks using a separate bowl.) Season cheese sauce liberally with salt and pepper. Pour over cauliflower and mix thoroughly. Transfer to a 9x13 pan.

In a saute pan, melt the remaining 2 Tbsp butter and toast the breadcrumbs slightly. Sprinkle bread crumbs over the casserole. Bake 30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly.

Carrot soup

This is a completely made up attempt at carrot soup, based only on what was in the cupboard/fridge.

Carrot soup

1 Tbsp. olive oil
8 oz. yellow onion
8 oz. diced carrots
1/2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. salt
8 cloves roasted garlic
3 c. water
1/2 c. heavy cream

This turned out very well. I would use more carrot than onion next time (to boost the carroty flavor). I'm surprised, but the garlic was not overwhelming. It was very mellow. I'd use the same amount of spices again, even if I increased the carrots. Some bites were a little hotter than I'd expected!

Tex-Mex style pork loin roast

2 lb pork loin roast (whatever fits comfortably in the crockpot)

1 large white onion, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes (no salt added), partially drained

1 can green chilies (preferably from Hatch, NM)

1 tsp chipotle chili powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp oregano

1 c half and half

2 Tbsp corn starch (about)

Place the majority of the sliced onion on the bottom of a 3-4 quart crockpot. Add half the chilies and tomatoes. Put the pork loin on top and cover in seasonings. Place the remaining onions, tomatoes and chilies around and on top of the roast. Cook on high 4 hours, and on low for as long as you need. (I cooked it on low for an additional  2 hours, but it would have been done after 4 hours on high.) 

When the roast is ready, heat the half and half in a 10" skillet. Gradually add the braising liquid from the crockpot to the half and half. Whisk in enough corn starch to thicken into a gravy. This makes a lot of sauce, nearly filling my 10" skillet. That's okay -- it's great with mashed potatoes!

This was delicious -- it was almost like eating a tortilla soup on a plate. I imagine it would also be delicious with chicken instead of pork, or brown rice instead of mashed potatoes. 

Quick pickle (attempt #1)

1 qt mason jar

Fill the mason jar with thinly sliced radishes, carrots, red onion, and thin stalks of asparagus. Add

20-25 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 large clove slightly crushed garlic

Bring the following pickling liquid to a boil and simmer about two minutes, until the sugar and salt are incorporated:

1 1/4 c. water
1 1/4 c. white wine vinegar
1/4 c. sugar
2 Tbsp. kosher salt

Pour over the vegetables in the mason jar. Let cool at room temperature.