Quick and easy chili

I decided to make some chili tonight. I had never made chili that was not out of a can. I was pretty proud of myself since I just kind of put it together by looking at several different recipes. I didn't really measure everything out, so the measurements are all approximations. We gobbled it all up so fast before I had a chance to take a picture. But it was quite good with corn bread.

Easy-peasy Chili

1/4 lb ground beef
1/4 onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped
minced garlic
adobo seasoning (see below for recipe)
1 can of kidney beans in chili sauce
1 can of Ro*tel diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons of tomato paste

1. Brown ground beef and drain the fat.
2. Add half of the onions, bell pepper, and garlic to the ground beef and saute until onions are clear.
3. Add adobo seasoning, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
4. Stir and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Top with some chopped onions and cheese.

I had made some adobo seasoning mix for something else a while back, so I used that for the season in my chili since it had everything I wanted to add into the chili. It really worked out well.

Adobo Seasoning
(from Chef Michele's Adventures)

3 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Combine all and mix well. Store in an airtight shaker container.

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

We were going to a Hawaiian Luau BBQ and needed something quick and easy to bring with us. This fruit salad has pineapple and coconut in it so that fit the bill for a Hawaiian dish. It is an easy peasy recipe and quite yummy!

Ambrosia Fruit Salad

1 container frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 (6 ounce) package orange flavored gelatin mix
1 cup shredded coconut
1 can fruit cocktail, drained
1 can pineapple chunks, drained
1 can mandarin oranges, drained


Directions

In a large bowl, combine the whipped topping and gelatin mix. Stir in the fruits. Chill in refrigerator.

Corn Casserole

We had another Gourmet Club meeting. I decided to make a corn casserole recipe that I found on Food Network by Paula Deen. It was really yummy and easy to make. Definitely a recipe to keep.



Corn Casserole
From: Food Network

1 (15 1/4-ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1 (14 3/4-ounce) can cream-style corn
1 (8-ounce) package corn muffin mix (recommended: Jiffy)
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 2 cans of corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, and melted butter. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and top with Cheddar. Return to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.

Gourmet Club Yummies

Curry Veggies



Salad



My plate with the above dishes and corn casserole and stuffed pork tenderloin.



A nice day in the backyard. Gotta love Southern California winters!

Tortilla Pinwheels

I love this easy appetizer that can be made ahead of time.



Tortilla Pinwheels

Ingredients
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
1 dash of garlic powder
1 (4 ounce) can of chopped green chilies
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup of salsa
8 10-inch flour tortillas

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except for tortillas.

2. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the tortillas. Roll the tortillas and refrigerate about 4 hours before slicing into 1 inch pieces.

Rumbly Tumbly Brownie Trifle

For a holiday party, I decided to make a dessert. I thought I would try something I hadn't made before. I searched Allrecipes.com for different holiday desserts and came across a few different trifle desserts. I adapted a few of them and made my own trifle. It was pretty good.



Rumbly Tumbly Brownie Trifle

Ingredients
1 (19.8 ounce) package brownie mix
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese softened
1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
1. Prepare brownie mix according to the package directions. Cool completely. Cut into 1 inch squares.

2. Beat cream cheese, whipping cream, and vanilla extract in a large bowl at medium speed with a whisk attachment.

3. In a trifle bowl, layer half of the brownies and half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers. Top with chocolate candy on chocolate cookie crumbs (I used Joe Joe crumbs to top).

Cookies!

I did some baking this weekend. I decided to bake cookies for people at work. I went back to an old favorite of mine that is easy and not totally from scratch. You start with a box of cake mix and you can use pretty much any cake mix flavor you want. I usually do chocolate cake, but I decide to mix it up and I made two varieties: Red Velvet crinkle cookies and French Vanilla Cake butterscotch chip cookies.



1 package of cake mix
1/3 cup of oil
2 eggs
(For the Red Velvet crinkle cookies: powdered sugar)
(For French Vanilla butterscotch chip cookies: 1 cup of butterscotch chips)

Blend cake mix, oil, and eggs.
(For French Vanilla butterscotch chip cookies: blend butterscotch chips).
When blended together, roll into 1 inch balls.
(For the Red Velvet crinkle cookies: Dredge in powdered sugar).
Bake on greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes.

A very easy recipe and very yummy.