Chocolate-y Pumpkin-y Muffin-y, oh my!

Pumpkin Chip Muffins

Made: October 27, 2013

Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 15oz can solid-pack pumpkin
- 1 1/2 cups canola oil
- 3 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups (12oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 F
- In a large bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt
- Gradually add the flour mixture to the pumpkin mixture, mixing well
- Fold in chocolate chips
- Fill greased or lined muffin pans 3/4 full
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted neat the center comes out clean
- Cook in pan for 10 minutes before removing to wire rack

One of the few things I like about fall ... all the new pumpkin recipes come out! These are very yummy and mine came out super moist. These could be just as delish without the chocolate chips, but either way I'm pleased!

(Recipe used: Taste of Home)

Asian Rice

Fried Rice

Made: July 14, 2013

Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked white rice
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten
- 1/4 cup soy sauce

Directions
- On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet (or wok)
- Add the peas, onion and garlic
- Stir fry until tender
- Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side
- Pour your eggs on the other side and stir fry until scrambled
- Add the rice and the soy sauce
- Blend together
- Stir fry until thoroughly heated

I thought 3 tablespoons was a lot of the sesame oil, but it complemented the soy sauce just right. I always have trouble with the eggs as they always run into whatever else I'm cooking in the pan, but overall it came out nice. I'll have to tweak it to see how I could get the rice drier and not so mushy though.

(Recipe used: found on facebook)

Deviled Eggs How To

Traditional Deviled Eggs

Made: March 4, 2013

Ingredients
- 6 hard boiled eggs
- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon mustard
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
- 1/3 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt

My Fool-Proof way to make Hard Boiled Eggs
- Place eggs into pot
- Fill with cold tap water until eggs are under water (about an inch over eggs)
- Bring to boil
- Once the water is at a rapid boil, begin the timer; 9 minutes
- After the 9 minutes is up, place pot (with eggs and water) in sink
- Run cold tap water into pot and eggs until water is cool

Directions
- Slice your eggs vertically (long sided)
- Remove yolks into a medium-sized bowl for your filling, place your egg whites in carry case/plate
- Mix together the egg yolks, mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper until blended and smooth
- Fill the centers of the eggs with your filling

I'm not fancy, I don't pipe my filling in. I just spoon it and move on. You may adjust the recipe to make more than 12 deviled eggs or to adjust the filling according to your taste. If you want more bite, mustard (you can also use Dijon). If you're more for mild, mayo is for you. There are other variations and fancier versions of Deviled Eggs, but we usually just go for the traditional route.

Baked Asparagus

Parmesan Roasted Asparagus with Cod Cake

Made: March 1, 2013

Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/3 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions
- Place asparagus in an un-greased baking pan
- Drizzle with oil, toss to coat
- Sprinkle with cheese, lemon pepper and salt
- Bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally

I didn't make the Cod Cake; we bought them from our local church. But I baked mine along with the asparagus (about 5 per person, so 15 stalks altogether) for 25 minutes at 400 F. I put Old Bay and some butter on top of my cake. Asparagus were cooked as to the recipe recommendations. Everything came out yummy :)

(Recipe used: Taste of Home Quick Cooking Annual Recipes 2013)

Quesadilla Mishap

Chicken Veggie Quesadillas

Made: January 16, 2013

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
- 1 package frozen corn, thawed and drained
- 6 green onions, sliced
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
- 8 flour tortillas (8in)
- 1/4 cup salsa
- 1/4 cup sour cream

Directions
- Heat the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat
- Saute the bell pepper in the hot oil, stirring continually until tender, about 3 minutes
- Combine the bell pepper, tomato, chicken, corn and green onion in a large bowl
- Add in the salt & pepper and mix well
- Mix the Jack cheese and the Cheddar cheese in a small bowl
- Wipe out the skillet you used for the bell pepper with a paper towel, then heat
- Place a tortilla in the pan and spread on a quarter of the chicken mixture
- Sprinkle with a quarter of the cheese mixture
- Top with another tortilla
- Cook for 2 minutes
- Turn over and cook for 2 more minutes or until browned
- Set aside and repeat with the rest of the tortillas
- Cut each one into 4 wedges
- Serve with the salsa and sour cream

I had quite a bit of an issue with trying to turn the quesadilla over in the skillet.

So after this fiasco, I put them in the oven. I set the oven to 375 F and prepared them like normal. I let them bake (without flipping) for 15 minutes. Much better!

(Recipe used: Cooking my way)

Soupy Noodles

Tomato-Tortellini Soup

Made: January 9, 2013

Ingredients
- 2 14oz cans reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 1 9oz package refrigerated tortellini
- 1/2 8oz tub cream cheese spread with chive and onion
- 1 can condensed tomato or tomato bisque soup
- Snipped fresh chives (optional)

Directions
- In a medium saucepan, bring broth to boiling
- Add tortellini; reduce heat
- Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes
- In a bowl, whisk 1/3 cup of the hot broth into the cream cheese spread until smooth
- Return all to saucepan along with tomato soup; heat through
- Sprinkle with chives before serving (optional)

I only used 1 14oz can (or rather, 14oz) of reduced sodium chicken broth for this since I only needed two servings. I kept the rest the same though, minus the fresh chives. I needed a quick and simple recipe for the refrigerated tortellini we had leftover.

(Recipe used: Better Homes & Gardens)

Corny Soup

Velvety Corn Soup

Made: December 2, 2012

Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2 15oz cans cream style corn
- 1 1/2 cups half & half
- 4 teaspoons chicken bouillon granules
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika

Directions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat
- Stir in the flour
- Cook, stirring continually for 1 minute, or until smooth & bubbly
- Add the green onions to the flour mixture
- Cook, stirring continually, for 1 minut
- Sit in 1 1/2 cups water
- Bring to boil, stirring occasionally
- Boil the mixture, stirring continually, for 1 minut
- Stir in the corn, half & half and bouillon granules
- Bring to a boil, stirring frequently
- Stir in the salt and pepper
- Ladle into soup bowls
- Sprinkle with paprika

I used what I had available. So no green onions and I used bouillon cubes (2) instead of granules. I don't care for paprika, but the soup itself had enough seasoning. I also used about 1/2 cup milk to top off the half & half since I ran out.

(Recipe used: My way cooking)

Cheesy Crescents

Ham & cheese turnovers

Made: January 22, 2012

Ingredients:
- 1 can (8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
- 8 thin slices cooked ham (8 oz)
- 4 thin slices Cheddar cheese (4 oz), each cut into 4 strips

Directions:
- Heat oven to 350 F
- Separate dough into 8 triangles
- Place 1 piece of ham on each triangle; place 2 strips of cheese down center of ham
- Fold in edges of ham to match shape of dough triangle
- Roll up each crescent, ending at tip of triangle
- Place with tips down on un-greased cookie sheet
- Bake 15 to 19 minutes or until golden brown
- Immediately remove from cookie sheet; serve warm

I did mine slightly different as I loooooooooooove cheese. I used a whole piece instead of cutting them in half. The extra cheese made it so gooey with the ham. YUM!

(Recipe from: Pillsbury)

Creamy Tomatoes & Crab Soup

Zesty Tomato Crab Bisque

Made: October 2, 2011

Ingredients:
- 2 cans (19 oz each) Progresso Vegetable Classics hearty tomato soup
- 1 can (7 oz) Old El Paso chopped green chilies
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning
- 3/4 cup chopped cooked crabmeat
- Fresh thyme sprigs, if desired

Directions:
- In a 3-quart saucepan, heat soup and chilies to boiling over medium heat
- Reduce head to low
- Beat in cream and seasoning with whisk until blended
- Cook just until hot; do not boil
- Stir in crabmeat
- Ladle soup into individual small mugs
- Top each serving with thyme

I used about 1/2 of the recipe. A family of 3 doesn't really need 12 servings. But having it as a smaller size made it full of crabmeat! So it was worth it. :)

I didn't use chilies, I had some salsa verde, so I added in a teaspoon of that for a kick along with the Old Bay seasoning. I also didn't serve it with thyme as Rob's serving would be the only one with it. But it came out nice and creamy. I thought it had a nice flavor. :)

(Recipe from: Pillsbury)

Chinese Crab

Tropical Crab Rangoon Appetizers

Made: October 2, 2011

Ingredients:
- 1 can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust
- 1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon Chinese hot mustard, if desired
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 can (8 oz) sliced water chestnuts, drained, coarsely chopped
- 1 can (6 oz) lump crabmeat, drained
- 1/4 cup pineapple ice cream topping
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 4 medium green onions, chopped

Directions:
- Heat oven to 400°F
- Prep cooking sheet
- Unroll pizza crust dough on cookie sheet; press dough into 17x12-inch rectangle
- Bake 7 to 9 minutes or just until crust is light golden brown
- Meanwhile in large bowl, beat cream cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and garlic salt with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth
- Stir in water chestnuts and crabmeat, being careful to break up crabmeat as little as possible
- Spread crabmeat mixture over partially baked crust to within 1 inch of edges
- Spoon small spoonfuls of pineapple topping evenly over crabmeat mixture; spread evenly
- Sprinkle with Monterey Jack cheese and onions
- Bake 12 to 15 minutes longer or until cheese is bubbly and crust is golden brown
- Cool 5 to 10 minutes before cutting

I made mine a bit different. When I opened my pizza dough, it stuck to the sides and was uncooperative ... and then broke in 1,000 different pieces. So I ended up using crescent rolls instead. I still had some issues. I broke those trying to lay them out. Then I had the worse time getting them off the foil even though I lightly sprayed that (just in case).

Rob eats everything, but the ladies in the family do not. So I didn't use water chestnuts, pineapple ice cream topping or the green onions. And then I forgot to add the cheese. :x But it still came out super yummy and reminded me of the ones we get from the Chinese take out place, just deconstructed. :) I'm sure this would be a yummy crab dip as well.

(Recipe from: Pillsbury)

Crabs in the oven

Baked Maryland Lump Crab Cakes

Made: September 29, 2011

Ingredients
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons seafood seasoning (Old Bay)
- 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons butter; melted
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup cholesterol-free egg product
- 1 pound lump crab meat

Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Grease/Prep baking sheet
- Combine bread crumbs, baking powder, parsley, mustard powder, pepper & seafood seasoning; set aside
- Stir together mayonnaise, butter, Worcestershire & egg product until smooth
- Fold in crab meat
- Fold in bread crumb mixture until well blended
- Shape mixture into 12 crab cakes (about 3/4 inch thick) & place on prepared baking sheet
- Bake for 15 minutes; turn the crab cakes over and bake for an additional 10 minutes; until nicely browned

It's definitely been awhile :)

I didn't want to fry the crab cakes as my Granny has horrible acid reflux and I didn't want to mess with the broiler option of the oven as I spent too much time picking all the crab meat (it was the never ending bag!) so I found a recipe to bake them. I think they turned out nicely :D A slight crunch on the outside, but completely moist on the inside.

I didn't use the exact measurements. I had about 3 cups of crab meat from the crabs I picked, so I used about a cup's worth of the bin. I used 2 tablespoons of mayo and 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire sauce and an extra teaspoon of old bay. Instead of mustard powder, I used a squirt of Dijon mustard in the mayo mixture instead & I used 1 egg (white & yolk). :) Enjoy!

(Recipe from: allrecipes)

Salty Birthday

Parmesan & Garlic Potato chips

Made: August 16, 2011

Ingredients

- Oil (for frying)
- 3 Potatoes
- 2 tablespoons grated parmesan
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped parsley leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

- In a deep dryer filled halfway with oil, heat the oil to 350 F
- Slice potatoes using a mandolin into thin slices
- In a bowl, mix together the cheese, garlic powder, parsley & black pepper.
- Add a small amount of the sliced potatoes at a time into the oil.
- Fry until they are golden brown (2 minutes)
- Drain the chips on a paper towel lined plate.
- Once drained immediately add the Parmesan mixture.

Cathy isn't one for sweets; so for her birthday I attempted a salty treat for her instead :)

I didn't really follow the exact measurements for the cheese mixture. I went by taste to see if it's overpowering but enough to cover the amount of chips I wanted to make. I also didn't feel like digging out the fryer; so I used a frying pan with a thin layer of oil. My first batch was extremely soggy, but the taste was good; so I knew I had the coating down. (I also added a dash of garlic salt). I'm not 100% pleased with these ... so I do plan to try again. But the 2nd time will be with a different kind of equipment that requires minimum oil. So we'll see :D

(Recipe from: Food Network)

Do you like cabbage?

"Skinny Soup"

Made: May 20, 2011

Pop made a ton of things when both me and my Mom were growing up. Her favorite was called Skinny Soup. It apparently has about 5-10 calories a serving and a full serving of veggies. It's really pretty good, but I do love cabbage. :)

Ingredients

- 15 oz can of tomato sauce
- 12 oz can of tomato paste
- 16 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 4 cups water
- 4 beef bullion cubes
- 1 head of cabbage, chopped/diced into small cubes/squares

Directions

- Put all ingredients into a pot
- Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until cabbage is tender
- Enjoy!

You can add other veggies if you wish, but Mom's way is just cabbage. I also added a couple cans of water while getting the rest of the paste and sauce out of the cans. Plus a dash of salt, pepper & some sugar to cut the acid and can taste of the tomatoes. :)

Such a ham

Ham Salad/Spread

Made: May 2, 2011

Mom and I love Ham Salad, but it's always so pricey for a little pound. So with leftover chunks from a ham we had previously made the week before for "Our Easter Ham" (which had a nice -homemade- honey mustard type glaze), I used that to make this. :D

Ingredients

- 3 cups ground fully cooked ham
- 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
- 2 teaspoons sweet pickle relish
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Assorted crackers

Directions

- In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients
- Combine mayonnaise and mustard.
- Add mayo/mustard to ham mixture.
- Mix well
- Refrigerate until serving.
- Serve with crackers

I didn't follow this recipe much at all. Mom isn't fond of the egg in this. And we didn't really care for the celery or onion. I used a lot more than just 2 teaspoons of relish as well. :) I also had a lot more than just 3 cups of ground ham. :D I had fun with Mom's meat grinder and made at least 6 cups? I didn't measure. I then went to town with taste. In the bowl with the ham, I added 1 1/4 cup of mayo, a good 3 squirts of mustard and enough relish to coat nicely. Mixed it all up together and mushed it. I think it tastes really good and you can tell I made it from a ham shank as our glaze was in corporated inside the mixture as well :)

As for serving, I love it on crackers, bread or by itself. :)

(Recipe used: Allrecipes.com)

Cheesey soup and noodles

Mac & Cheese soup

Made: March 4, 2011

Ingredients:

- Salt
- 4 oz elbow macaroni (about 1 cup)
- Cooking spray
- Ground Pepper
- 1 carrot, cut into 1-in pieces
- 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-in pieces
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/4 cups milk
- 6 oz shredded cheddar cheese (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

- Bring a medium saucepan of salted water to a boil.
- Add the macaroni and cook as the label directs; drain. Set aside.
- Mince the shallpots, carrot and celery in a food processor.
- Mist a saucepan with cooking spray, add the vegetables and cook over medium heat until softened (4-5 min)
- Add the flour and cook, stirring - 2 min.
- Gradually stir in the broth and bring to a boil; cook, stirring until thickened (6-7 min). Remove from heat.
- Add the milk, cheese and macaroni and stir until the cheeses melt.
- Season with pepper.

I used both macaroni and shells as the pasta and I used Monetary-Jack cheese in addition to add an extra taste to it. I also just used a mandolin on level 1 thickness (very thin) to dice up the veggies instead; it added a nice texture against the creamy cheese & soft pasta :) But good reviews all around - minus that it was missing something but we couldn't really figure out what. :/

(Recipe from Food Network)

All mixed up soups

"Kimmi's Chicken Tortilla Soup"

Made: January 17, 2011

I mixed up two recipes; so I'll post both and you can make it how you see fit :)

"Chicken Tortilla Soup"

Ingredients:

-  1 pound skinless chicken breasts
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1/2 cup)
- 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
- 1 can (10 oz) Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce
- 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
- 1 3/4 cups Progresso® chicken broth (from 32-oz carton)
- 1 cup Green Giant® Valley Fresh Steamers™ Extra Sweet Niblets® frozen corn (from 12-oz bag), thawed
- 3 teaspoons dried minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 soft corn tortillas (5 to 6 inch), cut into 1-inch strips

Directions:

- Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.
- Place chicken in slow cooker.
- Add all remaining ingredients.
- Cover; cook on low heat setting 6 to 7 hours.
- Remove chicken; shred with 2 forks.
- Return to slow cooker; stir well to blend

 "Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup"

Ingredients:

- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (1 1/4 lb)
- 1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
- 3 (6-inch) corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 1/2 cups Green Giant® Niblets® frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
- 1 can (15 oz) chick peas or garbanzo beans, drained, rinsed
- 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles
- 3/4 cup salsa verde
- 2 cans (14 oz each) chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves, if desired

Directions:

- In 3- to 4-quart slow cooker, mix all ingredients except tomatoes and cilantro.
- Cover; cook on Low heat setting 5 to 7 hours or until juice of chicken is clear when center of thickest part is cut
- Stir to break up chicken thighs.
- Stir in tomatoes before serving.
- Garnish with cilantro. 

"Kimmi's Chicken Tortilla Soup"

Ingredients:

- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup of chopped onion (I used a red onion since we still had one)
- 1 can (10oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
- 1 can (10oz) El Paso® mild enchilada sauce
- 1 3/4 cups of chicken brot
- 1 bag (8oz) frozen whole corn
- 1 can black beans; drained & rinsed
- 2 tablespoons salsa verde
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 large round soft tortilla cut into roughly 1 inch squares

Directions:

- Put everything into the slow cooker
- Use low heat for 5-7 hours (I cooked it roughly 6 hours)
- Mix throughout the cooking time
- Pull out chicken and shred with fork (I did this around hour 5)
- Top with strips of tortilla and cheese

:) I love this soup. It has awesome flavor, nice texture .. but it's not too overly spicy and hot, but does has some kick to it.

Super Bowl Munchies

Pizza in Crescents

Ingredients: 
- Crescent roll dough
- Pizza sauce
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Favorite Pizza toppings

Directions:

- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Separate the crescent pieces
- Put pizza sauce on one part of the piece
- Add toppings and cheese
- Fold over and around to make a cute little pouch

** I used Olives for myself, Pepperonis for Rob & Mom just wanted cheese. I had olives ontop of mine so I knew which ones were which :)

My kisses taste like tacos

Ingredients:

- Tortilla shells/taco shells
- Shredded Cheddar cheese or "Taco" cheese
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Sour Cream
- 1lb ground beef
- Taco Seasoning packet

Directions:

- Cook meat until no longer pink; drain
- Add 1 cup water & taco seasoning; cook according to the packet.
- Dice up tomatoes and lettuce
- Make tacos however you  please!

** I had olives on mine. :) (Yea, I love olives <3)

Meatball sliders

 Ingredients:

- 5 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
- 1/2 cup each red bell pepper and red onion,fine dice
- 1 Tbsp. each fresh basil and flat leaf Italian parsley, minced
- 1 tsp. each minced garlic, kosher salt and red chili flakes
- 2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
- 25 RITZ Crackers, crushed (about 1 cup)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. milk
- 1 pound ground beef 80/20
- 1 egg
- 48 RITZ Crackers
- Roasted Red Bell Pepper Aioli
- 12 KRAFT Deli Fresh Provolone Cheese Slices, quartered 

Directions:

Red Bell Pepper Aioli
- IN the bowl of a food processor fitted with steel blade, process 1/2 cup KRAFT Real Mayo Mayonnaise, 1/3 cup chopped roasted red bell pepper and 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed until thoroughly combined.
- Refrigerate 1 hour.

Meatballs
- In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. Add red bell peppers and the red onion. Sauté 4-5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and red chili flakes and cook 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Add the basil, parsley, salt and pepper, stir to combine. Cool.
- Mix cracker crumbs and the milk, set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and the egg. Add the vegetables and the crumb mixture; mix well.
- Form into 1” meatballs. Cover with plastic wrap and press to flatten slightly.
- Heat the remaining oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add meatballs in batches and cook until done, turning occasionally. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 48 RITZ on foil-lined baking sheet. Top each with 1 meatball, 1/2 tsp. Roasted Red Bell Pepper Aioli and a piece of cheese. Bake 3-4 minutes or until cheese melts.
- Serve immediately.

**I didn't know I had to make the aioli ahead of time, so I opted it out. Next time, I'm definitely going to try it!

I hope you guys had a yummy spread while you were watching the Super Bowl! (Congrats Packers) <3

Chili with Beef

Hearty Black Bean Chili

Made: January 29, 2011

Ingredients:

1 pound dried black beans
1 pound ground beef
2 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cubed
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 cups water
1 can (15oz) tomato sauce
1 can (14 1/2oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 & 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 & 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Shredded cheddar cheese & thinly sliced green onions - optional

Directions:

- Sort beans & rinse with cold water.
- Place beans in a Dutch oven; add water to cover by 2 inches.
- Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes - remove from heat, cover & let stand for 1-4 hours or until beans are softened.
- In Dutch oven, cook the beef, chicken and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.
- Add the water, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes & seasonings; mix well.
- Add the beans & bring to a boil. Reduce heat.
- Cover and simmer for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or until beans are tender.
- Serve with cheese and green onions if desired.

At the beginning of making this recipe, I didn't have a dutch oven and planned to make this in a slow-cooker. So I sorted, rinsed and cooked my beans in a slow-cooker on low for about 4-5 hours as I had a couple things that had to be done while cooking. This worked out well for the beans, as they were nice and soft by the time I was home and ready to start making the chili.

To my surprise today, my Dutch Oven arrived early! So I was able to finish the recipe in there. Which really saved me a step from cleaning out the pan of the bean goo. (Or whatever it may be called, it's kinda gross to be honest). So I used a slow-cooker bag/saver and it worked to my advantage with draining the beans into my strainer to rinse/drain.

The Dutch oven is pretty amazing, as this was my first time cooking with one. I'll definitely be using more recipes requesting it. :)
(Recipe used came from Taste of Home)