Megan's Chili

I have tried & tweaked countless different chili recipes & I think I finally have it right with this one.

main meals
POINTS® Value: 8

Servings: 8

Serving Size: Approx 1 1/2 cups

I like to top my chili with extra jalapenoes, some shredded Reduced-Fat cheddar, & a dollop of low-fat sour cream. Corn bread is great served as a side!

Ingredients
1 cup(s) green pepper(s), diced
2 cup(s) onion(s), diced
8 clove(s) garlic clove(s)
1 pound(s) cooked extra lean ground beef
1 medium jalapeno pepper(s), minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1/4 cup(s) packed brown sugar
1 tbsp Durkee Ground Cumin Seed
3 tbsp canned tomato paste
1 tsp ground oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp table salt
2 serving(s) Durkee Bay Leaves
1 1/4 cup(s) red wine, (I use Merlot)
30 oz canned tomato sauce
30 oz Eden Organic Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, (I usually use Rotel)
30 oz canned kidney beans, drained- I usually use 1 each dark & light kidney
1 pound(s) Jennie-O Turkey Store Lean Italian sausage link, hot, casings removed- can also use sweet if you prefer

Instructions

Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeo) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.Add chili powder and the next 7 ingredients (chili powder through bay leaves), and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard the bay leaves.

Side Note: Like most chilis, this version tastes even better the next day.

Spicy Cheeseburger Soup

This was a great recipe that my aunt passed on to me. It is originally from Taste of Home cookbooks. I modified it to be healthier & I think it still tastes great. Heck, my kids even had seconds! If you leave out the bacon it is still very good and it will shave the point value down to 6 points per serving. I do love bacon though, so I had it with mine;-) Next time, I think I will serve it with French or Baguette Bread.

POINTS® Value: 8
Servings: 6


Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup(s) water
2 cup(s) potato(es), peeled & cubed
2 small carrot(s), grated
1 small onion(s), chopped
1/4 cup(s) green pepper(s), chopped
1 medium jalapeno pepper(s), seeded & chopped
1 clove(s) garlic clove(s), minced
1 tbsp beef bouillon granules
1/2 tsp table salt
1 pound(s) cooked extra lean ground beef
2 1/2 cup(s) fat-free skim milk
8 oz Kraft Velveeta Light Reduced-Fat Pasteurized Processed Cheese Product
6 slice(s) cooked bacon
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, optional


Instructions:

In a large Dutch oven, combine water, potatoes, carrots, onion, green pepper, jalapeno pepper, celery, garlic, bouillon and salt. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the cooked ground beef and 2 cups of the milk. Heat through. In a small bowl, stir together the flour and remaining milk until smooth. Gradually stir into soup; bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes or more until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; stir in cheese and cook until melted. Add cayenne if desired. Ladle soup into serving bowls; top each bowl with crumbled bacon.

My First Ever Blog Award

Pam at It's Time for More Coffee gave me my first ever Blog Award! Thanks Pam!

The Lemonade Award:

So here is the award and the rules.

#1 You must link back to the person you received the award from.

#2 You have to nominate 10 bloggers who are deserving of this award!

Well- Since I just recently entered the blogging world, I'm not sure I have 10! I will give it a shot though! Here are my favorite blogs to read, in no particular order.

1. Pam again! She is at It's Time for More Coffee.

2. The girls over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

3. Kristin at The Krumwiede Six

4. Melissa at The Anderson Clan

5. My old friend Ree (at least it feels like she is;-) at The Pioneer Woman

6. Kate, my favorite accountant, at You Do the Math

7. And, finally, even though I haven't heard anything new from her blog lately...Jen at Life in the Left-Turn-Only Lane

Sorry! That is all I can do! I am new to blogging still!

The Little Team That Could

Wow- it has been awhile since I've blogged! I hardly even know where to start! Well, we had a very excited weekend! Kade was in a hockey tournament in Mandan over the weekend. It was his turn to try out the goalie position for the first time...very nerve racking at tournament time! The tournament included teams from Bismarck (4), Dickinson, & Mandan. We had hopes that they would win a couple games, but we weren't expecting too much since they had yet to win a game against another Bismarck Blue Mite team all season. Our only wins had been against the Bismarck girls & Mandan.

Kade's 1st game (which I had to miss because Grace wasn't feeling well Saturday) was against another Bismarck team & they lost 3-2. Tony said they played a great game though. The next game on Saturday was against Dickinson & they won- my weekend is one hockey blur though & I can't seem to remember the score... So, we went into Sunday in the #2 position in our bracket.

Sunday our first game was against Mandan at 10:30. They played SO well & won that one. We barely had time to grab some fast food & let the dog out at home and it was time for their 2nd game of the day at 1 pm. It was against Bismarck Red. VERY NERVE RACKING. They hadn't won a single game against this team- not even close. The way the boys played was UNBELIEVABLE and THEY WON! It was amazing. It is like everything finally clicked for our team and they finally understood what it meant to be a team and work together!

At 3:00, after a mere 1/2 hour break, it was time for our game against Bismarck Blue (their 3rd game of the day). Somehow, the kids pulled out more unbelievable energy and won that game as well. It was nothing short of fantastic to watch. To see a team have a season so full of frustration and disappointment do what they did this weekend made it all the more wonderful.

Here are some pics from the Championship game:

What a great group of kids!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

No need to reinvent the wheel on this one. I got the recipe off of http://www.hersheys.com/. Who can resist these babies at Christmas? These are a definite fave around here!

Yes- we are already missing a couple of cookies. Quality control was on top of things today;-)

Ingredients:

. 48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Milk Chocolates
. 1/2 cup shortening (I use butter flavored)
. 3/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter
. 1/3 cup granulated sugar
. 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
. 1 egg
. 2 tablespoons milk
. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
. 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
. 1 teaspoon baking soda
. 1/2 teaspoon salt
. Granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 375°F. Remove wrappers from chocolates. 2. Beat shortening and peanut butter in large bowl until well blended. Add 1/3 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk and vanilla; beat well. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into peanut butter mixture. 3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar; place on ungreased cookie sheet. 4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Immediately press a chocolate into center of each cookie; cookie will crack around edges. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

Possibly the Best Ever, Banana Bread

There is no way around it. This banana bread is dang good. I have tried countless other recipes but my family always complains and asks for this one again. I have to agree with them. Usually, I make this into muffins (easier for the kids to manage & to send to work/school) but today Quinn requested that I make the actual bread. If you want to make muffins, just cut the baking time in about half and make sure your toothpick comes out clean!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. butter

1 1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs

3 bananas (Mashed, unless you use an electric mixer like me. Then you can just pulverise them when you mix them in;-)
1 tsp. vanilla (I think it is worth it to splurge on the real thing, not imitation)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 c. buttermilk (I almost never have buttermilk on hand. An awesome substitute is to put 1/2 Tbsp. white vinegar in 1/2 c. measuring cup and fill the rest of the way with milk. Leave sit for 5 minutes & you will never know the difference!)


Directions:


Microwave butter until nice and soft. Cream with sugar. Add eggs, banana, and vanilla and mix until well blended (preferably with an electric mixer of some sort). Add flour, baking soda, and cinnamon and mix well. Add buttermilk and mix until well combined. Pour into greased loaf pan. Bake at 350* for 1 hour.

Not the Original, Chex Mix

Yum

I combined a couple of different recipes on this one & changed things to my taste, so I am claiming it dang it!

Ingredients:

3 c. Corn Chex

3 c. Wheat Chex

3 c. Rice Chex

2 c. Pretzel Sticks

2 c. Mixed Nuts

2 c. Mini Garlic Flavored Bagel Chips

1 1/2 Sticks Butter (yup, that is 3/4 cup baby)

4 tsp. minced garlic

3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce

12 shakes hot sauce

1 1/2 tsp. Seasoned Salt

1/2 tsp. onion powder

Directions:

Combine first 6 ingredients in a HUGE bowl.

Place remaining ingredients in microwave-safe bowl and cook until butter is melted. Mix well, then drizzle over chex mixture, stirring as you go to evenly coat.

Transfer mixture onto 1 very large, or 2 regular sized, baking sheets. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes and give it a stir every 15-20 minutes. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.