Author: mark

Quick Chili

When you get home at 6 and you still want to make chili…

Quick Chili

Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 8 1 cup

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb lean ground beef or beef / pork blend
  • 1 green pepper finely chopped
  • 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
  • 2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
  • 1 6 oz can tomato paste
  • 2 c beef stock
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 4 Tbsp garlic minced

Instructions
 

  • Add ground beef to a large stock pot, and crumble the beef. Add chopped green pepper and onion. Cook on medium high, stirring occasionally, until beef is browned. Drain if needed
  • Once ground beef is cooked, add remainder of ingredients. Stir. Cover and let simmer for 20 - 25 minutes.
  • Add extra salt or pepper to taste. Top with green onions, avocado, cilantro, or onion.

White Garlic Pizza Sauce

White Garlic Pizza Sauce

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 4-5 cloves garlic minced
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 c milk
  • 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese

Instructions
 

  • In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
  • Add garlic, cooking for 30 seconds or so, until fragrant.
  • Whisk in flour, salt, pepper, and oregano. Whisk to combine well.
  • Slowly add milk, whisking until well combined. Continue whisking until desired thickness is reached.
  • Remove from heat, stir in cheese until smooth.
  • Use immediately or cover and chill until ready to use.

Southern Sausage Gravy

Southern Sausage Gravy

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb bulk pork sausage
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk 2% or whole
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
  • Hot biscuits

Instructions
 

  • Warm a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and break into chunks with a spatula. Cook until the meat is crumbled and browned all the way through. Add the flour and cook until dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk. Cook, whisking frequently, until the gravy is very thick and bubbly (you can add more milk later if you need to thin). Season generously with salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Serve with hot biscuits.

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Italian Sausage and Tortellini Soup

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lb Italian sausage
  • 1/2 c onion diced, about 1/2 medium sized onion
  • 1 Tbsp garlic minced
  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
  • 4 c beef stock
  • 1/2 c red wine
  • 2 Tbsp fresh basil chopped
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 9 oz pkg tortellini
  • 2 cups packed fresh spinach

Instructions
 

  • Heat a large, heavy bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Heat vegetable oil and add diced onion. Saute until onions are soft.
  • Crumble Italian Sausage and garlic with the onion. Cook until sausage is no longer pink.
  • Stir in crushed tomatoes, beef broth, wine, basil, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cover. Let soup simmer for 20-30 minutes.
  • Add tortellini and spinach and simmer for about ten minutes, until pasta is tender.
  • Serve with shredded Parmesan.

Mushroom Rice

Mushroom Rice

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 tbsp olive oil separated
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1.5 lb mushrooms fresh, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 1 1/2 c long grain rice
  • 2 1/4 c chicken stock
  • 1 c green onion sliced
  • butter optional: more to stir in once cooked

Instructions
 

  • Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large pot over high heat. Add half the mushrooms, and cook for 5 minutes until golden. Season with salt and pepper then remove and set aside.
  • If the pot is dry, another 1/2 - 1 tbsp oil, and add butter. When melted, add onions and garlic.
  • Cook for 30 seconds, then add remaining mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until mushrooms are lightly browned.
  • Add rice and a splash of broth. Mix so the brown stuff on the bottom of the pot mixes into the liquid.
  • Once the base of the pot is clean, add remaining liquid. Place lid on, bring to a simmer then turn down to medium low.
  • Cook for 15 minutes or until there is no residual liquid.
  • Remove from stove, remove lid, QUICKLY toss in reserved mushrooms and scallions, put lid back on. Leave for 10 minutes.
  • Fluff rice using a fork or wooden spoon.
  • OPTIONAL: Stir in more butter.

Notes

BROWN RICE: Follow recipe but use 2 1/2 cups liquid for tender, fluffy rice (or 2 3/4 cups for soft rice) and it will take around 45 minutes to cook on the stove (check at 35 minutes, then every 5 minutes until liquid is absorbed).

Creamy Dijon-Tarragon Chicken

Creamy Dijon-Tarragon Chicken

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 2 tsp fresh tarragon chopped

Instructions
 

  • Melt the butter and heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and place in the skillet. Brown on both sides. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and continue cooking 15 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear. Set aside and keep warm.
  • Stir cream into the pan, scraping up brown bits. Mix in mustard and tarragon. Cook and stir 5 minutes, or until thickened. Return chicken to skillet to coat with sauce. Drizzle chicken with remaining sauce to serve.

Baron Uilliam’s Infamous Chocolate Bacon Fudge

This one’s got me into trouble, out of trouble, one SCA food award, into a recipe book, and has paid for troops in a war.

Mark's Infamous Chocolate Bacon Fudge

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1 can sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/4 c butter softened
  • 1/4 c heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 lb bacon cooked until crisp

glaze

  • 1/2 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
  • 1/2 Tbsp butter

Instructions
 

  • Line an 8x8" pan with foil or plastic wrap. If foil, grease with butter, oil, or bacon fat.
  • In medium saucepan, combine chocolate, milk, butter and cream. Cook over low heat until chocolate melts and is smooth. Remove from heat.
  • Crumble bacon, and reserve about 1/4 c. Stir bacon into chocolate mixture. Spoon into prepared pan, smooth with spatula.
  • Sprinkle reserved bacon over top of chocolate, and press down slightly.
  • Melt 1/2 c chocolate chips and 1/2 Tbsp butter. When smooth, drizzle overall. If desired, sprinkle lightly with course salt.
  • Cover, and chill for 4 hours. Cut into squares to serve.

Notes

You will need two 300g bags of chips for this.
I have added one variation on this: Chocolate Chili Bacon Fudge.
In a small bowl, mix together 4 Tbsp brown sugar and 4 tsp crushed chili flakes. When bacon is about half done, sprinkle sugar/chili mixture on the bacon, and let it finish cooking.

Jack Daniel’s Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese

Jack Daniel's Smoky Bacon Mac and Cheese

Recipe may be doubled. Simply use 2x the ingredients and follow cooking directions. Sauce will thicken as it cools. If sauce is too thick, add milk ½ cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding ½ cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached. Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions. Alcohol substitutions: You can substitute another liquid for the whiskey. Beer, bourbon or chicken broth would be best.
Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1/2 c kosher salt plus more for pasta water
  • 12 oz Hickory smoked peppered bacon uncooked
  • 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 c Jack Daniel's Whiskey
  • 1/2 c chicken stock
  • 1/4 c all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp chili pepper paste
  • 1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 c milk
  • 4 oz extra sharp cheddar shredded, white
  • 2 oz smoked provolone cheese shredded
  • 2 oz Asiago cheese shredded
  • 8 oz dry elbow pasta
  • croutons garnish

Instructions
 

  • Bring an 8 quart covered pot filled with water to a boil over high heat. Once it boils, add a handful of salt and pasta. Reduce heat to medium high and cook uncovered to al dente (has a bite to it). Drain and set aside.
  • Meanwhile warm a large 12” skillet over medium-high heat. Using clean kitchen shears cut bacon into bite size pieces over the skillet and let them to fall into the pan. Stir occasionally as needed. Cook until crisp.
  • While the bacon is cooking, shred cheeses and prepare remaining ingredients.
  • Once bacon is cooked through, remove bacon to a bowl with a slotted spoon. Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings and discard the rest. Wipe the side of the skillet to avoid flame ups.
  • Pour reserved bacon drippings back into the skillet over medium heat and add butter. Once melted add flour and whisk to combine. Add spices, chili paste, Worcestershire, whiskey and chicken broth. Whisk to combine. Allow to come to a bubble for 3 minutes, whisking occasionally to help pick up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add milk. Whisk to combine. Bring back to a bubble and add cheeses. Stir until cheese is melted and smooth.
  • Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Add bacon. Cook pasta in sauce for 5 minutes over medium heat until sauce thickens and the pasta has a chance to absorb some of the sauce.
  • Sprinkle with croutons, if desired.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Recipe may be doubled. Simply double the ingredients and follow cooking directions. Sauce will thicken as it cools. If sauce is too thick, add milk ½ cup at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
Reheat instructions: Add pasta to pot with milk. Heat until warmed through, adding ½ cup of milk at a time until desired constancy is reached.
Freezing instructions: Allow pasta to come to room temperature. Place in resealable plastic bag or container. If using a container press a small piece of plastic wrap over top to avoid freezer burn. Will keep for up to 6 months. To reheat, that pasta and follow reheat instructions.
Alcohol substitutions: You can substitute another liquid for the whiskey. Beer, bourbon or chicken broth would be best.

Cincinnati “Skyline” Chili

Cincinnati "Skyline" Chili

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 2 c white onion chopped
  • 4 c beef stock
  • 2 cans tomato sauce 8 ounce
  • 2 -3 Tbsp chili powder
  • 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate grated, or 2 3⁄4 tablespoons cocoa
  • 2 tsp instant minced garlic
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground red pepper or cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 bay leaf

Instructions
 

  • Brown ground beef and onion; drain.
  • Add beef stock to beef mixture and simmer 10 minutes.
  • Add remaining 13 ingredients, simmer uncovered 1 hour.
  • Remove bay leaf, skim off extra fat.
  • Serve over hot spaghetti, or hot dogs in buns for chili dogs.
  • Top with plenty of cheese and other optional toppings.

Notes

Cincinnati chili is served as "ways":
2-way = spaghetti and chili
3-way = spaghetti, chili, cheese
4-way = spaghetti, chili, onions OR beans, cheese
5-way = spaghetti, chili, onion AND beans, cheese
CINCINNATI CHILI CONEYS:
Bun, hot dog, chili
Bun, hot dog, chili, cheese
Bun, hot dog, mustard OR onion, cheese
Bun, hot dog, mustard AND onion, cheese