Chili

Thursday, February 22nd, is National Chili Day.    Celebrate with a pot of your own.
2 lbs. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1 1/2 large cans of tomato juice
2 cans of pork and beans OR 1 can pork and beans, 1 can kidney beans
salt, pepper, chili powder to taste
ground cumin, optional
Brown ground beef with onion in 6 quart stock [...]

Pepper Steak

Quick, easy and cheaper than take-out.
1/2 - 1 lb. cheap steak (I like to use “breakfast steak”, as it’s already sliced thin)
2 tablespoons oil
2 large bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large onions
1 cup water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons corn starch
garlic salt and pepper to taste
Hot cooked rice
Cut steak into thin [...]

Cold Pack Dill Pickles

This is not a pickle for the faint of heart.  Strong, salty and unbelievably crisp.  This recipe comes from a friend of my mom’s who happened to be German.  Whether this is a traditional “German” pickle or just a recipe she found somewhere, I don’t know.
8 pints cucumbers, washed, drained and sliced
8 teaspoons dill seed
2 [...]

Bread and Butter Pickles

Yummy to snack on and delicious in recipes calling for sweet salad cubes or sweet pickle relish.
4 quarts sliced cucumbers
6 medium sliced white onions
1/3 cup pickling salt
4 tablespoons pickling spices
5 cups sugar
3 cups cider vinegar
Mix cucumbers, onions, salt and spices together in large bowl.  Cover with ice and water.  Let stand 3-8 hours.  (Keep plenty [...]

Microwave Chocolate Cake

Must…have…chocolate…now!  This cake is quick and simple and satisfies that need for chocolate quite well.
1/4 cup cocoa
2/3 cup hot water, divided
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Grease a 2 quart microwave safe dish and line [...]

Carrot Souffle

Very sweet side that will have your kids begging for carrots.
2   14.5 ounce cans of sliced carrots
1    cup sugar
1.5  teaspoons baking powder
1.5  teaspoons vanilla
2    Tablespoons self-rising flour
3    eggs
1/2 cup margarine, room temperature
Drain carrots and mash.  In electric mixer, add ingredients in the following order, mixing well after each addition.
*Combine carrots, sugar, baking [...]

Cajun Smothered Chicken

The basis of this recipe was recently posted on MSN.  I changed it around to suit me a bit more though.
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (or 8 good sized tenders)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons margarine
2 large onions, sliced thin
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 14.5-ounce can chicken broth
1 small bag of gumbo vegetable blend (okra, corn, onions, [...]