Spicy Chili with homemade Cornbread

I am going to be honest- my cornbread did not taste very good at all! I am going to try the recipe on the corn meal bag next time & share that with you if it turns out! My chili was very spicy & meaty! I don't have a recipe that I use, I just add in what I have on hand. I made it a little too spicy this time, so if that happens you can always add a little bit of shredded chedder & crush crackers on top!

Chili

1.5 lbs of 93 lean ground beef
1 small onion
1 small green pepper
1 can of corn
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of tomato puree
- Add to taste: chili powder, seasoning salt, garlic powder, parsley, black pepper, cayenne pepper, red chili pepper flakes

BBQ Pizza

With the left over BBQ Beef that we had from last night's dinner, I made this pizza! It's good to have something different but still eat your leftovers!

BBQ Beef Pizza
1 packet of Fleishmann's Pizza Crust Yeast
Water
Sugar
Oil
1 3/4 cup Flour
Salt & Pepper
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
Pasta/Pizza Sauce
BBQ beef with BBQ sauce

Follow the directions on the yeast packet to make the crust. Chop up the shredded beef & add several tablespoons of BBQ sauce. Spread the red sauce & a little bit of cheese on the crust. Then sprinkle the beef all over the entire pie & add extra cheese on top. Sprinkle salt & pepper on top if desired. I like to bake at 425 for 20 minutes.

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

BBQ Beef Sandwiches

1 Choice Beef Roast
1 onion
2-3 Beef bouillon cubes
Water
1 tbsp Garlic Powder
1 tbsp Seasoning Salt

First, brown the beef roast in a saute pan for a minute or so on each side. Prepare the crockpot with the beef bouillon & water about 4 cups, just enough to cover the top of the meat. Place the beef in the crockpot. Then slice the onions & put a few tablespoons of water in saute pan & add the onions. Add a sprinkle of seasoning salt to onions. Then add onions to crockpot. Cook on low for about 9 hours. Shred the beef with two forks & reserve some of the juice to keep the meat moist. I usually put the beef on at about 7 or 8 am & it's ready by dinner time!

Baked Lemon Tilapia

Line your baking pan with foil & spray with cooking oil spray for easy clean up! Pour about a tsp of lemon juice over each fish filet & rub in with your fingers. I have a large bottle of real lemon juice that I always keep in my fridge; so whenever a recipe calls for a splash of lemon juice, I don't have to buy a lemon! I like to use a zesty lemon seasoning by Weber, along with some extra ground pepper on top of the fish. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes. I served the tilapia with some cheesy rice & peas.

Cornish Game Hens

Last night we both had our own bird! I have never made these before, and I was worried how they would turn out, but they tasted delicious! I didn't have the cherry preserves as listed below in the recipe, so I used the little bit of strawberry that I had & then added extra sugar & brown sugar so that the glaze would caramelize. Without the cherry preserves the hens weren't as red as I would have liked them to be but my glaze still tasted good. I also made green bean casserole & some stove top stuffing for the sides!

Crimson Cherry-Glazed Holiday Hens
2 tbsp of diced garlic
2 Cornish Game Hens (1 hen per person)
1 tbsp of olive oil
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of black pepper
1/3 cup of diced shallot or onion
2 tbsp of butter
1 12oz jar of cherry preserves (with whole cherries)
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp of cloves

1| Preheat oven to 375. Make sure to dab the hens with a paper towel to remove all excess moisture, after removing from packaging. Then rub the skins with garlic & olive oil. Twist & tuck the wing tips underneath the back, (same as you would do for a turkey). Sprinkle with the salt & pepper all over hen. Tie the tail to the legs, with kitchen twine.
2| Roast for 1 hour to 1 & 30 mins, you want the thigh temp to be 180 degrees.
3| When the hens are almost finished in the oven make the glaze: Cook garlic & onion in the hot butter, for about 3 mins. Stir in the preserves, vinegar, allspice & cloves. Bring to boiling; reduce the heat but keep the pot boiling gently for about 20 minutes, continue to stir until it reaches glaze consistency. Take the hens out of the oven & pour the glaze over the top & serve! *This glaze makes quite a bit more than needed for only 2 hens, so I would not pour the entire batch on them, you don't want it to be overwhelmingly sweet.

And P.S.> The trick to really good green bean casserole is to put a dash of soy sauce & lots of ground black pepper in with the mushroom soup mixture!

Happy cooking!
~B

Brooke's Chicken Soup

Tonight I wanted to come up with something new that I had never made before. I created this soup without a recipe & it actually turned out really good. My husband & I have both been battling winter colds, so soup was a perfect dinner! Also, I sprinkled a little bit of shredded chedder on top, I am a proud American, you can never have too much cheese!

Brooke's Chicken Soup

2-3 boneless chicken breasts
1 can of corn
1 can of pinto beans
1/2 an onion (diced)
2-3 cubes of Wyler's instant bouillon (chicken)
1 small can of tomato paste
Dash or two of garlic powder & seasoning salt (to taste)
about 4 cups of water
Pinch of dried thyme
Shredded chedder for the top!

I cooked the chicken separately first in a saute pan. I also carmelized the onions before adding to my crockpot with the other ingredients. I drained all of the water out of the corn & beans cans, so that I could control the amount of salt better. I slow cooked my soup on low heat for several hours in my crockpot, it lets the flavors get married to each other & it makes the chicken tender. If you don't have a crock pot, you can slow cook the soup on your stove top in a cast iron pan or a regular pot either will work!

I am loving my warm & happy tummy! Thank you God that I never go hungry: I am blessed!
Until next time!
~B

Tuna Alfredo Linguine

Our dinner tonight was very affordable, delicious & fast. I steamed the frozen broccoli on its own & then used a paper towel to absorb the excess water before adding it to the sauce. I also made some frozen garlic bread for a quick & easy side. You can add a sprinkle of parm on the top of your pasta for some more added flavor too!

Linguine Box Pasta
3 cans of tuna
Frozen Broccoli
Jar of Alfredo Sauce
Dash of Black Pepper

Have a Good Night!
~B

Meat & Potatoes YAY!

We love our meat & potatoes! This is a classic meatloaf with mashed potatoes & beef gravy. I also made a side of canned green beans. I am all about easy hearty meals. I use canned campbells gravy, the kind in the glass jar tastes the best to me! I slow cooked the green beans with diced onions & butter. If you don't have all of the spices listed change it up, this past time I didn't have any parsley so I used basil instead, don't skimp out on flavor.

My Classic Meatloaf

1-1 1/2 lbs of lean ground beef
2/3 cup of bread crumbs
2 tbs of diced onions
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
1 to 2 tsp dried parsley
1 to 2 tsp of seasoning salt
1 tsp of ground black pepper
2 eggs
1/4 cup of milk

~Sauce on top
1/4 cup of ketchup
2 tbsp of brown sugar
1 tbsp of mustard

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes, the last ten minutes take it out & put sauce on top & stick it back in your oven.