Smoky Beef and Black Bean Chili

I ran across this recipe and since I had a can of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce sitting around I decided to try it. I like it. But, I am a sucker for that smoky flavor. It's a bit spicy for my kids, so you may want to take the seeds out of your chiles. I also read a tip today suggesting that you freeze your chiles, making them easier to chop up without the mess - and also keeping them from spoiling before you can use them.

Smoky Beef and Black Bean Chili

-Adapted from Cooking Pleasures/Melanie Barnard

1 pound ground beef chuck

1 large onion, chopped

1 large orange bell pepper, finely chopped

2 chipotle chilis in adobo sauce, finely chopped

1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons adobo sauce

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 30-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes

3 cups water

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cook beef, onion and bell pepper over medium heat until the beef is browned. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in chiles, chili powder, adobo sauce and cumin; cook and stir 2 minutes. Stir in beans, tomatoes and water; bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer at least 10-15 minutes to blend flavors, stirring occasionally. Stir in cilantro.

Garnish with shredded cheese, cilantro and sour cream if desired. I served it with mini cornbread muffins and broccoli in cheese sauce.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Today was rainy and cool and called for a simmering pot of soup. We started making this soup last winter, and it quickly became a favorite of Wayne and mine, and I'm surprised to see that I haven't shared it yet. If you like it a little less spicy, you can omit the red pepper flakes and use a less spicy sausage.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

Adapted from Heather Gingerich/Siloam Fellowship cookbook

1 pound Italian sausage, sliced and casing removed
1 T oil
2 carrots, diced
1 lg onion, chopped
2 cloves crushed garlic
3 stalks celery, diced

In a stock pot, brown the sausage, then remove from the pan. Add a little oil, about 1 T, to the pan. Add the carrot, celery, onion and garlic. Saute until tender. Add the sausage to the vegetables.
Add:
8 c chicken broth
2 large cans (28-oz) petit diced tomatoes
2 c dried lentils (rinsed and drained)
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp thyme
1 bay leaf

Simmer until lentils are tender, 30-45 minutes. Remove the bay leaf. Remove 1/3 of the soup and puree it, then return it to the pot. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Summer Corn Chowder with Bacon

I was looking for a recipe to use up the fresh corn I hadn't gotten around to making yet, and my abundance of summer squash. I found this recipe on epicurious.com and it is a keeper. We all really liked it. Tyler didn't even need encouragement to finish his bowl.

Summer Corn Chowder with Bacon
-Adapted from a recipe on epicurious.com

6 slices bacon
6 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 6-8 ears)
1 small yellow onion, diced (the recipe called for fennel)
1 cup diced summer squash
1 cup 1/2-inch cubes peeled russet potatoes
3 cups turkey broth (it's what I had on hand - it calls for chicken broth)
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium-high heat until crisp and brown. Transfer bacon to paper towels to drain. Add corn, onion, zucchini, and potatoes to drippings in pot; sauté 5 minutes. Add 3 cups broth and simmer uncovered over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer 3 cups soup to blender. Holding blender top firmly, puree until smooth. Return puree to soup in pot. Stir in cream and cayenne. Bring chowder to simmer, thinning with more broth if too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle chowder into bowls and sprinkle with bacon and chives.

Tomato Bisque

Per Tyler's request, we had tomato soup and grilled cheese for dinner. Not exactly warm weather fare, but we had all the ingredients. Perhaps you know how that goes.

This is an easy recipe by Tanya Tandoc, a locally famous soup chef. It is one of my favorites, and after we ate, I realized that I have never posted the recipe. Before I had this recipe, I thought I liked tomato soup. After I ate this soup, I fell in love. It really is delicious!


Tomato Bisque

2 cans tomato paste
3 cups water
3 cups heavy cream (I only had 2 cups of cream, so I added some 1% milk as well)
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-6 Tablespoons sugar, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: Add 1 tsp dried herb (ex: basil, tarragon or dill) at the beginning of cooking time or 1/2 cup fresh basil at the end of cooking time.

Combine all ingredients. Whisk well. Bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste.

Tyler was my soup making helper. He also asked me if I could make this every day. (Though, he did finish his cheese sandwich and not his soup). Oh well. :)

French Onion Soup

Today's weather was gorgeous. But, this weekend's rain and wind put me in the mood for some fall cooking. I must admit, before tonight, I had never made French Onion Soup. But it just sounds like fall. I remember my Mom making it when we were growing up. I always thought of it as "hard to eat" soup. Those croutons and stringy Swiss cheese just got in my way. But, Wayne had told me of his love for French Onion Soup and I wanted to give it a try. And, I must admit, eating it tonight, I appreciated the stringy Swiss cheese and loved the crunchy salty bits of the croutons. But even better was the delicious, comforting onion broth! Enjoy! (Just make sure you have several hours to make it before you want to eat it). :)


French Onion Soup with Shaved Swiss Cheese
Emeril Lagasse

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil
3 pounds yellow onions, peeled and julienned
1/3 cup bourbon whiskey
2 quarts beef stock
1 quart chicken stock
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup freshly grated Swiss cheese

In a Dutch oven or large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add half of the onions and cook, stirring, until dark golden brown and caramelized, about 15 minutes. Add the remaining onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until a deep caramel color, about 1 hour. (I turned down the heat - on my stove, that would have been too hot).

Add the bourbon and cook, stirring occasionally, until evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the cheese, and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and fragrant, about 1 hour. (I then added a little more salt and a little sugar, to taste).

Remove from the heat and cover to keep warm.
To serve, sprinkle each portion with grated Swiss cheese. (I also made some croutons and sprinkled them on top).