Camp Chili

In September we went to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch on a climbing trip. I did not climb but I am always good with camping. Rosie Fyffe organized a chili night that fed 25-30 people. It was an awesome bowl of goodness! The weather was perfect for fall and all the friends around the fire added to the flavor.

Here is the pot luck chili we had. I am going to cut it down to one pot for a chili cook off at Garmin tomorrow and our annual block chili dinner.

Ground Beef (5 lbs) *pre-cook your meat to speed up the cooking process at camp

Chili Beans (8-10 cans - 14oz)

Chopped Onion (4)

Canned Chopped/Diced Tomato (4 cans - 14oz)

Rotel (4 cans -10oz)

William's Chili Spice Packets (1, 4 lb)

Shredded Cheese (2 pouches)

Sour Cream (1 tub)

Fritos Chips (2 bags)

Cornbread

Beef stroganoff

What's for dinner, Beef stroganoff!

I have been wanting to find a healthier version of beef stroganoff but this is the recipe I have made for years. Nice and easy crock pot version....

1 pound of steak cut into thin strips and browned or 1 pound of meatballs
1/2 onion thinly sliced
1 c sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom with garlic
1 can golden mushroom soup
Cook on low for 4-6 hours. 1/2 hour before serving add
8 oz sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon flour
Serve over egg noodles, enjoy

Shepherd's Pie

What's for dinner, Shepherd's Pie!

Meat pie is a comfort, its simplicity warms my heart. I only half feel bad about my pie until I eat it and then I am just fine with the packet of brown gravy in it. I had to throw away my fridge one week after buying more then my budget for the month of groceries. Now I am piecing together meals and trying not but spend too much more money. So on the menu for tonight is peanut butter rice Krispies and Shepherd's Pie... in that order, wink.

Shepherd's Pie

1# burger, cooked and drained

1# frozen mixed veggies like corn, green beans, and carrots, thawed

1 packet brown gravy

3# mashed red potatoes

Cook gravy according to directs, add meat and veggies. Put into a 9 x 13 pan. Top with mashed potatoes made to your liking. I love to add salt, pepper, sour cream, egg yokes, and milk. This is a great way to use left over yokes if you have made a white cake or if you did a white only egg wash on some bread.

Baileys, cream, and chocolate oh my!

What's for dessert, Bailey's Irish Cream chocolate chip ice cream

Murray's in Westport sent me across the internet desperate for a recipe for this delicious ice cream. I believe I have found it, a little coffee, a little cream, a little chocolate, a little bit of heaven.

Bailey's Irish Cream chocolate chip ice cream

2 eggs

3/4 c sugar

1/4 c Bailey's Irish Cream

1 3/4 c heavy whipping cream

1 c skim milk, I used 2% because that is what I had

3 tubes of Starbucks Via

1 bar dark chocolate shaved

Mix everything together but the chocolate. Put in an ice cream and follow directions. When done stir in chocolate and freeze. I will try to wait at least a few hours before consumption but that is always hard with homemade ice cream.

Guy, my SIL Brandy, and I just had a taste and we rated it 5 star good. May, I am looking forward to breakfast :-)

Peach Crisp

What's for dessert, Peach Crisp!

My sister Lesley is a wonderful baker and this recipe came from her. Our family really has a thing for almond flavoring, that is an understatement. Lesley and I's husbands are not fans of the amount of almond extract we try to add to everything. What is wonderful about is recipe is the natural and subtle almond taste.

Peach Crisp

5# ripe peaches, peeled and sliced

3/4 c + 1 T flour, divided

1/4 t salt

2 c rolled oats

1/2 c white sugar

1 1/4 c brown sugar

3/4 c butter

1 c chopped almonds

Toss peaches with white sugar and 1 T flour. Pour into 9/13 or 2 qt casserole dish. In a medium size bowl mix together everything but nuts, cut in the butter. Stir in almonds and pour over the peaches. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes until golden and bubbly.

Simple summer salad

What for dinner, Simple summer salad!

Make this as big or small as you like but it does not get better than this. Dice a peach around the pit and pick off the chunks into a bowl, add equal part of blueberries, and two shakes of sugar. Let this sit while you make the rest of dinner and the peaches will juice and become wonderful.

Baby food, baby porridge

Porridge is not just for Goldilocks or the three bears but it is for the whole family. My babies love porridge! I have posted about the breakfast porridge I make during the winter but here is the goods I make for my little ones until they can chew grains.

Here is Eva helping me grind grains with a hand crank grain mill.

Her and a friend helped me so we got a lot done. This mill is super easy!
In the last post I showed brown rice, which is a first food, and from there I move on to oats. Either steel cut or old fashion. I love using mason jars and at hardware stores like Ace you can find plastic lids like the one showed here. I put scotch tape on the lid to mark the instructions.

Porridge

1 c water

1/4 c ground grain

Mix together in big pot, bring to a boil, reduce heat, lid, and cook 10 minutes. Take off heat and whisk really good to break up the lumps. I use a plastic whisk so I don't scratch my enamel. I usually double so I have enough for several days.

Other grains you can use: quinoa, millet, amaranth, barley,

Once cooled I store in glass containers. 1/4 to 1/2 cup serving is a good amount for the first few months. I like having some in the red containers ready to grab for church nights or babysitters. The blue I will scoop from on nights we are home.

This is how I do porridge. I read Super Baby Food by Ruth Yarin when Eva was a baby. I love it! She is my inspiration for these post. I would say most of this is her information with my own spin on it. I give her all the props.