Chili: Cook once, eat twice

I swear there is no such thing as a small batch of chili.  I just keep adding things until it is testing the limit of my pan.  There is no recipe, just the way my dad taught me how to make it years ago. The ingredients are pretty much the standard chili ingredients but may vary based on what is hanging out in my fridge. A pot of chili could be based on a the standard chunk of ground beef buried in my freezer or it may be the destiny of the leftover pork roast in the fridge.  I can't take credit for this(props to Rachael Ray) but I do have the most delicious solution to keep from being forced to eat leftover chili for a week straight.  It is a great way to change standard leftovers, a great freezer casserole, and a family favorite.

Chili Hashbrown Bake(my way):

Layer about 1 inch of chili into a casserole dish. Mix half to 3/4 bag of frozen hashbrowns  and 1 C of shredded cheddar cheese together and pour over over top of chili.  Cover and freeze.  To cook, thaw overnight in fridge and then bake uncovered at 375 for 35-40 min or until chili is bubbling and hashbrowns are golden brown.

Cheesy Hash Brown Chili from Rachael Ray Show:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1 pound ground beef
• Salt and pepper
• 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 1-pound bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

Add the beans and the tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.

In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.

I apologize that I had no pictures of my own but we were so excited about having a favorite for supper that I didn't even think to take a picture.  Also, you'll have to forgive my lame recipe on this one. I tend to use a recipe as inspiration and then deviate wildly.  

Meal Plan Monday

This week is a pretty efficient menu-minimal groceries and minimal cooking.  Today, I am roasting two chickens and then I am turning the leftovers into a bunch of meals and chicken soup for lunches.

Monday-Roasted Chicken, Potatoes, and Carrots(I may get ambitious and stuff the chickens too)
Tuesday-Crockpot Chicken & Dumplings
Wednesday-Jambalaya & Corn Muffins
Thursday-Homemade Mac'n'Cheese, Broccoli
Friday-Homemade Pizza
Saturday-Leftovers

Here's a fabulous recipe picked up from Pinterest that we tried this weekend-it features one of my favorite things, Hawaiian rolls.  I will probably be making these a lot for our Sunday football potlucks. Sorry, no pic because I didn't think of it until we had polished them off.

Baked Ham & Cheese Sliders

1 pkg of King's Hawaiian Rolls
1/2 lb sliced deli ham
6-8 slices of cheese(Swiss or American work well, but we used what we had on had-colby jack)
1 onion, minced
1/2 stick of butter
3 T of dijon mustard
2 tsp of worcestershire sauce
3 tsp of poppy of poppy seeds

In a sauce pan melt your butter. Add onion and cook until soft. Then add in your mustard, Worcestershire, and poppy seeds. Simmer for 5 mins. Slice your rolls right down the middle. Place them in a pan with foil. Place 2/3 of mixture on bottom of rolls. Add your ham and then your cheese. Place top of rolls and top with remaining 1/3 of mixture. Bake for 20 mins on 350.

Challenge Day 1: Turtle Brownie Cheesecake

Its my first day back in the saddle as WAHM(work-at-home mom) and DH's second day at his new job, as well as, his birthday!  Wishing you a happy birthday, Love!

Hubby with his terribly decorated turtle brownie cheesecake(my piping skills need some work)

My biggest dilemma today was trying to figure out a great birthday treat for DH's birthday using what I had on hand.  A)I'm to stubborn to run the store B)too lazy to go the store and C)most importantly wasn't going to pay full price for something because I didn't plan well. I usually make him a cheesecake but we only had two thawed blocks of cream cheese, one frozen solid block, and one green fuzzy block(fridge clean-out tomorrow!).  Here's what I tossed together with what I had on hand with modifications based on its shortcomings:

Turtle Brownie Cheesecake:

1 box of  Turtle brownie mix(I have like 10 of these in my stockpile)
3 8oz packages of cream cheese
2/3 C sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla(I substituted Bailey's Irish Cream with a Hint of Caramel)

Make brownie mix as directed on box and bake at 350 degrees for 20 min or until set in a greased springform pan.(The original called for baking it 35 min. I baked it 25 and it was over cooked.) Lower oven temp to 325 degrees.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth(to get a really great fluffy texture I let it cream in the stand mixer for 3-5 min.). Fold in one egg at a time until barely mixed. This is the key to a great cheesecake. Make sure not to over beat your eggs. (I only had 2 blocks of cream cheese so I scaled back the other ingredients as well-it lacked cheesecakness.)

Pour cheesecake mixture into springform pan over the baked brownie. Return to the 325 degree oven and bake for 35-40 min until center is nearly set. Let cool on a rack for 1 hr and then cool in fridge for 3 hrs before eating.