Chili

Everyone likes their chili a certain way; super spicy or medium hot, with or without meat, with or without beans. In true Scandinavian fashion, our version of chili is pretty bland, but people who try it love it because it is so different from other chili recipes. Our recipe uses meat AND beans, but you can leave out the meat and add in a can of corn to make a vegetarian version. 

Adding toppings to the chili can make it your own; toss in some shredded cheese, crackers, sour cream, sliced green onions, or jalapenos to spice it up.

I usually make a double batch of chili; it freezes beautifully, and is great to pull out on a cold day when I don't have time to cook. I like to serve it with a warm slice of homemade cornbread that has been slathered with butter and a drizzle of honey.

Chili                                                                                                  Printable Version

1 lb. ground hamburger or turkey

1 medium onion, chopped

1 can Campbell's Tomato Soup

2 soup cans of water

1 large can crushed tomatoes

1 can light red kidney beans, drained

1 can black beans, drained

1 can chili beans, with the juice

1 Tbsp. chili powder (as hot as you like it)

1 tsp. ground Ancho chili pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 dried bay leaf

In a large pot over medium-high heat, brown the meat with the onion. Turn the heat to low and add in the tomato soup, then use the soup can to add two cans of water. Add the crushed tomatoes, kidney beans, black beans, and chili beans and stir together well. Sprinkle in the chili powder, Ancho chili pepper, cumin, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Stir in the dried bay leaf. At this point you can add more water, depending on how thick you like your chili.

Let the chili simmer for an hour, remove the bay leaf, dish into bowls, and serve with cornbread and toppings.

Sweet and Spicy Butternut Squash Soup

I might be the only person in our family who doesn't like squash. When I was a child, we had to eat everything on our plates, and that was by far one of the hardest side dishes for me to get down. But Mom and Dad LOVE squash, roasted and topped with butter and brown sugar, or made into a pie that uses squash instead of pumpkin. 

I vowed as an adult to find a way to like squash. It's something you can plant in your garden and get a bountiful crop of every year, and you can use it in so many dishes. 

Last Fall I fiddled around with a batch of Butternut Apple Coconut Soup. It had fresh apples and sweet onions roasted along with the squash, and hints of coconut and thyme blended in. This Fall I decided to try something a little different that wouldn't require quite as much time to make.

Our local Mennonite farmer had an abundance of many different kinds of squash available at the Saturday market, so I grabbed two good size butternut squash...and a couple of buttercups for Mom.

Wash the outside of the squash, peel them, cut off the tops and bottoms, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut the "meat" into chunks.  Spread into two baking sheets that you have lined with aluminum foil.

Mince two cloves of garlic and disperse them evenly over the squash in the two pans.  Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with onion powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and black pepper.  Give it all a good mix with your hands so everything is coated well.  Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the squash is soft.

Remove the squash from the oven to cooling racks. If you are ready to continue on with the soup, scrape the squash and the pan drippings into a large sauce pot; if not, scoop it all into a large plastic container, cover it, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Turn the heat under your sauce pot to medium. Add 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tbsp. minced candied ginger and mix well.  Pour in a quart of half and half and stir to combine.

When the soup has heated through completely, blend it in the pot with an immersion blender. I purchased my Cuisinart immersion blender a few years ago, and I don't know what I ever did without it. 

If you don't have an immersion blender (you can find one from my Amazon link over on the right side of the blog) you can carefully ladle the soup in batches into a regular stand blender and process until smooth, being careful to keep the top on the blender to avoid any burns from soup that might fly up out of the top. It doesn't hurt to place a kitchen towel over the top of the blender lid for safety as well.

When the soup is smooth, ladle a serving into a bowl and dollop with some Ginger Honey Lime Peach Jam, or for a little crunch add some chopped pecans. This soup is perfect to curl up with on a brisk Fall afternoon.

SWEET AND SPICY BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP                    Printable Version

2 butternut squash

2 garlic cloves

Olive oil

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. black pepper

1/4 c. honey

2 Tbsp. candied ginger, minced

1 qt. half and half

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Wash the outside of the squash, peel them, cut them in half, scoop out the seeds, and cut the "meat" into chunks. Line two large baking sheets with aluminum foil. Spread the squash into an even layer in the pans.

Mince two cloves of garlic and disperse them evenly over the squash. Drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle with onion powder, pumpkin pie spice, salt and black pepper. Roast in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until the squash is soft.

Remove the pans from the oven to cooling racks. If you are ready to finish the soup, scrape the squash and all the pan drippings into a large sauce pot; if not, scoop it into a large plastic container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Turn the heat under your sauce pot to medium. Add 1/4 cup honey and 2 Tbsp. minced candied ginger. Stir the mixture well, and when it has heated through completely, blend it in the pot with an immersion blender. 

If you don't have an immersion blender you can carefully ladle the soup in batches into a regular stand blender and process until smooth, being careful to keep the top on the blender to avoid any burns from soup that might fly up out of the top. It doesn't hurt to place a kitchen towel over the top of the blender lid for safety as well.

When the soup is smooth, ladle a serving into a bowl and dollop with some Ginger Honey Lime Peach Jam or some chopped pecans.

Taco Salad with Doritos

Sometimes the recipes we keep combine ingredients that sound like they wouldn't work together; potato chip topped casseroles, sour cream raisin pie, the list goes on.

Our version of a Taco Salad falls in this category. Most people would never think of topping a relatively healthy salad with crushed nacho cheese chips. But it's always been one of our favorite dinners, especially in the dead of Winter when the only fresh veggies we can find at our local grocery store are crisp heads of lettuce and maybe some hothouse tomatoes.

Give this salad a try our way, then twist it up a bit; make it with chicken rather than beef, use different varieties of cheese, dollop on some sour cream and salsa. The tastes and textures will satisfy even your pickiest kids at the table, especially if you squirt some ranch dressing over the top.

You can put all the individual ingredients for this salad out as a buffet and let each person make up their own. If you want to make one giant salad, toss all the salad ingredients and dressing together in a big bowl, leaving out the Doritos, and let each person crumble those over the top of their own serving.

TACO SALAD WITH DORITOS

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey **
1 medium onion, diced
1 packet taco seasoning
3/4 c. water
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Lettuce, chopped
Tomato, diced
Black olives, sliced
Green pepper, diced
Nacho Cheese Doritos
Western dressing
Ranch dressing (optional)

In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground meat with the onion. Lower the heat to low, sprinkle the taco seasoning over the meat, and pour the water over the top. Stir everything together well and simmer until thickened.

Fill a bowl with lettuce. Top it with the warm meat, then some shredded cheddar cheese to get it melting. Sprinkle on your choice of toppings; tomato, black olives, and green pepper. Crumble a handful or two of Doritos over the top of the salad. Drizzle with Western dressing, and or/Ranch dressing.

**To make a Chicken Taco Salad, substitute 2-3 diced boneless chicken breasts for the ground meat and brown them until cooked through with the onion.

Sausage and Kale Soup

We are so lucky in my town to have the privilege of being able to shop at two local Farmer's Markets that provide us fresh flowers, produce, and so much more.  We also have a gentleman that comes from about an hour away who is Mennonite, and he has his own stand on the other side of town once a week.  My family and I have visited his farm, and the way this family lives is truly amazing.  I know how hard gardening can be, the dirt and sweat and toil of the land, but they have it all figured out.  I respect them immensely for their dedication to their land, and for sharing it with those of us who make sure to visit them on Saturday mornings once the yearly harvest begins.

When you walk up to their stand, almost everything will have been freshly picked that morning; cobs of corn will be literally squeaking, potatoes will be freshly dug and washed of dirt, and the aroma of fresh basil will follow you at every turn.  Since I have a huge garden of my own, I often supplement my fridge with different varieties of veggies that I didn't plant, or buy tomatoes or beans in bulk for canning, and rhubarb to freeze for crisps.  But the best part is that they have fresh, organic meat.  The best of his offering is his specially seasoned breakfast sausage.  I buy at least three packages to keep on hand every time I'm there.

We usually brown some up for breakfast in an egg dish, mix it in with gravy to pour over warm buttermilk biscuits, crumble it onto homemade pizza, and add it to the sauce for our lasagna.  But this day, I used it to make "Sausage and Kale Soup". I have such an abundance of kale that just making "chips" won't suffice, so it will instead be added into this creamy soup and served with a loaf of hot, crusty bread.

This recipe received raves from the kid, which was good, because I'll do anything to get him to eat veggies. It makes a bunch, so we scooted some down the hill to Grandma and Grandpa so they could enjoy it as much as we did.

SAUSAGE AND KALE SOUP          Printable Version

1 pound seasoned breakfast sausage
6 slices bacon, diced
Olive oil
1/2 sweet onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, zested
32 oz. carton of beef broth
6 red potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. ground Ancho chili pepper (or more if you like things spicy)
3 cups kale, washed, dried, and chopped into bite-size pieces
2 cups half and half
1 c. fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded and divided

In a large soup pot, crumble in the breakfast sausage, add the bacon, and brown over medium-high heat until cooked through. Pour the meat into a bowl, leaving any drippings in the bottom of the pot.  If your meat is lean, you may need to add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan.  If so, add the olive oil, then add the onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the meat back into the pot.  Pour in the beef broth, add the potatoes, salt, pepper, dried oregano, and ground Ancho chili pepper.   Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the temperature to low.  Cover the pot and simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.  Add in the kale, half and half, and 3/4 cup of the fresh Parmesan cheese, reserving the rest to top the soup when served.  Heat for about 5 minutes on medium heat until warm.  Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.

Butternut Apple Coconut Soup

I do not like it with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.  I do not like it as pie, even if you smother it with whipped cream.  I do not like it covered in melted butter and brown sugar.

I do not like squash.  Any sort of squash.  Buttercup, butternut, acorn, spaghetti.  Blech.

But I do like squash soup.  Go figure.

After being confronted with a box full of butternut squash from my garden I knew I either had to give it all away or find a good recipe for something that I could stomach.  I had originally planted it because my parents both love squash, but after they took what they wanted to deal with I still had some left. I tried squash and apple bread; it was okay, but I didn't love it, although my parents and their neighbors sure did.  Next I thought I'd try some soup since I had tried a bite of someone else's squash soup in a restaurant once and kinda took a liking to it.  I went to my favorite recipe sites and printed off four of the highest rated recipes, then morphed them into my own. 

And my kid ate it.  I take that back, he stole all of mine.  We have a rule that he has to try just a bite of everything new I make, even if he thinks he will hate it.  When his big blue eyes get big I know I have a success.  He ended up stealing away with the whole bowl.  Turkey.

Butternut Apple Coconut Soup                                (Printable Version)

2 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed

2 medium white or sweet onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed

Olive Oil

2 medium apples, peeled, seeded, and diced

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

Two cans chicken or vegetable broth

One can coconut milk

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 bay leaf

Additional salt and pepper to taste

One medium apple, finely diced, for garnish

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Mix the squash, onions, and garlic together in a large bowl and spread out onto two jelly roll pans lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle on the salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack and sprinkle the cubed apple evenly over each pan. Return the pans to the oven and roast an additional 15 minutes until all the ingredients are tender and cooked through. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

When cool, scrape the mixture into a blender or food processor, being sure to scrape up all of the good browned bits and the olive oil from the bottom of the pans.  Process until smooth. Pour into a large soup pot set over medium heat.  Add two cans of broth and one can of coconut milk. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and additional salt and pepper and bring to a simmer until heated through, stirring occasionally. Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Ladle into a bowl and top with finely diced apple, if desired.

Midwestern Caprese Salad

Fresh mozzarella has become more available in our grocery stores over the years, as have fresh herbs, such as basil.  You can usually find a good tomato somewhere around town as well.  But for the times when all those things aren't in abundance, I have come up with a tasty alternative to the traditional Italian Caprese Salad.

I like to make use of local food ingredients and things I buy during my travels.  One of my favorite things in the world is cheese curds, and years ago the only way to get them fresh was to make a trip over to Wisconsin, which isn't ever a bad idea.  My sister and I have had some awfully fun road trips in that direction, and every time we have come home with cheese curds.  Okay, not every time, sometimes they just don't make it all the way home.  They are a true Midwestern delight, though some people may shy away because of their name or simply because they may not look very tasty.  Oh, but they are so good. Especially when they are deep fried and served at The Minnesota State Fair.  Mmmm..

The Original Nelson Cheese Factory is our cheese store of choice, but they now have a location called Nelson Cheese and Deli in St. Paul where they deliver the little beauties in order to expand their market, and to save some of us from the drive.  And we are truly grateful.

With the first crop of tomatoes I had this year I decided to do a little spin on a family favorite hors d'oeuvre.  I am calling it "Midwestern Caprese Salad", and until I can get to Campania to enjoy the real thing, this will certainly do. First you need some tomatoes. 

I planted an assortment, and today I used yellow and red cherry tomatoes.  Cut them up,

then move on to the basil.  I started the growing season with a small pot of basil, and thinking that just wouldn't do for all the recipes I had planned to make this summer I planted an entire row in my garden.  Twelve batches of pesto later, it just keeps coming back.

Chiffonade the basil, or chop it more finely if you like.  Don't know what I mean by chiffonade?  Simply stack your fresh basil leaves, roll them up, then slice from one end to the other into strips.

Then it's on to the star of the show.  This is what your cheese curds will look like when you get them at Nelson's.

If you have to buy some at your local grocery store they will certainly do, they just won't have that telltale squeak when you bite into them, and for me that's half the fun.

Chop them up into bite size pieces and add them to the tomatoes. 

Add some salt, 

and some pepper,

and then a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil. 

Mix it all together and dig in, or serve it alongside a fun little sandwich like I did.

Egg salad is my number one favorite sandwich, always has been, always will be.  We all know there are a million different adaptations of it out there, but I will share my own.

Cut up your hard boiled eggs, add a little fresh parsley if you have it, some salt and pepper, a bit of mayonnaise and a squirt of mustard.  Taste it and add more of each ingredient as you see fit.

Then for the kicker.

At the time I made this I had some fresh carrots from our local Mennonite farm, but the next time I make it (probably this weekend) I will have carrots from my own garden to use.  Wherever yours are from, get them shredded and add some to the mix.  They add a hint of sweetness and essential vitamins as well. 

I piled my egg salad on a fresh piece of Naan bread, purchased on the same trip to St. Paul at Trader Joe's.  They just built a new store near my sister's house, and she has been in grocery shopping Heaven ever since.  If you see one, go there.  It's an amazing place.

Whatever you place your Midwestern Caprese Salad next to, don't forget a nice cold beverage to wash it down.  If we were eating the traditional Caprese there would be a good glass of vino next to my plate, but today an orange cream soda will do the trick.