It’s Friday! It’s cold outside. It’s National Chili Day. Make some chili!
Check out our Soups/Stews/Chilis section for recipes.
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ground beef
Chili Cookoff Recipe
This is my famous Chili Cookoff winning recipe! The key ingredient is the Italian sausage which adds the extra flavor that can’t be matched. On a few occasions, I have used ground beef instead of sausage, but it only yielded a 2nd or 3rd place ranking. If you do decide to use ground beef, I recommend using 1 1/2 or 2 chili seasoning packets.
Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground Italian sausage
1 chili seasoning packet
1 sweet onion, chopped
28 ozs. crushed tomatoes
8 ozs. tomato sauce
10 ozs. diced tomatoes with green chiles
2 – 15 oz. cans kidney beans, drained
Chili powder, to taste
Brown the sausage and onion in a skillet. Drain off excess fat. Put all of the ingredients in your crockpot and stir well. I prefer to make this the night before and store the crock in the refrigerator (it gives the chili a thicker consistency), but you can do it either way.
The next morning, I put the crock back into the base, turn it on low, and cook for 7 to 8 hours. Add extra chili powder, to taste during cooking, if needed.
Serve with mini corn muffins, sour cream, and grated cheese on the side. Whether you’re entering a chili cookoff or bringing this to a potluck, you’ll be a winner either way!
Meatloaf
My friend and neighbor, Katie, shared her meatloaf recipe that she got from her Mom, Donna. It’s a crowd pleaser! The swiss cheese in this recipe is divine. Katie said that it’s the “best meatloaf ever” and it is one of the best that I have ever had!
Ingredients:
2 lbs. hamburger (I use turkey and it’s good as well)
1 1/2 cups diced swiss cheese
2 beaten eggs
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 cups milk
1 cup dried bread crumbs
Mix all ingredients together in the appropriate order they are given, then press it into 1 (or 2- I split it in half) big loaf pan. Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour and a half. Serves 6-8.
Meatball Appetizers
This is another family recipe that we often had for New Year’s Eve Parties. I’ve revised the recipe to use pre-made frozen meatballs. Buy two bags and double the recipe for a big crowd because they will go fast!
Ingredients:
1 bag frozen meatballs
3 T. dark molasses
3 T. prepared mustard
3 T. apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 tsp. thyme
Brown the meatballs in a skillet until heated through. Mix all remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add sauce to meatballs and simmer until bubbling. Serve meatballs right away. They won’t have time to get cold!
