Guest Post! "Manly Chili"

"OK, well here goes nothing!

I have wanted to make chili for the longest time, and didn't want to make it in a crockpot (too lazy!) So my wife decided to get me a Lecruset Dutch Oven. One happened to come on sale on one of those deeply discount websites, so she ordered it up for me. A couple days later she decided to really read the description and said, 'hey this thing is only 2.5 qt! i think this is going to be midget' Me being the novice cook and not knowing the sizes of pot and pans, figured it would be fine. Until it showed up at our doorstep. and yup. it was midget alright. This put the trying to make my own chili on the back burner again.

On a random shopping trip, wifey found "the one" and scooped it up, and of course it made me very happy. it's my new bff.

I hope everyone enjoys my version of "Manly Chili" with no beans, because as wifey says 'It's not real chili if it has beans!' Remember a happy wife is a happy life, after all this is her blog and i'm just a guest....

Manly Chili

'The Spices'

3 tsp sugar

2 tbsp flour

2 tbsp garlic powder

2 tbsp onion powder

4 tbsp cayenne pepper

5 tbsp chili powder

3 tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp basil leaves

2 tbsp red pepper flakes

ground pepper to taste

Ingredients

2 large cans of tomato sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

1 green bell pepper (chopped)

3-4 cloves of garlic (diced)

1 medium onion (chopped)

2 lbs. ground beef

1 tbsp olive oil

brown sugar to taste

kosher salt to taste

Directions

-Mix all spices together and set aside

-Brown the beef

-while beef is going chop green pepper, garlic and onion

-once beef is done drain it and add back to the pot.

-add cans of tomato sauce and diced tomatoes to pot, on medium heat.

-Now let's get ready to saute the veggies. take the olive oil to the pan and heat up on medium heat. add veggies for about 2 minutes.

-when veggies are done add them to the pot.

-now add the spices to the pot.

-add a couple healthy pinches of brown sugar.

-Bring all of that shit to a boil. Taste and see if you need salt or more spice, add as you go. less is best, cause you can always add more if you need to (wifey taught me that one!)

-Once you've got it just right, reduce heat and let it simmer for as long as you can. it should be at least 3 hours. stirring and tasting occasionally.

-We usually eat in a bowl with cheddar cheese on top and tostitos scoops.

Enjoy!"

Well there you have it folks. Househusband in Training's first ever blog post!

God damn, I love my crock pot.

So we switched up the days on our menu planning. This was suppose to be for tomorrow, but I was home sick today. The last time I made this recipe it wasn't as flavorful as I wanted, so today i put in a cup and a half of white wine and added potatoes to the mix as well.

That was like a party in my mouth!

here's a link to the recipe, Thank you to Erin from City Mouse in a Country House for the recipe!

And help me welcome my cousin to the blogosphere! She got married yesterday and is ready to blog recipes and try new ones out. Hi Mrs. Herald!!

Slower cooker love

i grabbed a couple new cookbooks this weekend and am VERY happy with my selections. Hungry Girl is my new fave....like ever.

Paul picked out this recipe for dinner tonight. Served with Wheat rolls it's a hit :)

Slow Cookin' BBQ Pulled Chicken

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. raw boneless skinless lean chicken breasts, halved
1 cup canned tomato sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. brown sugar (not packed)
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. garlic powder
Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste



Directions:
Place all ingredients except the chicken in the crock pot. Stir until mixed. Add chicken and coat well with the sauce.

Cover and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours OR on low for 7 - 8 hours, until chicken is fully cooked.

Remove all the chicken and place it in a bowl. Shred each piece using two forks -- one to hold the chicken in place and the other to scrape across the meat and shred it. Return the shredded chicken to the crock pot, and mix well with the sauce.

If you're serving a group, keep the crock pot on its lowest setting, so the chicken stays warm. If you like, season to taste with red pepper flakes. Eat up!

PER SERVING (1/2 cup): 149 calories, 1g fat, 462mg sodium, 10g carbs, <0.5g fiber, 9g sugars, 22.5g protein
Weight Watcher Points-3

Crockpot Love

My secret santa got me the cookbook by Stephanie O'Dea called Make It Fast, Cook It Slow. she is actually the owner of the blog http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/. She took to her crockpot like a fish took to water and did her challenge with flying colors. I decided to give the Cheesesteak she had in the book a whirl...Sounds odd right? well guess what ITS EFFIN' DELICIOUS!

Philly Cheesesteak-Crockpot Style

Ingredients
--1 pound sliced tri-tip (i used shaved lean beef)

--1/2 sliced onion

--1 red pepper
--1 green pepper
--1 yellow pepper

--1/2 cup of white wine

--1 T Worcestershire sauce

--pepperjack cheese

The Directions:

--dump sliced meat into stoneware

--put sliced pepper and onion in too

--add white wine and worcestershire sauce

cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 4-6.

grab whatever you want to use as bread, throw the cheese on it, toast it up a bit and there you have it! a healthy take on the cheesesteak.

Nutrition Info (does include whatever bread you decide to put this on)
Calories 181; Total Fat 11g; Cholesterol 43mg; Sodium 65mg; Total Carbohydrate 5.3g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Sugars 1.6g; Protein 10.8g
Weight Watcher Points-6

Confession session

I have always feared the pot roast.
There, i said it!
Well this week i decided it was time to put my big girl panties on and get over it!

Thanks to my nesties for the recipe and the confidence to just do it!


Pot Roast


Ingredients:
3 Pound(s) beef pot roast
1 to taste salt
1 to taste steak seasoning or seasoned pepper
1/2 bag baby carrot
4 Clove(s) smashed garlic
1 packet mushroom onion soup mix
1/4 Cup(s) - 1/2 cup wine, beer or vermouth
1/4 Cup(s) - 1/2 cup water
2 peeled & quartered onion
1 to thicken liquid flour or cornstarch
(I also added potatoes)

Directions:
Coat all sides of roast with salt ( I always use kosher) and seasoned pepper. Brown in dry skillet on all sides. Toss all the veggies in the bottom of the Crockpot, top with meat, then add soup mix, top with liquids. Cover and cook on low for the longest time your Crockpot allows. When it's done cooking, take the meat out and stir in a little bit of flour or cornstarch to thicken up the sauce put the meat back in and serve straight out of the pot.