Taco Chili

Kim here...Here is our first recipe in our new feature...Recipe of the Week! I originally got this idea while watching Paula Dean on her Food TV show. She did it with dried beans and spicy tomatoes. While I am sure that is delicious, I don't have the patience for dried beans and after my second pregnancy, my belly doesn't appreciate spicy tomatoes :). So here is my altered recipe for Taco Chili. It's a great one that I think you will enjoy.

Taco Chili

1 pound ground beef or chicken
salt/pepper to season meat while cooking
1 small onion, chopped
14.5 oz. can kidney beans, drained
14.5 oz. can pinto beans, undrained
1 (1 1/4 oz.) packet taco seasoning ( I like McCormick)
1 (1 oz) packet of buttermilk salad dressing mix (Hidden Valley)
1 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
14 oz. can diced tomatoes
14 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups water
Tortilla Chips (optional for garnish)

1. Brown and crumble meat while adding seasonings and chopped onions.
2. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and water.
3. Bring to a boil. Let simmer uncovered until you get a nice, rich, thick consistency to your chili. This may take up to 2 hours.
4. Serve with tortilla chips and/or a dollop of sour cream on top.

Chunky Chicken Chili

Kim here...Now I know you are thinking, yuck! What are you thinking putting chicken in chili! I know, I thought the same thing until I tried it. My mom isn't a ground beef fan and so she usually substitutes different meat for beef. Tonight, she made this for our family and I really liked it. The hubby complained because it wasn't his typical red meat fare, but I enjoyed it because it was lighter in calories and better for you...plus it was good! So give this a try and you will be surprised that chicken really can go in chili!

Congratulations to our winner as well for this month's giveaway. Thanks Deb for organizing that!

Chunky Chicken Chili

1 lb. ground chicken
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 pkg. McCormick chili packet
1 15 oz. can pinto beans, don't drain

1. Brown and crumble chicken in a deep skillet. Season with salt and pepper while cooking it. After it is cooked through (no pink left) add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower heat so it can simmer about 30 minutes. Thanks mom for the good idea! Gotta love those moms!

Baked Three Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

Kim here...We are back from Disneyland! It was so much fun, but feels oh so good to be out of the mouse house! Both the kiddos had a blast!

We are very excited around here because Bubbas actually touched his food tonight on his own free will and put it to his mouth to eat! This is the first time that has happened in his 25 months of life! Woo hoo! Way to go Bubbas! In celebration of this huge milestone for him, here is a dish he likes quite a bit.

Baked Three Cheese Tortellini with Tomato Cream Sauce

1 (13 oz) bag Barilla Three Cheese Tortellini (dried)
1 jar marinara sauce (I like Golden Grain)
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Boil water for tortellini's and follow cooking times on package. Drain and set aside.
3. Bring marinara sauce to a light boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and stir in cream. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Add tortellini and toss to coat.
4. Grease a 13x9 pan with butter. Pour tortellini mixture into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese and dot with 2 Tbls. butter.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

***Good with adding ground beef or sausage to sauce as well.**

Slightly Lower Fat Mashed Potato Bake

Kim here...Tonight I whipped up this dish because I didn't have all the ingredients to make the original dish I posted (see side dishes), but I think I liked this better and it had way less calories. I am off tomorrow for a week's vacation! Yeah! The fam and I are off to LA to go to Disneyland and other nefarious places :). Deb will be taking over the posting for the next week, thanks Deb! I hopefully will have some dishes that I will want to recreate and post for our blog in the coming weeks!

Slightly Lower Fat Mashed Potato Bake

1 Box Betty Crocker Herb and Butter Instant Mashed Potatoes (use both packets)
(Milk, butter, water for the potatoes...read the back of the box for measurements)

1 small brick cream cheese (not sure the exact ounces, but the one for under $2 in a brick shape)

sour cream (smallest size container)

1 cup cheddar, jack or combination of cheeses

salt and pepper

1. Follow directions on potato box. After the potatoes are cooked, add rest of ingredients (except french fried onions) and stir. Put in a 13x9 baking dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.

2. Add french fried onions and bake for 5 more minutes.

Blueberry Banana Yogurt

Kim here...I came up with this recipe when trying to find exciting pureed foods for my son to eat. He loves this stuff, not my favorite...but those of you with little ones out there this is a good one that is very healthy as well. Get the kiddos blueberries and wheat germ all in the same bowl!

My exciting country house note today is that I saw a deer eating the peaches off the tree that is planted on my back porch. Pretty cool! Also, finding that country folk like to chat (which I love). They will sit and shoot the breeze with you and tell you all sorts of interesting stories!

Blueberry Banana Yogurt

1 Brown Cow Plain or Vanilla Yogurt
1/2 cup blueberry puree (see recipe below)
1/2 banana , mashed
1 Tbls. or more wheat germ

Mix all together and serve. Can be adjusted to various solid food levels. For example, chunk banana instead of mashing.

Blueberry Puree
Take about 1/4 cup frozen blueberries and put them in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave for about 15 seconds until unthawed. Put them in your food mill and grind away (food mill really is the way to go here folks, unless you have a ricer). You now have a blueberry puree.

Dairy Free Smashed Tatoes

Hey, hey it's Deb. Wanted to continue on Kim's potato crusade with another fabulous rendition of mashed potatoes, or as my girls call them, "smashed tatoes." These are as equally easy as regular mashed potatoes, I just use a few different ingredients since the Scout is allergic to dairy. These are one of her favorites things to eat.

I do have to tell a quick funny story before we start.

I jumped on the bandwagon of hiding pureed vegetables in my youngest daughter's food because she basically will just gravitate towards fruit and starches. I grabbed some cauliflower and pureed it up and stuck it in these mashed potatoes. I thought I was being sneaky. You should have seen the Scout's face when she took a bite. She said, "Mom, these don't taste very good,"and promptly spit them out. I had to laugh. I must have added a little too much cauliflower. It does work, you just have to add in enough as to not ruin the taste of the potatoes and still get the vitamins in there.

Dairy Free Smashed Tatoes

3 large baking potatoes, peeled

1/4 cup of soy milk (this is going to vary depending on how big your potatoes are and how creamy you want to make them)

2 tablespoons of dairy-free margarine (again this is going to vary depending on the size)

dash of salt

dash of pepper

* Some secretly pureed cauliflower if you want to feel like your pulling the wool over your family's eyes. Ha Ha. About 1/4 cup of pureed cauliflower.

I have to say that my measurements are not very accurate with this. I usually boil a huge batch of potatoes (it usually takes about 25 to 30 minutes for a big batch to boil) and then pull out a small bowl for the Scout. After I have the small bowl full, I grab her soy milk and add in a splash and then a couple of tablespoons of her dairy free margarine (I use Nucoa). I add a dash of salt and pepper and whip them up really well and..... voila, dairy-free smashed tatoes. Now that you have the basic ingredients, play around with it till you find the right consistency that you and the family enjoy. I find that I experiment with cooking now a lot more especially with dishes like these where you are substituting this and that. You can even keep up Kim's tradition of cheesy dairy free smashed tatoes and add a little vegan cheese to these and vegan sour cream. Tofutti makes an excellent one!

Cheesy Smashed Potatoes

Kim here...To continue the theme of the mashed potatoes, here is another good one. Yummy!



Cheesy Smashed Potatoes



3 baking potatoes, cubed with skins on

1 stick of butter

1/2 cup sour cream

chives, couple of snips

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

milk, optional...depends on how thick you want them



1. Put potatoes in the pot you are going to boil them in, then cover with water. Bring to a boil and let cook 30 minutes. Drain potatoes and then put them back into the hot pot. Add the rest of the ingredients and smoosh with potato masher. Add milk if they need to be thinned a bit.



**Feeding note**

See Classic Mashed Potato recipe for directions.

Classic Mashed Potatoes

Kim here...Well, fall is here, yeah! It is my favorite time of the year! Mashed potatoes definitely say fall and the beginning of the holiday season. We love mashed potatoes around here and I do them up in many different ways. Here is my classic version, will post more versions soon. I always leave the skin on my mashed potatoes which give it a yummy rustic feel, plus you get the good nutrients from the skin! Oh, don't count the calories in this one!

Classic Mashed Potatoes

3 brown potatoes (large)
1 stick of butter
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk
salt
pepper

1. Cut potatoes into cubes (do not peel potatoes). Place in a pan for them to boil in. After you put all your cubed potatoes into the pan, fill with water until it reaches just the top of the potatoes. Set burner on high and bring to a boil. Boil for 30 minutes.

2. Drain potatoes in colander and then place back into the hot pan, this will evaporate some of the water left in the potatoes. Place the butter, milk (start small amounts first), and generous portions of salt and pepper. Mash together with your potato masher. If the consistency is too thick, thin with a little more milk adding a little at a time. Enjoy!

**Feeding and Puree Tip**
This recipe is perfect for your little ones who are still eating mashed foods. Mix it in with meatloaf, stew, chicken, steak...the list goes on and on. You may just want to take the large chunks of skin out. If you are pureeing this, use just your potato masher or food mill. Putting this in your food processor will turn your potatoes into paste. Believe me, I have done it before!. Just mash with more milk until it becomes more liquidy.

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy

With summer rapidly coming to a close and Kim with her punch inspiration, here is our favorite summery drink treat. This wonderful recipe was courtesy of Kraft Food and Family Magazine. I love this magazine that Kraft sends out free of charge. I have found so many fantastic recipes in these. I have actually kept every single one and go back to them often.

Strawberry Lemonade Slushy

1/2 cup lemonade flavor drink mix (we use Country Time around these parts)

1/2 cup water

3 cups of ice cubes

1 cup fresh or frozen strawberries

Measure drink mix into cap to 1-qt. line (1/2 cup) Empty into blender container.

Add remaining ingredients; cover. Blend on high speed 10 seconds. Turn off blender. Stir with spoon; cover. Blend an additional 5 seconds or until smooth, using pulsing action. Serve immediately. Store the rest in freezer. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries or raspberries for a little bit of a twist.

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Kim here...Again, here I am copying another entree I have had at a restaurant. This is actually part of the thrill of me eating out, figuring out how to do it at home :)! My dad, his friend Charlie, my husband and I have all worked together to perfect it. I am proud to say this sandwich we created blows the socks off of the restaurant one! This is truly an indulgence but oh is it so tasty. It is a fun crowd pleaser too because guests get to have a part in their dinner which they always seem to like. Enjoy!

Garlic Tri Tip Sandwiches

Tri Tip (size depends on crowd)
Sweet Rolls (again crowd size dependant)
Garlic Butter (see below for recipe)

Garlic Butter

2 cubes of butter (this will do about 4-6 sandwiches)
1 bulb of garlic chopped (I highly recommend the food processor)

To make, put butter in a saucepan that has a large enough bottom for the sandwich rolls (open flat) to fit into. After butter is melted, turn down heat so that it won't burn or brown and add garlic. Let simmer or set for about 5 minutes.

To make sandwiches:
To prepare the tri tip, brush on a little olive oil and then salt and pepper the sucker. To cook the tri tip, there are several different ways. The preferred methodology is to smoke it. We own a pellet smoker and let it cook on there for about 3 hours and it is simply delicious. However, not everyone owns a smoker. So, here are some alternatives in cooking the tri tip in descending order from most delicious to just okay. 1. Smoked 2. Charcoal 3. Gas grill 4. Stove top grill 5. In a pan on the stove

So now that you have a cooked tri tip, it is assembly time. Let the tri tip rest 10-15 minutes before cutting into it and always cut against the grain. Slice into about 1/4 inch slices. Take your roll and open it up so that it is flat. Dip roll into the pan of garlic butter for a couple of seconds. Place sliced tri tip onto the roll with the yummy melty butter, close and enjoy!

**Feeding Tip**
To mash or puree this for little ones or ones that need help with the chewing this makes a great meal. Put sliced tri tip in food processor (2 slices). Add some garlic butter (about 1 Tbls.) and chop to desired consistency. Now, if this is still too dry for the one eating it, either add more butter or add some warmed up beef stock. The beef stock will take it to the puree step if needed. Talk about some gourmet food for your kiddos!

Black Pepper Aioli

Kim here...My hubby and I went out on a date the other night. We went to this restaurant in Roseville and had a fabulous burger. Oh yeah, did I tell ya...I am a burger fanatic! Love those things! Anyway, what made this burger different was the black pepper aioli they served on it. I cannot tell you how good this stuff was. So as always, I was determined to recreate something that I loved at a restaurant (easier on the pocket book if I can do it myself, ya know). After searching for recipes online and then combining them to make my own I came up with something that was spot-on for the restaurant. I hope you guys enjoy this as much as my family did. Even my kiddos gobbled this stuff up on the turkey cheese burgers we had tonight!

Black Pepper Aioli

1 cup mayonnaise
4 roasted garlic cloves (to roast garlic...cut the top off a garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour)
1-2 tsp. lemon or lime juice (depends on how tart you want it)
1-2 Tbls. fresh ground pepper (start with one tablespoon, go up from there...there should be lots of pepper in this, this is what makes it good)

Put all ingredients into a food processor and mix well. Serve on burgers, etc...

Feeding Tip:
When you make a burger and want to feed it to your little one who can't chew yet, this sauce makes a great way to soften it. Stick half the burger patty into your food processor. Spoon in about 1 Tbls. of this as well. Mix until you have the desired consistency. The burger will still be chunky, but the aioli makes it soft so that they can swallow it. If you have a child with sensory issues like mine, they will love this. The black pepper is like a party in their mouth!

Baked Ziti with Red & Cream Sauce

Kim here...Here is another recipe for Baked Ziti. We are big fans of this stuff around our house! It is very simple to make and gives you lots of leftovers. Check below for feeding tips.

Baked Ziti with Red & Cream Sauce

For Cream Sauce:
1 Tbls. Butter
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese


For Ziti:
1 jar marinara sauce (Big fan of Golden Grain marinara)
16 oz. package of ziti noodles (or any tubular noodle)
1 lb. ground beef
2 cups mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cups bread crumbs (take French bread you are going to use for dinner and place in a food processor until it resembles breadcrumbs)
Salt/Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Boil pasta in water, follow directions on package.


2. Make the cream sauce. First heat butter and heavy cream in a saucepan. Stir frequently. When the mixture starts to bubble, stir in the Parmesan cheese. Reduce heat and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often. Set aside.


3. Brown the ground beef until no longer pink, add salt and pepper while it is browning. After beef is cooked, add marinara sauce. Stir together and let simmer for a few minutes.


4. Put cooked noodles, cream sauce, red sauce and mozzarella together in the pan and mix together. Sprinkle the top with breadcrumbs and Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes, until bubbling. Broil for 3 minutes until top is golden brown.

*Feeding Note*
Simply put into food processor to mash or puree. Add a bit more marinara sauce or water if needed to thin out puree.

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

Kim here...Here is an easy weeknight meal you could put together in less that 15 minutes. Good too! It also happens to be my son's favorite. He usually will eat most things, as long as they are mashed :), but this one he actually gets really excited about! He will start pumping his arms up and down after taking the first bite and open his mouth wide open in anticipation for the next one. See feeding tip below.

Easy Cheesy Baked Ziti

3/4 box of ziti noodles, cooked and drained
1 jar of marinara sauce (I like Golden Grain)
1 bag of shredded mozzarella (2-4 cups worth depending on how cheesy you want it!)
1 pound ground beef

1. Boil water for noodles and cook according to directions. Drain and set aside.
2. Put beef in large pan. Start crumbling and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until there is no more pink.
3. Drain fat, then add marinara sauce. Stir and simmer for a few minutes more.
4. Mix in pasta noodles and cheese into the same pan as your beef sauce. Reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top of the casserole. Dump mixture into a 13x9 pan, spread evenly. Top with remaining cheese.
5. Place into preheated 350 degree oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Cheese on top will be nice and melty!

*Feeding Note*
To puree this meal, simply place into a food processor. Sometimes the cheese makes it very sticky and clumpy, if this is the case add a little more marinara sauce if you have extra, or water, or chicken broth, or beef broth. Just add enough to get the consistency you want. The broths will give more flavor to the meal than water. The good thing is even if you use a little of the broth can it will keep in the refrigerator for about a week so you could use if for many more meals.

To mash this meal, simply place into food processor and give it a couple of whirls.

Quick & Delicious Chili

What cowgirl is complete without some chili? This recipe is soooo simple and literally takes about 10 minutes to prepare and 20 more minutes to simmer. 30 minutes later; you have dinner. I used to do different chili's that would take me hours, but one day I decided to try this one. Well, my husband said it was the best chili he has had and at family get togethers I always get asked for this recipe because they like it so much. So here is my "secret" chili recipe. Forget cooking for hours and hours friends, just do this one and save yourself a headache!

*Look below for puree and mashing ideas* You are probably thinking I am crazy for feeding somewhat spicy chili to my 1 year old. However, this is great to give children who need more "heat" in their food for sensory issues. Give my son a bland food and it doesn't have enough kick to it for him to want to work on his feeding, this however, he will go crazy with. Things you learn during feeding therapy! Thanks Peri, you are the best!

Quick & Delicious Chili

1 lb. ground beef or ground turkey

2 cans Hunts Chili Makin's tomato sauce (Note: I have never been able to find this at Safeway but know that Raley's & Bel Air stocks it)

1 15 oz. can pinto beans (undrained)

1. Brown ground meat in a pot seasoned with salt and pepper. Drain fat from meat. Pop open the 3 cans and dump into the meat. Stir, and then bring to a bubble. Simmer for 20 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. Top with cheddar cheese, if desired.

***To puree, simply put into a food processor and blend to desired consistency. If it is still too thick, add a little water. To mash, either use your food processor for just a few whirls or mash with fork.***

Breadcrumb Chicken

Kim here. One night I was going to make this fancy chicken dish for the family and then realized I had forgotten most of the ingredients at the grocery store! At first I was very frustrated because I had no idea what I was going to feed everyone for dinner. So, I started getting creative. As my mom says, "Mother Hubbard's cupboard was bare". I needed to use the limited supplies I had. Well, I had some fresh bread, eggs and staple seasonings. I put them together and came up with this recipe. It was actually really good and now have a good recipe to use when supplies are low. Enjoy! *Check out below for puree and mashing tips*

Breadcrumb Chicken

Fresh sweet bread (you know, the stuff you get warm at the grocery store)
Garlic salt
Pepper
Italian Seasoning
Parmesan
Oil spray
2 Eggs
Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1. Take your bread roll and mentally cut it into 3rds. If you are doing 2-4 breasts, then you just need about 1/3 of it. If you are doing more then increase accordingly. Take your bread and tear it into a food processor. You should be using the usual cutting blade. Process the bread until you get a breadcrumb consistency you like. Put in a dish (I like a pie plate).

2. Add seasonings to taste to the breadcrumbs (garlic salt, pepper, italian seasoning, parmesan). Everyone has a different palate for seasonings, so I intentionally left this up to you. A start is at about 1 tsp each of the seasonings and about 1/4 cup of the parmesan. Smell the mixture to see how it smells and this will help you adjust. Make sure they are mixed well into the breadcrumbs.

3. Beat the 2 eggs into a dish (I like using pie plates).

4. Rinse chicken and dip into egg, then in breadcrumbs and then lay on a plate.

5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Preheat a skillet with about 2 Tbls of olive oil in it. Once warm, place chicken into oil and let cook on that side for about 3-5 minutes on med-high heat. Flip and you should see a nice golden brown. Cook on this side for 3-5 minutes as well. Transfer chicken into a greased 13x9 pan and place in oven. Let cook for about 30-45 minutes or until juices run clear. The times will vary time to time due to thickness of chicken breast.

6. Let rest for a few minutes and then, enjoy!

*****Tip for pureeing or mashing this...*****
* Chunk chicken into your food processor. Add chicken stock to get a nice puree, or just a little to mash it. Also, if serving pasta or mashed potatoes with this, put those in there instead or with the chicken stock to get a good puree or mash. *