My Mom's BEST Chili Recipe

My mom always made this chili and it is AMAZING! I like to serve it with cornbread and cheese...and the best part is you can refrigerate the leftovers and it reheats really well! 

1 1/2 to 2 pounds extra lean ground beef ( you could use ground turkey, if you want. The lean ground turkey it is more flavorful and not as dry tasting.)
3 or 4 cans 15oz ea. of either pinto, black or white beans (I use all of these).
1 large onion chopped
3 large cloves of garlic crushed
1 can (15oz) of cut tomatoes juice reserved (I think that just means there is juice in the can still, no drained tomatoes)
1 can (6oz) tomato paste
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper

crumble ground meat into slow cooker(do not cook first.) Rinse and add beans, then add chopped onion, and garlic.
In medium bowl, stir tomatoes with the juice, tomato paste, water and all remaining ingredients until blended. Stir into meat mixture, Scrape down sides of slow cooker if necessary.
Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
(It always tastes better on low for 8 hours, just sayin)

French Bread Pizza

ok..you all probably think i am cheezy, but no joke, my husband loved this meal so much i thought i would just share it because its easy and fun! :)

you will need... as many loaves of french bread as you will like. some sort of sauce. and desired toppings. and lots of CHEEEZE!! who would have thought pizza could be so easy??

one loaf is sufficient for us. we cut it in half and made our pizza's with what we wanted. pepperoni, and ham and pineapple. I just used spaghetti sauce as pizza sauce. and well.. you just broil the pizza for about 10-15 minutes. It is soo good! :)

and SOOOO easy. the fun part is.. well its cheap, and easy.. but you can get creative with the toppings. :) there you have dinner in about 10 minutes. We tried it for the first time last night and my husband is already looking forward to when we have it again he loved it so much. :)

Recipe for Happy Marriage

Ingredients:

4 cups of Love

2 cups of Loyalty

A dash of faith 

3 cups of Kindness

4 cups of Understanding 

1 cup of Friendship

5 spoons of Surprise

Passion (according to taste or touch hehe)

1 barrel of Laughter

A pinch of Forgiveness (no substitutions)

A dash of Thoughtfulness  (not optional)

Take love and loyalty, and mix it thoroughly with faith. Blend in kindness and understand. Add friendship and surprise, stirring well. Fold in passion alternating with an abundance of laughter. Bake with sunshine. Garnish with forgiveness and thoughtfulness. Serve daily with generous helpings. Enjoy!!

**This recipe serves 2 for a lifetime.**

French Toast Casserole

I made this for "breakfast for dinner" and it was really easy and tasted pretty yummy...I would suggest doubling the recipe if you have more than 2 people...or a husband who eats A LOT!

Ingredients

• 5 cups bread cubes
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon margarine, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter an 8x8 inch baking pan.
Line bottom of pan with bread cubes. 

2. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, 2 tablespoons sugar, salt and vanilla. pour egg mixture over bread. Dot with margarine; let stand for 10 minutes.

3. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sprinkle over the top. Bake in preheated oven about 45 to 50 minutes, until top is golden.

Easy Cheap, Cheating, Peach Cobbler

yep... Exactly what the title says!!

All you will need, is 1 box white or yellow cake mix
1 can of peaches, or fresh cut peaches, its up to you!

You can do this two ways...

1. you can make the actual cake mix. and put down a bottom layer of cake mix, add the peaches in the middle. and then do a top layer of cake mix. ... If you make the cake mix, it will create a more cake like effect for the kobbler. It is good!

If you wish for it to crumble like the peack kobbler we all know, then dont make the cake mix. Leave it dry. yes, easy, simple. DRY unmade cake mix. Do a bottom layer, add peaches, and then do a top layer. Add..chunks of butter on the top layer to create the crunchy, crumble, browning layer effect. :) and just like that you are done.

i would say bake at 350-400 degrees until top is gold brown. :)(probably 25 or so minutes) .. just watch it close!

HomeMade Chicken Pot Pie

Hello Fellow readers. Attempted this recipe the other night..and i dont like Chicken pot pie at all. i never had growing up, but it was a friends birthday dinner request and it turned out sooo good. :) and the best part is, how easy it is to make!

Here is the recipe. Feel free to make it your own like i did!... for instance, the recipe doesnt call for a bottom crust.. but my husband loves the crust so we did a bottom layer of crust and baked it for about 15 min first and top layer of crust in a 9 by 13 inch pan. and also, i didnt use celery. I used peas, corn, carrots, and potatoes. I boiled potatoes to soften them up, then i poured the can of chicken broth in them with the other veggies and added the chicken and can of cream of chicken. Also, just so you know, it turned out kind of soupy, so if you attempt this, i would think about adding a little flower to the mixture or corn starch to thicken up the soup. ;) ENJOY!

Chicken:
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
1/3 cup oil (olive or vegetable)
1 tsp minced garlic
¼ tsp onion salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Crust:
1 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground sage
2 tbsp. butter (separate)
1/8 tsp. salt
1/3 cup milk

Filling:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 cup sliced carrots
1 cup frozen green peas
1/2 cup sliced celery
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup, condensed
½ tsp. celery seed
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 can (14oz) chicken broth

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Chicken:
In a skillet, place oil, minced garlic, onion salt, black pepper, and 1 lb chicken which has been cubed.
Cook on medium to high heat until cooked through. Drain and leave in strainer for future use.
Crust:
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ground sage, salt, cold butter, and milk. Form into a ball, roll out.
Using skillet from the chicken, add carrots, celery, and onion. Pour in enough broth to cover the vegetables. Set left over broth aside for future use.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes.
In the same bowl used to prepare the crust, combine chicken, carrots, onion, celery, frozen peas, condensed soup, celery seed, pepper, salt, garlic powder. Add left over chicken broth until the desired consistency is reached.
Lightly grease a 9”x9“dish. Place mixture in bottom. Place crust on top and brush with egg whites or butter.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly.
Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1&1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the bananas, vanilla and eggs.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. Add to the bread mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan.

4. Bake at 350F. Check on the bread after 35 minutes (it may take up to 60 minutes). Banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the banana bread in the pan for 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

Easy, Breezy, Lasagna

Ingredients: 

16 pieces (about 16 oz.) lasagna noodles, uncooked
1 pound ground beef
1 & 1/2 jar (about 35 oz.) spaghetti sauce
1/2 cup water
16 ounces ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 teaspoons chopped oregano
2 teaspoons chopped basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1. In large skillet, brown meat; drain.

2. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water; simmer 10 minutes. (I always add extra sauce and meat, it makes it WAY better =)

3. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Lay flat on foil to cool.

4. Heat oven to 350°F.

5. In large bowl, stir together ricotta cheese, 1 & 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, oregano, basil, garlic, salt and pepper.

6. Spread about 1/3 cup meat sauce on bottom of 13 x 9 glass baking dish. Arrange 4 pasta pieces lengthwise over sauce, overlapping edges. Spread one-third cheese mixture over pasta; spread with about 3/4 cup meat sauce.

7. Repeat layers, beginning and ending with pasta. Top with remaining meat sauce; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese and additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

8. Cover with foil. Bake 45 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove foil; bake about 10 minutes longer, or until lightly browned. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Chicken Parmesean

Ingredients

4 boneless chicken breasts, pounded to 1/2 inch thickness

1 egg
1/2 cup milk

seasoned bread crumbs

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

8 slices mozzarella cheese, or more

1 jar (16 oz) spaghetti sauce

Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Whisk together the egg and milk. Dip the chicken breasts in milk and egg mixture and then in bread crumbs. 
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken in the hot oil on both sides until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Set chicken in a baking dish. 
3. Slice 8 pieces of mozzarella cheese and put two on each chicken breast. 
4. Pour 1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce over all. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and a little more mozzarella.
5. Bake at 350° for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly.