Lick-the-spoon Good Chili

A hearty bowl of chili warms the body and soul and it's healthy.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean – ground beef
• 1 16 ounce jar of green salsa or enchilada sauce
• 1 15 ounce can of red kidney beans – ( rinse the beans)
• 1 large Chopped red bell pepper
• 6 Chopped cloves garlic
• 1 large Chopped onion
• 2 tsp. Ground cumin
• Cayenne pepper to taste
• Chilli powder to taste
• 1/4 cup Water

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan, cook the onion, beef and bell pepper at medium temperatures. Ensure that the meat is crumbled so as to facilitate the cooking. Cook until the meat has attained a brown color and is thoroughly cooked.
2. To this add the garlic, cumin, chilli powder and cayenne pepper. Stir well until the spices reach every part of the mixture, then pour in the salsa and the water, mixing well.
3. Reduce the temperature to medium-high heat and cook the beef, keeping it covered. Stir occasionally and cook until the beef and the vegetables soften, then add the red kidney beans to the mixture and cook for about a minute. Serve hot!

Happy Cooking ☺

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Svizzere Hamburgers

Italians have a long tradition of using ground beef in imaginative ways, so it should really come as no surprise that they’ve also applied their cooking skills to patties of ground beef, which are called svizzere (Swiss) in Italian.

The ground beef is seasoned with aromatics and cheese, and mixed with bread to give it a softer texture, then browned in a skillet and served with a sauce - giving it delicious results.

Svizzere Hamburger

Ingredients:

For the patties:

• 500g (1 lb.) ground beef (or 4 beef patties)
• 1 slice of best-quality bread, crust removed, cut into cubes, soaked in milk to cover and squeezed dry
• 1 medium onion or 2 shallots, minced and sautéed in butter until soft
• 100g grated parmesan cheese
• 1 egg
• A handful of chopped parsley
• A scrape or two of nutmeg
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the browning and sauce:

• Olive oil and/or butter
• 1 spoonful of flour
• 1 cup of rich beef broth
• 2 cups of cream

For finishing the dish:

• A splash of sherry
• More chopped parsley

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients for the patties in a large bowl and mix them thoroughly with wooden spoon until smooth and uniform. (If you find the mixture a bit too soft or wet to handle easily, you can add a bit more cheese or bread to stiffen it a bit.) Form the mixture into four round, flat patties.  Sauté the patties in a sauté pan in a combination of oil and butter until they are nicely browned on both sides. Remove the patties from the pan. 
2. Add a heaping spoonful of flour to the pan and let it cook in the fat for a minute or two. You can let it turn a light brown if you like. Then add the broth, whisking vigorously so it incorporates the flour well. Let the broth come to the simmer; it will thicken up a bit. Then add the cream, mix well, and add back the patties.
3. Let the whole dish simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the sauce has reduced considerably and the patties are done through.  A few minutes before serving, add a splash of sherry and some chopped parsley to the sauce.

Serve your hamburgers immediately, with the sauce on top  and some nice crusty bread or a few steamed baby potatoes on the side.

Note:

You can add vegetables—mushrooms for example—to this dish to add more interest. Add the sliced or chopped vegetables to the fat after removing the beef patties and sauté until they are nicely softened and brown, the proceed to add the flour and continue the recipe from there.

Happy Cooking ☺

Pasta Beef and Mushroom Soup

Welcome your family to dinner with a pot of bubbling, flavor-packed soup. It's made easy with this Homemade Hamburger Helper sauce mix.

Pasta Beef and Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

·         1 lb. lean ground beef

·         1/2 cup chopped onion

·         6 cups hot water

·         1/2 cup Home Made Hamburger Helper sauce Mix

·         1 ½ Cups Flat Noodle Pasta

·         1/2 tsp dried basil leaves, crushed

·         1/8 tsp pepper

·         2 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped

·         1/2 cup canned mushroom pieces and stems, drained

·         2 tbsp.  Dry red wine, if desired

·         2 tbsp.  Chopped fresh parsley

Home Made Hamburger Helper Sauce Mix

Save money while using homemade ingredients when you make this homemade hamburger helper sauce mix.

·         1 1/4 teaspoons black pepper

·         1 tablespoon garlic powder

·         2 tablespoons dried parsley

·         1/3 cup instant onion

·         3 tablespoons onion powder

·         1 tablespoon salt

·         1 2/3 cups non-fat dry milk powder

·         3 1/2 tablespoons beef bouillon granules

Yield: 5 1/2 cup servings

1.       Combine mix ingredients.

2.       Store in a food safe storage bag.

3.       Seal and label bag for future use

Preparation:

1.       In 4-quart Dutch oven, cook beef and onion over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.

2.       Stir in hot water, ½ cup homemade sauce mix, basil, pepper and garlic. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly.

3.       Reduce heat. Cover; simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in uncooked pasta, mushrooms and wine. Cover; cook 10 minutes longer. Stir in parsley.

Happy Cooking ☺