Award winning Chili..

I won first place at a chili cook off with this recipe..Its super duper good!! Its my Mother in laws recipe..

#1 Chili Winner

you can make as little or as much as you want I will give you the basic ingredients and then adjust to how much you want to make..Basic recipe feeds 4-6 people..

1 can 14.5 oz Kidney beans drained and rinsed well
1 can 14.5 oz.Ranch style beans
1 Lg. Can of Chili Con Carne
1 lb. Hamburger cooked and drained, you can cook with onion if you like onions
1 lb. sausage cooked and drained
1- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 pk. Taco seasoning

Combine all ingredients and cook slow to heat through
you can adjust the amounts of beans if you like more beans add more..I don't like lots of beans in my chili so I stick to the recipe pretty close..Hope you enjoy the chili on a cold and chilly day or a well air conditioned house..

Joshua's Famous Beef Stew.

Here is Joshua's Stew Recipe: (he said I could share it)

3 pounds Beef 
2 med. white onions (according to Josh they have to be white)
1 glove garlic minced
Saute' top ingredients on med heat, he does it right in the pan he's using for stew.
Then add 2 cups water
2 bay leaves
1/2 T. black pepper
1 t. salt
1 t. paprika
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce 
Bring to boil and then simmer on low for 1  1/2 hours
Add 6  carrots sliced 
6 potatoes diced
2 stalks of celery
cook another 40 min. on low
You won't be disappointed..YUM..
Serve with rolls or garlic bread
He's taking after his Grandpa Peck!!

Some Mummy Loves You..

These are soooo cute..i love them and will be making them for special Trick or Treaters, there all special but some are extra special..check them out.. Go Here

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

8 servings
Ingredients:

4 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cooked, boneless chicken breast halves, shredded
1 (6.2 ounce) package Uncle Ben's fast cooking long grain and wild rice with seasoning packet
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter
2 cups heavy cream (you can substitute up to one cup with milk)
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
a tbls or two of olive oil



Directions 
1. Saute the onion, carrots and celery with a little olive oil and garlic.

2. In a large pot over medium heat, combine broth, water, chicken and sauteed vegetables. Bring just to boiling, then stir in rice, reserving seasoning packet. Cover and remove from heat. 

3. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper and flour. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in contents of seasoning packet until mixture is bubbly. Reduce heat to low, then stir in flour mixture by tablespoons, to form a roux. Whisk in cream, a little at a time, until fully incorporated and smooth. Cook until thickened, 5 minutes. 

4. Stir cream mixture into broth and rice. Cook over medium heat until heated through, 10 to 15 minutes. 
  
I double this recipe because there are a lot of us and the leftovers are wonderful. Just thin it out with a little milk and it taste just as good as they day you made it.

Wonderful Little Walnut cakes..

Wonderful Little Walnut cakes;

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, stiffly whipped
4 eggs, well beaten
1 cup ground walnuts
1 cake mix (yellow or white)
1 jar (12 oz.) raspberry preserves


Fold cream into eggs.  Stir walnuts into cake mix.  Fold dry ingredients into egg and whipped cream mixture on third at a time. Fill greased muffin pans half full (do not use paper liners, use foil liners or grease muffin pan).  Bake 12 to16 min. at 350 degrees.  To serve, invert and cut each cake in half horizontally to create two layers.  Spread one tsp. preserves between the two layers.  Top with a Tablespoon of frosting, allowing some to run down the sides.. Garnish with a fresh berry and mint leaf, or a dime sized dollop of preserves. 

Walnut Cake Frosting:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream, stiffly whipped
1 pgk. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 t. salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine cream cheese, sugar, salt and vanilla.  Fold into whipped cream.

Bloomn' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread

Bloomin' Onion Bread 1 unsliced loaf of (round is preferable) sourdough bread 1 pound Monterey Jack cheese, thinly sliced 1/2 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup finely diced green onion, including white part 2-3 tsp poppy seeds Directions: Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions.  Do not cut through the bottom                                                                                                                                                                           crust. Places slices of cheese between cuts. Mix together butter, onion, and poppy seeds.                                                                                                                                                                                              Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire thing in foil and place on a baking sheet.                                                                                                                                                                                                    Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake 10 more minutes, or until cheese is melted. yourhomebasedmom.com Made this the other night and it is so good and super easy to make..I served it with soup...YUM

Pumpkin Cupcake

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Tis the season for great Fall recipes! Take a look at this awesome attraction, a Pumpkin Pie in a Cupcake. We’re looking at a miniature pumpkin pie baked right into a cream cheese vanilla cupcake, topped with a generous amount of cinnamon cream cheese buttercream and a little cinnamon-sugar pie crust disc. (Thx BakeItInACake)

Recipe from BakeItInACake:

For the pumpkin pies you’ll need:

1 batch of your favorite pie crust dough (Don’t have a favorite? Use pre-made refrigerated dough, it will work well too.)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin pie filling, prepared according to the can’s directions (or you can make your pie filling from scratch, you overachiever, you—either way, you’ll need enough for one pie).

For the cupcakes you’ll need:

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 c. granulated sugar
3 eggs
2 t. vanilla
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 1/3 c. whole milk
2 1/2 c. flour

For the buttercream you’ll need:

2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 c. powdered sugar
1 c. Hershey’s cinnamon chips (or any cinnamon chips you like)
splash of whole milk

Directions:

Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees (F).

First, prepare the pumpkin pies. Mix up the pumpkin pie mix according to the can’s directions (or make your own-fancy!). Roll out the pie crust dough and cut it into small circles that are large enough to cover the bottom and sides of mini cupcake tins (I used the opening of a small juice glass as a cutter).

Press the dough into the lightly greased mini cupcake tins, and then fill them with the pumpkin pie mix. (Don’t go all the way to the top, the filling will expand a little while baking.)

Bake the pies for about 7 minutes at 425 degrees (F), and then turn the oven down to 350 degrees (F) and bake them for another 10 minutes or so, until the crust is brown and the filling is completely set.

After taking them out of the oven, cool them on a wire rack for about 10 minutes, then take them out of the pan and allow them to cool further while you mix up the batter.

For the cupcake batter, combine the butter and the cream cheese together on medium speed for about 90 seconds—you want the ingredients to be well incorporated. Then mix in the sugar until the mixture is fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Then mix in the milk and the flour, alternating between the two ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, to make sure everything is getting well-mixed—beat again on med-high speed for about a minute. It should be smooth and creamy.

Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter into regular-sized, paper-lined cupcake tins. Plop a cooled pumpkin pie into the center, and press gently into the batter. GENTLY. You don’t want it to touch to the bottom of the pan.

Cover the pies with another heaping tablespoon of batter, so the top and sides are completely covered.

Bake at 350 degrees (F) for about 25 minutes, until the cake is set and the edges and tops of the cupcakes have turned golden brown.

Allow them to cool in the cupcake tray for atleast 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack—they’ll be a little fragile at first.

Once the cakes are cool, frost ‘em!

To make the buttercream, melt down the cinnamon chips with a splash of whole milk. Pop ‘em in the microwave for about 45 seconds on high. Stir until all the chips are melted, and allow it to cool a bit while you whip up the rest of the frosting (you can put the bowl in the fridge, it’ll cool faster that way, and the milk will keep it from solidifying).

Cream together the butter and cream cheese until they’re well incorporated. Then whip in the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, until the mixture is smooth and creamy. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the cooled cinnamon chip “ganache” (if it’s too hot it’ll melt the buttercream and ruin it—you don’t want that). Put in about half, then stop to taste it and decide if you’d like to add more. Some like it strong, others like it milder.

If  you have any pie crust left over, roll it out and cut smaller discs and sprinkle them with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar. Bake ‘em for about 10 minutes at 350 and look at that, a cute and tasty cupcake topper!

You can also try candied pecans or a drizzle of caramel on top. Tasty!

Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Image borrowed from Uniquely Tea

Items needed to make Pumpkin Crunch Cake:

1 (15 oz) can pumpkin puree

1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

4 eggs

1 1/2 Cups sugar

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon salt

1 (18.25oz) package yellow cake mix

1 Cup chopped pecans

1 Cup margarine, melted

1 (8 oz) container frozen whipped topping. Thawed.

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 350 degree’s.- Lightly grease one 9×13 inch baking pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and salt.  Mix well, and spread into the prepared pan.

3. Sprinkle cake mix over the top of the pumpkin mixture, and pat down. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over the cake mix, then drizzle with melted margarine.

4. Bake 60 to 80 min, or until done.  (mine gets done in 60min)

Top with whipped topping when ready to serve.

I just use the spray whip.

Enjoy!

Witches Night out..

My hunted houses..are you scared yet.....



Witches Night Out..
When you see a witch passing in front of the moon, she isn't riding just any broom.  A witch's broom is called a Besom.  It has a tree limb for a broomstick, twigs for bristles, and  flexible branches securing the twigs to the handle.  Invite your very nicest "witch" friends or family to fly their besoms over to celebrate your friendship with a whimsical Halloween Party..

Ideas:
Pumpkin possibilities:  Spray paint a pumpkin with 14-carat gold spray paint, available at craft stores.. Cover the entire surface, or merely dust the tops of the pumpkins.  Leave plain, or decorate around the stem with flowers or a festive ribbon.
A few weeks before the party, invite your friends or family and ask them to think of a service they would be willing to auction off at the party.  For instance: babysitting, computer help, ect.  Have everyone fill out a Certificate of Service paper stating the service that they will offer for the auction.. Conduct the service auction. Give everyone 15 beans to use for bidding.
Make Favors beforehand:
Trinket balls: secure one end of a roll of Halloween colored crepe paper to a 3 or 4 inch Styrofoam ball with a stright  pin or tape.  Wind the paper tightly around the ball and tuck trinkets (available at novelty and craft stores) in between the paper as you round the ball several times.. Then, snip the crepe paper and secure with tape.  Tie a contrasting ribbon around the ball.
Goodie Cones:
Cut 10 inch squares of Halloween colored card stock.  Wind each square into a cone and staple.  Cute across the top to even out the opening.  Punch out two holes on the cone top to thread a ribbon handle through.  Fill with goodies

A buffet works best for this type of party.  Prepare soups in cauldrons and the guests can choose which one they would like. serve soup with broomstick rolls..


Broomstickes:
12 (1/4 diameter) dowels, 18 in. long (washed and dried)
24 frozen dinner rolls, thawed but still cold (thaw in refrigerator)
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 t. garlic salt
1/2 t. dill


Combine butter, garlic salt, and dill in a bowl and let stand to mingle flavors.  Press two rolls together and roll into a rope 12 to 14 inc. long.  Beginning at one end of the dowel, wrap one end of the dough over the end to secure the dough to the dowel..Twist the dough down the dowel about three-quarters the length of the dowel.  Place "broomsticks" on a greased cookie sheet and let rise 30 min.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to15 min. Or until lightly browned.  Remove from oven and generously brush the hot rolls on both sides with the garlic dill butter.  Remove the "broomsticks" from the pan and stand them up in three or four tall sturdy glasses, mugs, or vases.  Serve warm
Yield: 12