Crockpot Pumpkin Chili

When I first made this a couple of years ago it needed salt, and I was only somewhat impressed.  This time I bumped the salt up, changed the brand of broth I use- only because the store had ZERO cans or boxes of any beef broth except for what was in with the Campbell's soup display- substituted pinto for kidney beans (hey, I'm in Texas, for crying out loud, it's pintos all the way!), and chose a larger can of chopped green chilis.  Wowsers!  It was so flavorful I didn't even top my bowl with Fritos and cheese the way I always do (or the second bowl)!  Now, for full disclosure, I did use leftover black beans that I had cooked from scratch a few days ago and they were already seasoned.  Any changes I made are reflected here in the recipe as it is posted below.  I don't want to forget what I did today!

*Just in case you have never used Spike Seasoning, I have included a photo of what to look for.  I found it on the bottom shelf in my HEB, near the non-salt seasonings.  It is worth trying if you've never used it- even if you only use it for this recipe!

2-3 tsp. olive oil                                 
1 lb. ground beef

1 1/2 tsp. salt 

1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
1 medium onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
5 cloves minced garlic
1 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground Ancho chili pepper 

(or use a little more chili powder if you don't have this)
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. Spike Seasoning 1-7 oz. can diced green chili peppers

2 cans Campbell's beef broth
1 can (15 oz. can) pinto beans, rinsed with cold water
2 cans (15 oz. cans) black beans, rinsed with cold water
1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz. can, not pumpkin pie filling!)
2 cans petite diced tomatoes with juice (14.5 oz. cans)
grated cheese for serving if desired

Fritos for serving if desired

Heat a small amount of oil in a large heavy frying pan, add ground beef, season with salt and fresh ground black pepper, and cook until the beef is well browned. Add browned meat to the crockpot.

Add a little more oil to the frying pan, add diced onion and green bell pepper and cook 2-3 minutes, until the onion and pepper is just starting to soften. Add minced garlic, ground cumin, chili powder, ground Ancho chili pepper, dried oregano, Spike Seasoning and diced green chiles and sauté a couple minutes more. Put the onion mixture into the crockpot, then deglaze the pan with the beef stock and add that to crockpot.

While onions and peppers are cooking, drain the beans into a colander placed in the sink and rinse with cold water until no more foam appears. (This removes excess starchiness and makes the beans easier to digest.) Add beans to the crockpot. Add canned pumpkin and diced tomatoes with juice.

Stir the mixture to combine ingredients, then cook on high for 4-6 hours, (or 8-10 hours on low) stirring a few times if you're home.

Serve hot, topped with grated cheese and Fritos  if desired. This chili will be even better after it's been in the fridge overnight, and also freezes well.

Basic Pancakes

 (My Grand Sous Chef)

This is the basic pancake recipe that I have used for the past 26 years or so.  So very simple that buying a mix is almost pointless.  With variations on the recipe you can have any number of flavors, from fruit and nuts, to sweet potato or pumpkin.  Throw in the optional ingredients or keep it simple, these pancakes make a terrific breakfast— or whichever meal you choose!

Pecan Granola

My daughter Kate sent this recipe to me.  It was one of the first things that she made in the kitchen of the first real home that she has moved into since she started college years ago and rented mere rooms (for the most part) to live in.  She is now delighting in setting up a home, and the smell of this granola roasting in the oven made her new place feel all the more "homey."  This particular recipe for granola came from our dear friend, Wanita, for whose friendship I am so grateful to the Lord.

Serve this with yogurt and fresh fruit for a wonderful breakfast. 

Polpettine di Manzo in Umido con Piselli

My favorite recipe for meatballs.  I only recently carried through and made the sauce as well, and it is delicious!  This comes from my favorite Italian cookbook, Biba Caggiano's Trattoria Cooking, and I hope to cook my way through from cover to-cover someday!

Wonderful Hummus

This can be served as a dip with pita bread, pita crisps, Triscuit© crackers, or colorful veggie wedges such as tomato, bell pepper, and cucumber. Serving crumbled feta cheese and olives on the side is nice too. Great party dip!

Figgy Jams

Picking anything at Uncle Pat's place in the Texas Hill Country means I had better be prepared to deal with the abundant consequences.  When we went out to pick figs I already had my Ball Blue Book of Preserving out with the recipe for Fig Jam marked and the needed ingredients were in the house.  

Choose figs that are ripe, very ripe, and not quite ripe, but discard those that have gone beyond ripe and now smell punky or fermented.  Wash them and cut off any bad spots.  These recipes are for 5-pound batches of figs, so measure your fruit out into approximately 5-pound lots.  Since figs have their own natural pectin and there is no need to add powdered or liquid pectin you can vary the amount of fruit slightly, but keep in mind the size of your pot and the number of canning supplies and  jars you have prepared.

The “Mothership” Tomato Salad

I learned this from Jamie Oliver- one of my favorite chefs.  As with many of his dishes, this recipe is not precisely measured- go with the flow!