Soup Weather!

Fall!  My favorite season.  The cool, crisp air, the smells and the days getting shorter bring many things to mind - buying school supplies, raking and burning leaves, walking along with the crunch leaves under my feet and most of all - SOUP!

I love to make soup and find that the one that everyone asks me to make the most is my chili.  My chili recipe is not a closely-guarded family secret.  It's just old-fashioned chili that anyone with basic cooking skills can make.  This makes a large pot of chili so, if you're not going to can it, be prepared to have some friends over and share.

Peace out all and happy cooking!

SEAN'S CHILI

5 lbs. ground beef (or venison, if you prefer - or a combination of both)
2 C. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 pints home-canned Italian Tomato Sauce OR 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1/2 C. chili powder (more or less to taste)
1 1/2 T. salt
3/4 T. ground black pepper
1 hot red pepper, finely chopped OR 1 t. cayenne pepper
1 t. cumin seed
3 qts. home-canned tomato juice OR 3 46 oz. cans store-bought tomato juice
1 large can Brooks "hot" chili beans (omit if you are canning)

In a large stockpot, combine onion, garlic, chili powder, salt, black pepper, red pepper (or cayenne) and cumin seed.  Brown meat in large skillet - you will probably have to split it and cook in two pans.  Drain excess fat and place in stockpot with seasonings.  Add tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes and the juice (and beans if you are not going to can the chili).  Stir will and simmer for at 20 minutes (if you are going to can it or until you are ready to eat).

FOR CANNING: skim off excess fat, if necessary, before canning.  Ladle hot chili into sterilized quart jars, leaving 1-inch headspace, seal and process for 90 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam pressure canner.  When you are ready to serve, add cooked or canned pinto or kidney beans (or "hot" chili beans); heat and serve.

Creamed Corn Cornbread

I was looking for a good cornbread recipe the other day and found this one.  I've only baked this in my cast iron skillet but I'm sure that you could modify it to back in whatever "dish" you prefer.

This recipe is courtesy of Alton Brown of The Food Network and it is fantastic - great with soup or just to eat a piece as a snack!

Peace out all and happy cooking!

CREAMED CORN CORNBREAD

2 C. yellow cornmeal
1 t. salt
1 T. sugar
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1 C. buttermilk
2 eggs
1 C. creamed corn
2 T. butter or canola oil

Preheat oven to 425 and place a 10" cast iron skillet in the oven.  In a bowl, combine cornmeal, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.  Whisk together to combine well.  In a large bowl, combine buttermilk, eggs and creamed corn, whisking together to combine thoroughly.  Add dry ingredients and stir to combine.

Place butter in hot skillet to melt and swirl to coat (or swirl canola oil in hot skillet).  Pour the batter into skillet and bake until the cornbread is golden brown and springs back upon the touch - about 20 minutes.

Italian Tomato Sauce

Throughout the summer I was able to find a wealth of tomatoes at the farmers' market.  Growing up with in a family that always had gardens, fresh tomatoes were always plentiful.  Since I don't have much of a yard, going to the farmers' market assures me that I can have home-grown tomatoes all season long.

I've been canning for a few years now (thanks to my grandmother who taught me how to master this art), and have searched out recipes that would allow me to enjoy the wonderful tomatoes that I found at the farmers' market - well into the winter while the snow is flying.  

I found this recipe in the 100th Anniversary edition of the "Ball Blue Book".  It's called a "sauce" but I would say that it has the consistency of stewed tomatoes.  It's flavorful, versatile and FABULOUS!

Peace out all and happy cooking!

ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE

4 quarts tomatoes - cored, peeled, seeded and chopped (about 24 large)

1 C. chopped celery (about 2 stalks)

1/2 C. chopped onion (about 1/2 medium)

1/4 C. chopped green pepper (about 1/4 medium)

1 T. basil

1 T. oregano

1 T. minced parsley

2 t. crushed red pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large sauce pot.  Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.  Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1-inch headspace.  Remove air bubbles.  Adjust two-piece caps.  Process pints for 20 minutes, quarts for 25 minutes, at 10 pounds pressure in a steam-pressure canner.  Yield: about 7 pints or 3 quarts.

Starting up...

Well, I'm going to give this a shot. I'm not really good at keeping up with blogs, journals, diaries and the like...but I'm certainly going to try on this one.

Mainly this blog was inspired by the movie "Julie & Julia".  I'm not going to be cooking my way through "Mastering the Art of French Cooking", but I am going to share some of my favorite recipes.

You may find a few anecdotes along the way also....

Peace out all and happy cooking!