Cowboy Casserole

It's been a long time since I have posted! I am sorry....life gets busy, family gets sick and the computer takes a backseat! So did my family's dinner menu. I realized I was fixing the same thing over and over again. I have heard it said the average family eats the same five things every week. YUCK! I don't want that for my family! BUT I am tired and I don't have very much time or resources for new recipes!

I decided to pull up my big girl panties and try something new. It was mostly made up out of my head after looking at several old cookbooks and not liking what I saw.  I wanted something quick, in the skillet and that ever one would like. This is what I came up with:

Brown the following in a very large skillet:

(2) pounds of ground chuck (poor Chuck)
(1) medium onion, chopped
(1) medium green pepper, diced

Drain fat from the hamburger after it is completely done and put back in skillet. (Your skillet should be on medium heat.)

Drain the following and add to the hamburger:

(1) can of pinto beans
(1) can of black beans (rinse them first)

Stir this into the hamburger and then add the following:
(1) teaspoon garlic salt
(1) teaspoon chipoltle chili powder
(2) teaspoons chili powder (regular kind, nothing fancy)

Next add to regular size cans of diced tomatoes WITH their juice and stir.
Now add the following:

(2) cups of Minute Rice with (2) cups of hot water.

Stir and bring all to a boil.  Cover and reduce heat, stirring occasionally. Cook for approximately 10 minutes or so until rice is cooked and juices have reduced.

Serve on a plate circled with Frito corn chips and sprinkled liberally with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and shredded pepper jack cheese.

 

Chili....really quick!

Last night I was smart and sorted through a rather large bag of pinto beans, got out all the rocks, rinsed them and put them in my crock pot (turned off) to soak all night.  Even smarter, I remembered them this morning! Rinsed them off again, put them back in the crock pot and this time turned it on at the 8 hour setting and went to work!

When I got home at 4:00 today I was greeted with a large pot of pintos that were soft and yummy.  I put in a stick of butter and let that melt.  While this was melting, in a separate pot on the stove I put in a pound of ground chuck (poor chuck) and an onion, chopped to cook.  I also added about four cloves of garlic, smashed and minced.  Once the chuck (poor chuck) was done, I added two small cans of Hunt's Tomato paste and some of the liquid from my crock pot of pintos.  I also added chili powder and my very favorite chipoltle chili powder, more beans and liquid from the crock pot and one can of V-8 tomato/veggie juice. 

This has blended into a very flavorful, tomato-ey chili.  While it simmers on the stove and deepens in flavor, I threw in a batch of cornbread.  All of this delicious food is heading to the nursing home.  I know my sweet momma and  Uncle Buck will enjoy the homemade food.  Well....not ALL of it is going.  I have to feed teenagers and the hubs too!  It was fast and it is healthy and that makes me a happy mom!