Recipes

Heather emailed me and wanted to get Grandma Brugger's Chili recipe along with my Beef and Barley soup recipe. I thought since we finally had a measurable snow here today - why not? My sister serves my mother's chili on Christmas Day along with fresh tortillas (you can buy almost homemade ones at Walmart out West and then brown them off to taste fresh as homemade) along with tamales. This year sometime I am going to learn how to make tamales before the family moves from the ward. Even if we don't get them done before Christmas - we will have New Year tamales instead. Then I will practice and be able to pass the tradition on to the rest of my family. Anyway here is my mom's chili. Oh, you will need a big pot or half the recipe - it makes a huge pot full. But it also freezes well.

Carolyn Brugger's Chili
2 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
2 - 3 quarts tomato juice or V-8 juice
2 pounds kidney dried kidney or pinto beans
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 large onion, minced fine or 1/4 cup dried onion
1 1/2 Tablespoons salt
1 Tablespoon black pepper
2-4 Tablespoons chili powder (depends on how much heat you can stand)
1/2 Tablespoon Cajun Seasoning (optional

Soak the beans overnight or bring the beans to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Take off the heat and let sit for 1 hour. Drain and rinse the beans in cold water. Bring 2 quarts of the tomato juice to a boil. Add the ground beef, beans, onion, and all of the seasonings to the pot. Sit it on the back of the stove, semi-covered and cook it on medium low heat for 2-6 hours (sea level plays a big role in how long it takes your beans to cook through). Add water or more tomato juice as needed. When the beans are tender - serve.

This can be divided out and frozen for future use. Or have a chili party when you make this. We cannot get the 'almost homemade' tortillas here. I just warm tortillas on the griddle for 30 seconds. If you eat them while they are hot - they taste great. They toast up and get dry if you leave them on the griddle too long, though.

Note: Some people say that if you cook the beans in tomato juice that the beans will react and not cook properly. The beans will not get mushy - they will always be a little al dente - but they taste wonderful.

Beef and Barley Soup
1 pound stew meat - cut into bite size pieces
1/4 cup dried barley
1/2 cup cut up carrots
1/2 cup cut up celery
2 Tablespoon dried onion
1 - 2 cups cut up potatoes
5 cups beef broth

Brown the stew meat in a little bit of vegetable oil or butter. When the meat is browned on most of the sides, add the carrots and celery and cook for a few minutes - until the celery is just starting to get translucent. Add the rest of the vegetables, the barley and the beef broth. Cook on medium/low on the back of the stove for 1-2 hours until the broth has reduced and the meat is tender.

Note: There are times that I make this and find I don't have carrots or celery (Clyde takes them in his lunch and I don't always check). I always keep a bag of frozen mixed vegetables in the freezer. I cook the meat, barley and potatoes (I don't even always use potatoes, I sometimes add rice) until about 45 minutes before the soup will be ready to eat - then I add 2 cups of frozen vegetables. Measurements are not important on this recipe. Add how much or as little of whatever as you want. I don't measure anymore - this was the original guideline.

This soup tastes good and we can have soup whenever, without rushing off to the store. We do eat a lot of soup because nothing tastes better on a cold night than hot soup.

While I am at it - here is another favorite - that is quick and easy

Chicken and Rice Soup
2 cups cut up cooked chicken (I usually simmer 2 chicken breasts in chicken broth and then dice them up when I know I am making this soup. If the chicken hasn't thawed all the way then I cup up the still partially frozen chicken and dump it in the chicken broth of the soup and go on - it will all get cooked anyway).
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery (to chop my vegetables - I run them quickly through my food processor until they are they size I want)
1/2 cup rice
5 cups chicken broth
Dump all of this in the pot. Cook until the liquid is reduced and the rice is cooked through - so at least 30 minutes but as long as 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: When I have leftover broccoli or cauliflower - it gets chopped up and thrown in here too. I have even thrown in chopped up spinach and leftover bell peppers - chopped fine. This is a fast and very warming soup. I am ashamed to say it - but we probably have a variation of this soup at least once a week and sometimes more! I also use leftover rice - but if I use cooked rice then it doesn't get added until just a few minutes before serving. Just cook it long enough to heat it through. Also - measurements are not important on this recipe. If you want more carrots or rice - go for it!

Things I thankful for: crockpots, soups and crusty rolls, a warm place to live.