Family Favorite Beef and Bean Chili

Chili is one of my family's favorite dinners. Though it took me more than a few tries to find one that pleased everyone!

Ingredients:

1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic, Chopped
1 Tb Canola Oil
1 Can Whole Tomatoes, 28 oz
2 Tb Chili Powder
1 Tb Cumin
1 Tb Garlic Powder
1 Tb Smoked Paprika
1/4 tsp Ground Cayenne Pepper
1 Tb White Vinegar
1 lb Ground Beef
1  Can Black Beans, 15.5 oz
1 Can Pinto Beans, 15.5 oz
1 Can Kidney Beans, 15.5 oz
3/4 cup Frozen Corn Kernels

Equipment:

5 Quart Pot
Blender or Handheld Submersion Blender:  In the directions I discuss using a blender, though I often make it using the handheld because it's easier.   If using a handheld blender then you would brown the meat first, drain, then remove to another bowl while you build the sauce.  After you blend in the pot add the beef back in.


Directions:

1. Rough chop garlic and onion and saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.



2. Add the salt, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika and ground cayenne pepper and can of tomatoes.  Crush the tomatoes with your hand before you put them into the pot.  Cook until onions are soft about 15 minutes. 

3. Remove the sauce to the blender and blend until smooth. 




4. While the sauce is blending, saute the beef in the sauce pan until browned.  Once cooked through add the blended sauce back to the pot.




5. Taste and adjust seasonings. (Add more salt if tastes flat)

6. Add all of the beans and corn and cook on low for 20 minutes so that flavors get a chance to meld together. 

7. Serve with some corn bread and enjoy!

Apple Cobbler

With this past year's wonky weather we were lucky to squeeze in an apple picking trip before this year's short season ended.

Now, with all of these delicious apples on hand it was time to add the beautiful smell of them baking into the house.  Max and I had different opinions about which form our baked apples would take.  He wanted pie and I wanted crisp (because I'm lazy and was so not into rolling out dough) so we compromised and settled on Cobbler.  The best of both worlds!

Apple Filling:

8 (or so) medium apples
1/2 cup Apple Cider
1/4 cup Flour
1/2 cup Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
3 Tb Butter

Cobbler Topping:

1 1/3 cup Flour
2 Tb Sugar
1 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
5 Tb Butter, cold and unsalted
1/2 cup Milk


1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Wash and peel your apples.  Slice them up and put into an unbuttered 9 x 12 " baking dish and pour apple cider over the top.



2. Mix together flour, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg (use apple filling measurements) and sprinkle over the top of the apples.  Stir gently to distribute evenly.

3. Cut up 3 Tb of butter and lay over the top of the apples.

4. For the cobbler topping, use the same bowl that you mixed the apple filling flour mixture in.  Add the flour, sugar and baking powder (using the cobbler measurements) and give a quick mix.

5. Cut up the 5 Tb of butter very small and cut butter into the flour mixture. 

    (This can be done with two knives, a pastry cutter or my preferred method is to take a fork and my fingers and quickly break up the butter into the flour until you have pea sized pebbles of butter evenly distributed through the flour.)



6. Add milk and stir about 10 times until just incorporated. 



7.  This is where you can take some creative freedom:  You can, using a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough and cut whatever shapes you'd like to cover the top of the cobbler or you can drop the biscuits freestyle over the top.  You can also do an egg or milk wash and sprinkle with sugar for added pizazz.

As this was a family collaborative dessert and I wasn't about to add any unnecessary steps, we chose to go rustic this time and drop them over the top.



8.  Bake for 50 minutes until browned and delicious!



Top with some vanilla ice cream and enjoy!