Homemade Chili

In front of my grocery store there are giant crates of apples and pumpkins from local farms. Yesterday I got chilly and bundled up in a sweatshirt and thick socks. I bought a pair of boots. Fall is here! I love it. Since tomorrow is officially the first day of Fall, this seemed like the perfect time to make a pot of homemade chili and some cornbread. It was easy and delicious!

Homemade Chili

2 tsp oil
1 clove garlic, minced (buy jarred minced garlic)
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans
1 Tbs chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and sautee until onion is clear and tender. Add ground beef and brown. Pour in the rest of the ingredients and stir to mix. Heat on low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Recipe adapted from several recipes on Allrecipes.com.

Sweet Cornbread

I've never made cornbread before and I couldn't believe how easy it was! And it turned out really delicious... with little to no effort. Amazing. Definitely making this again.

Sweet Cornbread

1 1/2 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 Tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 Tbs butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then whisk together to form a smooth batter. Pour in a greased 9x13 pan, bake for 30-35 minutes until edges are golden brown. Delicious served with honey butter!

Recipe from Kathryn at Wire Whisk.

Orange Dream Shakes

We've been into these shakes lately, we've made them quite a few times in the last couple weeks. They taste like an Orange Julius, or an Orange Dreamsicle. Hang onto those last fleeting moments of summer and make this. (Okay, summer is over, but you can still enjoy a nice smoothie.)

Orange Dream Shakes

3/4 cup vanilla ice cream
3-5 ice cubes
3/4-1 cup orange juice
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
3 Tbs powdered sugar

Blend all ingredients until smooth, adding enough orange juice to create your preferred thickness. Serves 2.

Tortellini Primavera

This was a yummy dish, I am a sucker for spinach and I always feel healthier when eating it. Even when it's covered in cream cheese and served with cheese-filled pasta. This was yummy and very filling! I actually used tortellini with meat and it was delicious. If you notice that there are no mushrooms in my picture, it's because I didn't have any. I would highly recommend following the recipe and using mushrooms, it really completes the dish! Yum!

Tortellini Primavera

1 cup mushrooms, chopped
½ cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbs butter {or margarine}
10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz. cream cheese
1 tomato, chopped
¼ cup milk
¼ cup parmesan cheese
1 tsp Italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste
family size cheese-filled tortellini {1 pound}, cooked and drained

Heat butter in a skillet. Add mushrooms, onion and garlic and sautee until onion is clear and tender and mushrooms are cooked. Add all remaining ingredients except tortellini. Heat and stir until all have melted together and are well blended. Cook until the mixture just begins to bubble, stirring occasionally. Stir in tortellini.

Recipe from Annie's Eats.

Fried Rice

This recipe was born out a necessity to make a meal out of frozen pot stickers from Costco. I feel like a bad wife if all we have for dinner is pot stickers and dipping sauce (although I won't lie and tell you that's never happened). We had leftover rice in the fridge, which is just what you need to make fried rice. Leftover, slightly dried-out rice is best for frying. The result turned out delicious!

Fried Rice

2 eggs
1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup day-old cooked rice
1/2 cup frozen peas and carrots
2 slices deli ham, diced
2-3 Tbs Mr. Yoshidas sauce (I buy it at Costco)
1 Tbs soy sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste

Heat a skillet over medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and scramble eggs. Remove scrambled eggs and increase heat to medium-high. Heat oil and add rice. Cook for 1 or 2 minutes, stirring frequently to fry rice. Add eggs and the rest of the ingredients back to skillet. Continue stirring to heat through. Add sauce and seasonings as needed. If you don't have Mr. Yoshida's, I'm sure soy sauce mixed with maybe a bit of brown sugar would be good. I do love my Yoshida's, though.

Orange Chicken

I like this because it tastes awesome but it doesn't involve deep-frying, which makes my house stink like oil and is also bad for me. One important thing to remember: buy real oranges for the juice. I didn't read the recipe very thoroughly and bought orange juice, then started cooking and realized I was supposed to use the zest from real oranges. Oops! It turned out well but I wish I would've had orange zest to add more orange flavor. We really liked this dish!

Orange Chicken

2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2″ cubes
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons oil or butter

1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon finely minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons green onion
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Heat oven to 350. In a shallow dish combine the flour, garlic powder and pepper. Dip each piece of chicken in flour mixture and coat evenly.

Pour oil (or melt butter and pour) in a shallow baking dish, large enough to accommodate chicken in a single layer. Arrange chicken in pan and bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine water, fresh orange juice, rice vinegar, soy sauce, orange zest and whisk over medium heat for a few minutes. Then stir in brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and green onion and let it come to a boil. Combine cornstarch with water and let it dissolve and add it to the sauce until thickened.

After chicken has baked the 30 minutes, turn each piece over and pour 1/2 sauce mixture evenly over chicken. Bake another 30 to 40 minutes basting frequently.

Serve chicken over rice with sliced green onions on top and extra sauce on the side.

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe.