Spicy steak and black bean chili

I made this chili for the first time while we were camping at Unicoi State Park in Helen, GA in October 2011. We had so much fun on that camping trip. The leaves were changing, the scenery was beautiful, the air was crisp and this chili really hit the spot. I cooked it over a fire that first time, but since then I have found that it is just as good in the crock pot.

Ingredients:
2 lbs boneless top sirloin steak, cubed
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 15.5 oz cans black beans
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
2 4.5 oz cans chopped green chilies
1 large sweet onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 12 oz can beer
1 package chili seasoning kit

Topping suggestions:  shredded cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, diced avocado, sour cream, sliced green onions, chopped fresh cilantro

Saute steak in hot oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 4 to 5 minutes or until browned. Place steak in a lightly greased 6 quart slow cooker, stir in black beans and next 6 ingredients. Stir in packets from chili kit, omitting masa and red pepper packets. Cover and cook on low 8 hours. Serve with desired toppings.

Million Dollar Pie

Million dollar pie is delicious and easy. The first time I had this pie was at my Mother's house. It tasted like a little slice of heaven and we all fell in love. I don't know why it is called million dollar pie. Maybe because it tastes like it should cost a million dollars to make. Or maybe because it tastes as rich as a million dollars. Anyway, it doesn't matter because once you try million dollar pie, you will agree that it is wonderful.

Ingredients:

2 graham cracker pie crusts
1 (14 ounce) can Eagle Brand Condensed Milk
1 (10 ounce) can crushed pineapple
9 ounces Cool Whip
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3/4 cup pecans

Directions:

1 Mix all ingredients.
2 Pour into crusts. Garnish with extra pecans if you wish.
3 Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.

Squash casserole

When I was little, I did not like squash. I thought they were gross. So I never ate squash until I was grown. I don't exactly remember when I started loving squash, but now it is one of my favorite foods.

I originally got this squash recipe from a Southern Living recipe, but I have since lost the magazine that it was in.  I found the exact recipe on the internet at this site:  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/squash-casserole-10000000630066/.

It is such a good recipe that I usually make it as part of our Thanksgiving and Christmas meals and anytime we have a family gathering.  It is easy and doesn't have any strange ingredients.

Recipe from

Ingredients

• 3 pounds yellow squash, sliced $
• 5 tablespoons butter or margarine, divided $
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup) $
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten $
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise $
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 20 round buttery crackers, crushed (about 3/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Cook squash in boiling water to cover in a large skillet 8 to 10 minutes or just until tender. Drain well; gently press between paper towels.
2. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in skillet over medium-high heat; add onion, and sauté 5 minutes or until tender. Remove skillet from heat; stir in squash, cheese, and next 4 ingredients. Spoon mixture into a lightly greased 11- x 7-inch baking dish.
3. Melt remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir together melted butter and crushed crackers; sprinkle evenly over top of casserole.
4. Bake at 350° for 30 to 35 minutes or until set.

Apple pie

Warm apple pie and vanilla ice cream! YUM! I love the smell of apple pie baking in the oven. And the ooey gooey goodness of the apple pie mixing with the vanilla ice cream is a delicious delight.

The other day my daughter said she wanted an apple pie. So I found a recipe and decided to give it a try. This is the recipe I used:  http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/perfect-apple-pie/1fc2b60f-0a4f-441e-ad93-8bbd00fe5334#?st=6&term=perfect%20apple%20pie&ps=9&pi=9

Making an apple pie is not hard. Matter of fact, it's pretty easy. I have found that many things that I assumed were hard have in fact turned out to be easy. So all this time I have been missing out on things just because I thought they were hard. So now I am trying to not assume things and just go ahead and give them a try.

My daughter says this is her favorite pie.

Ingredients:

Crust

1 box Pillsbury® refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box

Filling

6 cups thinly sliced, peeled apples (6 medium)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 Heat oven to 425°F. Place 1 pie crust in ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Press firmly against side and bottom.
• 2 In large bowl, gently mix filling ingredients; spoon into crust-lined pie plate. Top with second crust. Wrap excess top crust under bottom crust edge, pressing edges together to seal; flute. Cut slits or shapes in several places in top crust.
• 3 Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edge of crust with 2- to 3-inch wide strips of foil after first 15 to 20 minutes of baking to prevent excessive browning. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours before serving.

Pumpkin pie

Nothing smells better to me than a pumpkin pie baking in the oven. My all time favorite smell of fall. But even more than the smell of pumpkin pie, I love the taste of pumpkin pie. But I had never tried to make my own pumpkin pie. I always felt I could never make pumpkin pie as good as Granny or Mama. But today I really wanted a pumpkin pie, so I decided to give it a try.

I found this super easy recipe on the internet at: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/perfect-pumpkin-pie/

Ingredients:

1 15 oz can pumpkin
1 14 oz can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 9 in unbaked pie crust

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Whisk pumpkin, sweetened condensed milk, eggs, spices and salt in medium bowl until smooth. Pour into crust. Bake 15 minutes. (After 15 minutes, I put tin foil around the edges of the pie crust to keep it from burning.)
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue baking 35 to 40 minutes or until knife inserted 1 inch from crust comes out clean. Cool. Garnish as desired. Store leftovers covered in refrigerator. 

This pie is so good! My whole family loved it. And now that I know how easy it is to make pumpkin pie, I will be having it all the time!

Chili

One of my very nice co-workers, Mrs. Elizabeth Polk,  asked me the other day if I had a good chili recipe. I told her I thought it was a good recipe. She asked if I would share it. I said "Sure, but do you need measurements?" And she said "Well, measurements are good." I said "That might pose a problem." Because I don't usually measure my ingredients when making chili. And as a result, my chili usually turns out a little differently every time. But one very important thing to remember about chili is this: chili is a dish that is completely customizable to individual tastes. If you don't like one ingredient, you can change it for another or you can completely leave it out. It's not going to hurt the chili. If you don't like spicy chili, you can make it as mild as you like. Or you can make it as hot as you like. But it is very hard to mess up a pot of chili.

Well, Mrs. LizBeth got me thinking about chili. And since the weather is so nice today, I felt it was a good day for chili and measurements and a blog post. LOL!

Now everyone has their own way that they like their chili. I like my chili chunky. And I like for it to have some spice. Not too much spice that it's too hot to eat. But enough spice that it wakes up the taste buds and they dance around a little. I like to let my chili simmer on low all day so that all the flavors can mix together happily. So here is the recipe (with measurements):

1 TBS parsley
1 TBS minced garlic
1 bell pepper, diced
1 banana pepper, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lb hamburger
1 lb ground sausage
2 cans tomatoes
1 can ro-tel tomatoes
2 cans spicy chili beans
1 tsp cayenne red pepper
salt
pepper

Saute the parsley, garlic, bell pepper, banana pepper, and onion in oil of your choice.

In a separate pan, brown the hamburger and ground sausage.

Once it is all browned, drain off the excess grease. Then add the pepper and onion mixture to the hamburger and sausage in a large pot or a crock pot.

Then add the tomatoes and chili beans. Add the red pepper. Salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the pot and let it simmer on medium/low for at least 2 hours. You can let it simmer for as long as you want. And by simmer, I mean that the chili needs to be barely bubbling.

If you put it in a crock pot, just turn it on low and leave it alone and it will be perfect. I like to start my chili in the morning and let it simmer all day. The house smells wonderful and everyone is so ready for chili when it's time to eat.

Peanut butter cups

I have always loved peanut butter cups. And especially if they have been in the refrigerator. Now I have found out that I can make my own. It is not hard to do and they are delicious! This recipe makes 3 dozen. Here are the instructions:

Ingredients:
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
4 cups milk chocolate chips (two 11.5 oz bags)
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
 
Line your mini muffin tins with paper liners. Also line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the peanut butter, butter and brown sugar.

Stir until the mixture is completely melted and begins to slightly bubble. Remove from the heat and stir in the powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until completely combined.

The mixture will be thick at this point. Set aside and let cool.

While that is cooling, melt the chocolate chips and the vegetable shortening in the microwave on 50% power for 30 second intervals until the chocolate chips have melted.

Spool the melted chocolate into the bottom of each lined muffin cup. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

While that is cooling, roll out the peanut butter mixure into little balls and then flatten slightly into a small disc that will fit into each mini muffin cup. Place each disc on the parchment paper lined baking sheet. Put in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the melted chocolate has cooled, place a peanut butter disc on top of the chocolate layer.

Then cover the peanut butter with a spoon full of melted chocolate. Once you have covered each muffin cup with chocolate, put back in the fridge for 30 minutes.

It's just that easy. Now you can enjoy your very own homemade peanut butter cups.

Cheeseburger soup

This is probably the best soup I have had in a long time. This soup will be perfect for a cold night.

Ingredients:
1 lb hamburger
4 or 5 small potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tbs parsley
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 box Velveeta cheese, cubed
2 tbs butter
2 tbs flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream

Brown the hamburger meat until done. Drain the hamburger meat. Place the potatoes, onion, and parsley in a large pot. Cover with the chicken broth. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the browned hamburger meat. Cook until the potatoes are done.

In a saucepan, melt the butter.

Quickly whisk in the flour. Add the milk. Stir.

Once the mixture has thickened (it shouldn't take very long), add the cubed Velveeta cheese.

Stir over medium low heat until the cheese is melted. When the potatoes are done, add the cheese mixture to the hamburger and potato soup.

Heat on medium for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the sour cream. Mix in the sour cream and this soup is ready to eat. So delicious you will want to make it over and over again.

Puppy itchy skin shampoo

My little beagle has itchy skin. I am constantly trying to find a shampoo that will help relieve her itchy skin. I am trying Johnson's Baby Shampoo at the moment. The last time I bathed her, I added a few items to her shampoo. And boy! Her coat is so shiny and soft now and has a nice clean scent. And I have noticed she is itching a lot less. This is what I did:

I poured some shampoo in a bowl. Then I added 2 TBS coconut oil, a splash of witch hazel, a few drops of lavender essential oil, and a splash of organic apple cider vinegar. I mixed it all together and rubbed it in her coat during the bath. I rinsed her coat really well and then dried her off. She seemed so happy after her bath. I think it really made her skin feel better. I think I will continue to use this recipe for each bath.

Coconut banana cream pie

I love coconut. I love banana. So this pie is my kind of perfect! I found the recipe at: http://jancooks.blogspot.ca/2009/07/lawry-coconut-banana-cream-pie.html

It's pretty easy to make. First you make the pie shell.

COCONUT PIE SHELL
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, plus more for pie plate
3 cups sweetened flake coconut

Lightly butter a 9-inch pie plate and set aside.

Melt the 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium heat.

 Add the coconut flakes and brown, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes. They should be golden brown.

Press the coconut firmly and evenly in the pan to form a shell. Chill the crust 30 minutes before filling.

Then you whip up the pie filling:

PIE FILLING
4 egg yolks
3/4 cup sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup flour
3 cups half-and-half, divided
Yellow food coloring
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 bananas

Combine the egg yolks, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the cornstarch, salt and flour in a small bowl. Gradually add 1 cup of the half-and-half. Set aside.

Combine the remaining 2 cups half-and-half and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a 3-quart saucepan and bring just to boil over medium heat.

Add the egg mixture and cook and stir until the mixture returns to a boil and thickens, about 1 minute.
Remove from the heat. Stir in 2 drops of food coloring and the vanilla.

Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool.

Slice the bananas into the pie shell.

Pour the filling over the bananas into the shell.

Then you add the topping:

1 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Whip the cream with the powdered sugar until stiff. Spoon in dollops or pipe with a pastry bag around the edge of the pie. Chill 2 hours before slicing. 

You can add some shredded coconut when you slice the pie. YUM! This pie is so delicious and is perfect for special occasions.

Banana Bread French Toast

Wow! Talk about something totally delicious! This banana bread french toast fits the description completely. Banana bread french toast, sliced bananas, and cool whip all covered in caramel sauce. A dish so delicious it's hard to describe.

I got the idea from IHOP when my daughter and I went there for her 18th birthday breakfast. It was so good, I had to see if I could make it at home. And this is a very good duplicate of their recipe.

Banana bread french toast would be a very good breakfast idea for Christmas morning. You could go ahead and have the banana bread ready a few days ahead and on Christmas morning, whip up the french toast. It doesn't take long once the banana bread is made. And everyone would enjoy such a special treat for Christmas morning.

First, you have to make the banana bread. I found a very good recipe at http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

This is the recipe:

Ingredients
3 or 4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 350. (I had to turn my oven down to 325 after about 30 minutes because the top of the banana bread was turning brown but the middle was not getting done.)

In a large bowl, mix the butter with the mashed bananas.

Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in.

Add the flour last. Mix until well blended. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan.

Bake for 1 hour.

For the french toast, you will need 2 or 3 eggs, depending on how much french toast you want to make. 1 tbsp of milk, 1 tsp of cinnamon, 1 tsp vanilla. Mix everything together, then pour into a dish big enough to dip the banana bread slices into. Cut each banana bread slice about 1 inch. You need it to be that thick so that it won't break apart when you move it from the egg wash into the frying pan and when you flip it over.

This is the egg wash.

Have your frying pan ready with some melted butter. Dip each slice of banana bread into the egg wash and coat both sides.

Then place in your frying pan. Cook each side of the banana bread until the egg is done. It only takes a few minutes.

Once the egg is done on each side, remove from the frying pan and place on a plate. Add sliced bananas, cool whip and drizzle it all with caramel sauce. This is so delicious, I guarantee you will want to make it again.