Meat Chili Sauce

Oh man did I have a craving for a chili dog this past weekend. The craving was bad, it hit hard. I was going to buy canned chili before convincing myself to not be lazy and make my own. I am so glad I decided to not go the easy route on this one; the homemade meat chili sauce came out uhmazing.

This was my first time making meat chili sauce, so I had to poke around the internet to see how others make it. I was a little surprised to see that some people boil the ground beef in this recipe to produce a smoother texture. Pretty interesting stuff and I was excited to try it – I had always wondered if anyone ever boiled ground beef and now was my chance to give it a shot. 

This recipe calls for 3lbs of ground beef since that is how much I used – the idea was to make enough for a couple meals and it looks like we will get a total of 3 out of this recipe. Score! Instead of hot dogs, next time we will have chili cheese fries alongside a salad. Not sure about the 3rd time, maybe chili-cheeseburgers… it all sounds good to me. ;)

My craving was satisfied beyond what I ever imagined. This recipe is a keeper and a crowd pleaser!

Meat Chili Sauce 
(printable recipe)
Ingredients
1 QT beef broth
water
3 lbs ground beef
1 large yellow onion, diced
30oz tomato sauce
6oz can tomato paste
3 tbsp garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt
3 tsp cumin
1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
3 tbsp cider vinegar
3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 bay leaf
Directions
1. Bring beef broth and water to boil. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain and return to pot.
2. Over medium-high heat, add remaining ingredients. Stir well. Bring to boil and reduce heat to low.
3. Cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If consistency is too thick, add water (or beer) while cooking.
4. Enjoy!

Cracking Eggs Open

I got some great pictures this weekend and just had to share them!

My dad enlisted the help of my oldest son, Bubba, in the kitchen on Sunday morning to get ready for brunch. I would normally of written "help" when talking about Bubba, because it is usually more work having him in the kitchen than anything else, but he surprised me this weekend. Thus my reason for writing this post.

The first job my dad gave Bubba was to crack open the eggs. What?!?!? I immediately had to grab my camera and get ready to witness and capture the mess of a lifetime. After all, Bubba just turned 4 in December and is not exactly a fragile flower. However, something else happened - he did great!! I couldn't believe it. He also helped make pancakes - actually flipping over a couple, all by himself!

But there was something else I couldn't believe...

As I watched my dad with his grandson, I saw something missing in my own life. I saw patience. I simply have not tried letting my son crack open eggs because of a mess that I would have to clean up or because of a few wasted eggs. It makes me feel really horrible as a mom and it makes me wonder what other things I am keeping him from trying for pure selfish reasons. It was an eye-opening moment that has changed my life.

Watching my dad with his grandson also took me back to when I was young, back when my dad was enlisting my help in the kitchen. He must of had great patience then as well, but I was unable to see it. I wouldn't have learned anything he taught me about cooking if he had not been patient - and now it's my turn. I have changed a lot since becoming a parent, but I think patience is the one thing I could still work on.

Do the lessons of parenthood ever stop coming?

I can't wait to make some cookies with Bubba this week. He will be in charge of cracking open the eggs and I am looking forward to seeing how he does. :)

Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach & How Twins Have Changed My Kitchen

A few things have changed in the kitchen since bringing the twins home. Let me share...

1) Paper Products: I was against the whole concept of paper products before having the twins. It just seemed like a complete waste and just something else to take up garbage space. However, now that I see how much time it saves during clean-up to use disposable servingware – I am now part of the population who will faithfully purchase paper plates, bowls and cups at the store. I am becoming a fan of anything that saves me a bit of time.

2) Groceries: The amount of store-bought groceries in our pantry has almost doubled. Whereas before the babies I was trying to make everything from scratch at home - we now have a bunch of prepared foods to make things easier on us during these first couple months. Again, this is due to the time it saves – it’s much faster to fill a shopping cart than to fill a pantry with homemade goodies.

3) Recipes: My idea of the perfect dinner is now won over by what is quick & easy. I have tried a few dinners that have only a 10 minute prep time and I am left standing in the kitchen feeling like I still have something to do. These short prep time meals have made it incredibly easy to stay up on the dishes in the kitchen, which is also helping in the whole scheme of things. 

This first recipe I am sharing, after being absent from blogging for so long, was the first thing I cooked after coming home from the hospital. It’s easy and it’s delicious – two of my favorite things in a recipe!

Let me introduce you to my very own, Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach!

My husband and I both thought it was very tasty and it made for great leftovers. Our 4 year old didn’t like it, which doesn’t say much considering how much food he “doesn’t like”. Our 2 year old loved it, which again, doesn’t say much considering how much food he does like…

Tortellini Skillet with Chicken Sausage and Spinach

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

12 oz chicken sausage, sliced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

28 oz crushed tomatoes

9 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and drained

1 cup chicken broth

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 lb tortellini, I used a mixed cheese variety

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat, add sausage and garlic. Cook until sausage starts turning golden brown.

2. Add tomatoes, spinach, chicken broth and Italian seasoning to skillet. Stir well.

3. Add tortellini, stir well and bring ingredients to boil. Cook for 10 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and let cool for 10 minutes, occasionally stirring.

5. Serve and enjoy!

We're Home!

We are back! It's been too long, I must confess. To be fair, I have not had much in the way of food to really share... 

Being pregnant with twins rendered me a bit too tired to try anything new in the kitchen and then after being placed on "Limited Activity Rest" I had to take a break altogether from anything that took longer than 15 minutes to cook. It was hard, but I loosened up the reins in the kitchen and graciously accepted my husband's help with meal-duty. Usually I would just prefer nobody to cook but myself - it's something I enjoy doing and feel like it's part of my job as a stay-at-home mom. However, not having a choice in the matter turned out being a nice break from the norm. Plus I was reminded of one of the reasons I fell in love with my husband - he knows his way around a kitchen. ;)

So, without any further ado...

Please welcome our beautiful twins!!

A boy and a girl! That makes our final scorecard with Boys-3 and Girls-1. :)

She weighed 7lbs 4oz and he weighed 7lbs 3 oz - delivery went as expected with a c-section and everybody was happy and healthy when it was all said and done. I made it to 38 weeks and couldn't imagine going a day longer than we did. The babies are so wonderful and absolutely beautiful - we couldn't be any happier! We now have 4 kiddos and let me tell you, I never knew my heart was capable of so much love. ♥

Stay tuned for some quick recipes that I have discovered since being home. It only took me a few days to be home and I was back in the kitchen - I seriously missed cooking.