Posted on by littlemisstwitch

Chilly day Chili

                                 

Ingredients:

3 TBS chili powder                                2 C beef broth

1 TBS plus 1 tsp, Cumin                        6 oz tomato paste

1 tsp paprika                                          30 oz crushed tomatoes

1 tsp Cocoa Powder                              15 oz fire roasted tomatoes/drained

1 tsp onion powder                               3 lbs ground beef, browned/drained

1 tsp garlic powder                              1 large onion, chopped

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes                     1 bell pepper, chopped

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper                        1 medium jalapeno, diced

1/4 tsp cinnamon                                             

2 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder

2 tsp salt                                                         

1/4 tsp pepper

1 tsp corn starch

Instructions:

-In heavy pot, sauté onion, bell pepper and jalapeno in 1 TBS oil until translucent and soft. Add in browned, drained beef and cook 1-2 minutes.

– Mix dry ingredients. Add to pot and stir until well combined. Simmer 1-2 minutes until fragrant.

– Add broth, paste, crushed and fire roasted tomatoes. Stir well and bring to gentle boil. Once at boil, lower heat and allow to simmer several hours, stirring often.

-If chili is too thick, add in liquid from the fire roasted tomatoes or more beef broth.

-If chili is too thin, make corn starch slurry using 2 TBS liquid (broth, tomato sauce or water) and 2 TBS corn starch. Mix into chili, raising heat to boil. Once at a boil, it will begin to thicken. Once thickened, lower heat.

-Serving ideas: sour cream, green onions, chives, cheese, fresh jalapenos, crackers, corn chips.

Play around with the spice level on this one- this recipe is a mild heat, bur feel free to make it as hot as you’d like. If you’re a “chili with beans” enjoyer, this recipe will work well with your favorite bean.

This freezes well, so make a double batch to have for those late nights when you need something filling and tasty.

If you like this recipe, or any of the others I’ve posted, or if you enjoy my content, please consider donating a little to my Venmo to help keep the recipes coming 🙂

Venmo: @LittleMsTwitch

Posted on by littlemisstwitch

Chicken Lo Mein

Ingredients:

1 boneless, skinless breast, sliced in half, lengthwise

2 Pks Chicken Ramen noodles

3 c cabbage, chopped

1 C carrots, sliced thin and blanched

1 C broccoli florets, sliced thin and blanched

8 oz can sliced water chestnuts, drained

1/2 onion, sliced thin

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 Bunch green onion, sliced on diagonal

Sauce:

1/2 C soy sauce                                                                    

4 TBS brown sugar

1 TBS water

1 TBS cornstarch

2 TBS oyster sauce

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste

Tools:

2 large skillets, (12” or larger)  OR 1 large skillet and 1 two burner griddle

Saucepan for boiling noodles

Instructions:

Open Ramen packets and set aside 1 seasoning packet for future use. Cook noodles for 2 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Use ½ of remaining seasoning packet to season chicken and cook until no longer pink. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, slice thinly.

Oil both skillets lightly and heat to medium high (5-6)

In one skillet, sauté cabbage

In other skillet, sauté carrots, broccoli and water chestnuts for 1-2 minutes, until soft. Add garlic, ginger and onions, simmering until fragrant. Add the remaining half of seasoning packet.

Add sauteed cabbage and mix well.

Mix sauce ingredients and add to main skillet and let simmer until slightly thickened.

Add in cooked noodles and mix well.

Serve with sliced chicken on top and enjoy!

*Add some chili oil on top for added spice and flavor*

*Feel free to play around with different veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers or whatever leftovers you have in the fridge. Pork and beef would also work well.*

*If 3 C is too much cabbage, cut recipe to 1 ½ C, or use all 3 C and only add half to main dish, allowing the remainder for everyone to add more to their own serving if desired *

Posted on by littlemisstwitch

Refreshing Ginger Lemonade

I love fresh ginger. I also love lemonade, so combining the two is a match made in heaven for me. Just adding a small amount of ginger syrup to a glass of lemonade takes the summer staple to new heights of refreshment and delivers a great kick to the taste buds that is sure to please.

I start by making a simple syrup of fresh ginger and sugar. Once the syrup has simmered for about 45 minutes it is ready to add to a cold glass of lemonade. This syrup packs a pretty potent punch, so it doesn’t take much to give your lemonade that extra zing. My husband and I prefer different levels of ginger so I store the syrup separately– this way we can add as much or as little as we’d like to our lemonade. That said, you can absolutely make a full pitcher once you have figured out the ratio you enjoy. If making an entire pitcher, be sure to stir it each time before serving, as the syrup can settle on the bottom.

This ginger syrup is extremely versatile so if lemonade isn’t your favorite it can be added to your favorite hot tea for a spicy zing. With ginger’s excellent anti-inflammatory properties, I have also used the syrup as a standalone tea, omitting the sugar by half or even altogether.

Speaking of sugar, my recipe has a 2:1 ratio of water to sugar, which admittedly is a lot. So, if you are avoiding or limiting your sugar intake, feel free to adjust the amount to your specific needs.

Whichever way you use it, this ginger syrup is both versatile and delicious — play around with the recipe to find your favorite consistency and strength.

Made the recipe? Make changes to it? Let me know in the comments section — I welcome new ideas 🙂

Ginger Syrup

–1 “hand” ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin, lengthwise strips

–4 Cups water

–2 Cups sugar

Bring water to a boil in large pot. Once boiling add sugar, stirring until dissolved. Add ginger, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.

Strain syrup to remove the ginger (keep the ginger strips–you can use them to make a 2nd batch of syrup or cut them up and add to a stir fry.)

Can be used right away or stored in fridge for later use.

If saving the strips, place in airtight container or Ziploc bag–use within a week.

Lemonade

–1 Cup lemon juice

–1 Cup sugar

–Water

Combine juice and sugar into 2 Quart pitcher. Fill pitcher with cold water and stir well.

Ginger Lemonade

–lemonade

–ginger syrup

For every cup of lemonade add 1/4 cup of syrup

Pour over ice and enjoy!

This ratio is moderately potent, so adjust according to your liking 🙂

Posted on by littlemisstwitch

Goldilocks and the Potato Soup

A few days ago I found myself staring blankly at the meal list I had so painstakingly prepared right before the stay at home orders were issued. I remember thinking at the time how useful it would be in making sure my family had 3 square and healthy meals a day for the next month or so. Ah…the best laid plans.

So far that meal list had been a life saver–one less thing to worry about during the day. Just pick a meal and make it. But on this day none of those meals seemed to fit my cooking mood, hence the mindless staring at the paper pinned to the fridge. The mindless staring soon became mindless meandering, searching through the pantry, freezer and fridge, looking for something that would fill tummies and “fit” my mood.

My rumbling tummy soon shook me out of the zombie daze and I began to purposely peruse the kitchen for things that needed to be used soon or be lost. Potatoes, onions, milk. Hmmmm. I quickly realized with it being rainy and gloomy outside it would be the perfect day for some homemade potato soup , so I went searching to find my old recipe. Unfortunately what I remembered as a delicious soup now seemed lackluster at best, so I sought help from the web. No luck there either. Most recipes were either too “uppity” or too simple. I needed easy, yet hearty. At this point I felt like Goldilocks, so I decided to put my cooking talents to the test and create a new potato soup recipe–one that took ideas from the fancy web sites while staying true to my old, worn out version–a recipe that would fit my family “just right.”

It turned out beautifully, so I have decided to share it–hope you enjoy it!

Goldilocks Potato Soup

Prep time: 30-45 minutes       Cook/Simmer time: 1-2 hours      Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

6 medium russet potatoes (about 6 Cups), peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes

1/2 medium onion (1/2 Cup), chopped finely

1 clove garlic, minced

2 Cups Chicken Broth

2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup

2 Soup Cans Milk (use the cans from the cream of chicken soups)

6 Slices Bacon

1 Cup cooked, diced ham (optional, but adds extra heartiness and flavor)

 

Instructions:

  • Cook bacon until crispy, reserving 1 Tablespoon drippings. Set aside.
  • While bacon is cooking…rinse diced potatoes, place in bowl, cover with water and microwave 5 minutes. This will soften them up a bit and reduce cooking time.
  • In large cooking pot…add bacon drippings over medium heat. Saute onions until tender, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds until garlic is fragrant.
  • Add liquids–broth, can soup, and milk. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes. Return to boil, stirring constantly so potatoes do not stick. Once at a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until potatoes are fork tender and soup has thickened to your liking (about an hour). Stir every 15 minutes so that soup does not stick.
  • Add salt and pepper to taste after soup has cooked awhile, as the cream of chicken and chicken broth already have quite a lot of salt/flavor.
  • For additional heartiness, add a cup of cooked, diced ham to the soup during last 30 minutes of cooking.

Serving/Additional Notes:

Serve soup with crumbled bacon pieces on top and toasted bread on the side. Additional topping suggestions: chopped scallions, chives, sour cream, cheddar cheese.

  • I added the diced ham to this recipe the day after I made the soup, as I had forgotten I had leftover baked ham in the fridge. The ham really bumped up the flavor and heartiness of the soup and took the dish to a higher level.
  • Note to my fellow RA warriors and anyone who suffers from chronic neck or back pain: this recipe requires quite a bit of cutting, stirring, moving and cleaning of pots/utensils, which can cause pain in the hands, shoulders, neck and back. If you have a significant other or a child who is old enough to help, ask them 🙂
  • The longer the soup simmers, the thicker it will get. On the flip side, if leftovers are too thick, add a little extra milk when reheating.
  • I used russet potatoes, yellow onion, 2% milk and chicken bouillon cubes (to make the broth). If you do not have these exact ingredients, use whatever you have–golden potatoes, red onion, whole milk (or half and half), or can broth.