Recipe

Simple Chili and Cornbread in a Jar | Recipe

32 · Feb 21, 2012 · 28 Comments

When it comes a cold and gray day, I'm a purest at heart… I love a good chili and cornbread recipe. Case in Point… My Creamy White Chili and Turkey Chili posts from a few years ago. Today, I thought I would share my super easy weeknight chili with a little WhipperBerry twist…

You got it… it's chili and cornbread in a jar! Perfect for those cold winter nights or a fun dinner by the campfire. All you have to do is make up your favorite chili recipe, place it in a 16 oz. wide mouth jar. Mix up your favorite cornbread mix and then place a 1/2 cup of cornbread mix on top of the chili and bake it at 375 degrees for 20 minutes right in the jar. Don't have a favortie chili or cornbread recipe, no worries… I have two fabulous recipes below that I know will easily become a couple of your favorites!!

Here is my go-to simple weeknight chili that is a snap to make and super delicious!!

Simple Weeknight Chili

1 tablespoon of olive oil

1 large onion diced

1 lb. ground beef or turkey

3 16 oz cans of chili beans

2 cups of mild chunky garden salsa {Pace Chunky Salsa is my favorite}

2 cups of V8 tomato juice {regular or spicy depending on how hot you like your chili}

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1/2 teaspoon of cocoa powder {weird I know, totally tasty}

salt and pepper to taste

Place large soup pot over medium high heat and add olive oil and onions. Cook for about 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Once onions are cooked down place the ground meat into the pot and brown. Once the meat is browned start dumping all the remaining ingredients into the pot, the beans, salsa, V8, cumin, chili powder, cocoa powder, salt and pepper. Bring to a slow boil and cook for 8- 10 minutes over medium heat.

Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onion or your favorite chili condiments.

Serves 8-10 people.

Cornbread

2 c. (1 c.) flour

1 c. (½ c.) cornmeal

2 ½ t. (1 ¼ t.) baking powder

1 t. (½ t.) salt

¾ c. (6 T.) butter

3 (2) eggs

1 c. (½ c.) milk

1½ (¾ c.) sugar

1 t. (½ t.) vanilla

See that vanilla? It gives you the hint of the deliciousness you’re about to embark into. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Sift together your flour, cornmeal, powder, and salt, and set aside. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy (about five minutes).

Once your batter is fluffy, begin mixing in the dry ingredients and milk by fourths, alternating dry and wet (beginning and ending with flour) until smooth. Pour into a well greased 9×13 pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

If you decide to make this in a jar bake the cornbread for 20-25 to make sure that it cooks all the way through. Let the jars cool a bit and then you can dress your jars up a bit with some fabric, ric-rack, and hemp twine. Include a fun eco friendly disposable spoon and you have a classy chili perfect for any event!!

I plan on sharing this fun chili and cornbread recipe over at TidyMom and Dine & Dishes Soupapalooza later this month on February 28th! “Come join SoupaPalooza at TidyMom and Dine and Dish sponsored by KitchenAid, Red Star Yeast and Le Creuset”

Meyer Lemon Doughnuts | Recipe

5 · Feb 15, 2012 · 28 Comments

I have made no secret of the fact that I am falling in love with baked doughnuts. Last month I made Vanilla Bean Heart Doughnuts for Valentines Day. This month I am loving experimenting with the Meyer Lemons that my local grocery store has started to stock. This is my first lemon recipe this season. Last year we had Lemon Crinkle Cookies and Lemon Curd Cheesecake. Believe me, I'm sure it won't be the last. I love lemon!!

First off, what is a Meyer lemon? Well, since you asked so nicely… a Meyer Lemon is a cross between a lemon and a Mandarin Orange, thus taking the sweetness of the orange and the tart from the lemon and making a wonderful hybrid for us lemon lovers. It's perfect for baking with and for adding a little slice of one to your or Diet Coke.

For this doughnut I took the standard vanilla doughnut recipe added some zest from the lemons and then glazed them with a lemon infused glaze. Here is the recipe…

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons lemon zest

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs slightly beaten

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and spray pan with non-stick cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl add buttermilk, vanilla, lemon zest, and eggs. Add wet mixture to the dry mixture and then add the melted butter. Mix just until combined. Fill each doughnut cup 1/2 full and bake accordingly.

I find the best way to fill the pan is to fill a pastery bag with the doughut batter and with a simple round tip gently add your batter to the pan. Better yet, a pancake pen is PERFECT for the job!

large doughnut pan or heart shaped pan 10-12 minutes

mini doughnut pan 4-6 minutes

4 cups confectioners sugar

4 tablespoons Meyer Lemon juice

In a small bowl combine confectioners sugar with lemon juice. Add lemon juice slowly until you reach the desired consistancy. The doughnuts in the pictures had a pretty thick glaze, but if you would like a light glaze add more lemon juice.

Let me know how your doughnut adventures go. Send over some pictures if you make some. I would LOVE to see them!!

Jalapeno Craisin Salsa Appetizer | Recipe

3 · Feb 14, 2012 · 6 Comments

A few years ago my sister-in-law shared a fun recipe with me that she just raved about. It came into my inbox only to be lost in the mix until today. I was working on some fun entertaining ideas and immediately this recipe jumped into my head as something I would love to try for a party. Well my sister-in-saw was right, this is Jalapeno Craisin Salsa is one of those recipes that quietly becomes the star of the show.

Jalapeno Craisin Salsa Appetizer Recipe

4 jalapenos ~ finely chopped
1 med onion ~ finely chopped
1 cup orange juice
1 pinch of salt
1/2 cup cilantro ~ finely chopped
1/4 cup honey
juice of 1 lime
1 lb dried cranberries {Craisins}

Combine juices, salt and honey. Whisk until combined. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for a few hours so juices absorb into Craisins, jalapeno and onions. Place over softened block of cream cheese. Serve with your favorite crackers.

This recipe makes enough for three blocks of cream cheese.

Vanilla Bean Heart Doughnuts | Recipe

0 · Feb 2, 2012 · 18 Comments

Ahhhhh… can you feel it? Love is in the air. As promised I have the recipe for the Vanilla Bean Heart Doughnuts that I featured last week with our Gift Gloss post. These little gems are perfect for any Valentine goodie or gathering. Don't worry, you don't have to make them heart shaped. Any good donut baking pan will do.

I found my heart doughnut pan at Target if you want to make the heart shaped variety or you can find a good ole' round doughnut pan large or small at your local baking store or online. Here is the recipe that I used.

Vanilla Bean Doughnuts

2 1/2 cups cake flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 vanilla bean

2 eggs slightly beaten

3 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and spry pan with non-stick cooking spray

In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Add buttermilk, vanilla, eggs and butter. Cut the vanilla bean length wise and using a knife scrape out the vanilla seeds and add to the mixture. Mix just until combined. Fill each doughnut cup 1/2 full and bake accordingly.

large doughnut pan or heart shaped pan 10-12 minutes

mini doughnut pan 4-6 minutes

The top will only slightly brown and the doughnut will spring back when touched. Let doughnuts cool in pan for a few minutes and then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Now my little secret is… I dip the doughnuts in melted chocolate to create that lovely glazed look. The funny thing is I now prefer my doughnuts with a chocolate topping! I used the red colored candy melts along with some white jimmies from Sweet baking & candy making supply. I prepared the chocolate according to package directions and then added a tablespoon of canola oil to the chocolate to thin it out a bit. You'll have to check the consistency of the chocolate and may need to add a little more. Just start slow until you get your desired consistency. Don't worry, the chocolate will still set-up with the oil. Carefully dip the doughnuts into the chocolate and then sprinkle the top with the jimmies. Put doughnuts into the fridge or freezer for a few minutes until the chocolate sets-up. The lovely thing about the chocolate is that it makes it super easy to package your goodies without making a huge mess and they taste aaaaaamazing!!