Tex Mex Chili Mac

I like the convenience of Hamburger Help but I've never been able to convince myself that the stuff that comes out of that box with the cute hand is actually edible. My family isn't convinced either...fancy that! That said over the years I have toyed with quick one pot meals that I could throw together after work that my kids would actually eat.

Tex Mex Chili Mac is a dish that has evolved as our tastes have changed. When the kids were little it was straight up chili mac with no corn or extra zip. As they got older and liked spicy foods better more chili powder was added etc until it's the version that we eat today. It makes a lot, if you aren't a leftover fan then halving the recipe is simple.

Tex Mex Chili Mac

Serving Size : 8

1 lb ground beef
1 onion, minced
3/4 Tbs chili powder
1/2 Tbs cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs brown sugar
16 oz tomato sauce
2 cup water
2 cup macaroni
1 cup corn
1 can green chilies
2 Tbs fresh cilantro, chopped
2 cups cheese, shredded ( I used a 2% Mexican Blend)

1. Heat a non stick skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, onion and spices. Brown until the meat is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in garlic and brown sugar and cook for about 30 seconds (until you can smell the garlic). Stir in tomato sauce, water, and macaroni. Cover and cook, stirring often and keeping at a steady bubble until the macaroni is al dente (10-12 min).

2. Stir in 1 cup cheese, corn, chilies, and cilantro. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the top. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand until the cheese is melted.

Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 544
Calories From Fat: 144
Total Fat: 15.8g
Cholesterol: 48.5mg
Sodium: 5134.9mg
Potassium: 3100.3mg
Carbohydrates: 77.4g
Fiber: 14.2g
Sugar: 38.9g
Protein: 30.9g


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My new toys....

Apparently Santa has been fooled into thinking that I had been a very good girl last year. What has given him this impression I haven't figured out but if I find out I will be sure to let you know.

He left me a new camera that I may never figure out all the buttons on and a Bosch mixer. Wow! I've been playing with the mixer like crazy and have ground my own hamburger, made french fries in the blink of an eye, and made several iterations of bread. The cinnamon rolls were terrible but everything else was pretty good.

So, I have no excuse to not post a picture with every recipe. It might not be a great picture but hopefully I will improve as I go right?

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

I didn't get a picture taken but this is DEFINTELY a do again so I will get one the next time...and if I am lucky I will even get to have rice with it!

As usual in the quest for low carb things that I can eat stuff like Chinese take out is not on the list. I could mourn for days over that sad fact but occasionally I am moved to action.

My mom used to do a stir fry when I lived at home that had chicken, broccoli, and carrots in it. I was thinking about that as I was throwing things together and I think that the result was a pretty darned good psuedo take out meal...if only there were rice...but I digress.

Chicken Broccoli Stir Fry

1/3 c. soy sauce
2 T brown sugar (I used brown sugar Splenda)
1 clove garlic crushed
1 t. ginger grated fine
1 t. red pepper flakes
1 tsp arrowroot (if you don't have arrowroot use cornstarch)
1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into bite size pieces)
1 T. canola oil
1 large head broccoli (approx 3 cupsish)
1 lg onion
8 oz water chestnuts, sliced

Combine first 6 ingredients in large bowl. Mix chicken in sauce well and let marinate for 10 minutes. Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken in small batches to prevent crowding and stir fry until browned. Remove from skillet and set aside.

Add broccoli, onion and water chestnuts to hot skillet. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add 1/4 c water, cover and steam for 3 minutes or until broccoli is crisp tender. Add chicken and heat through stirring constantly.

Serve over rice.

*this doesn't give you a thick sauce like you get with actual Chinese food. If that is your goal add another tsp of arrowroot.

Nutritional Information:
Calories 348; Total Fat 11.2g; Total Carbohydrates 24.7g; Dietary Fiber 1.9g; Protein 36.2g;

Caramel Apple Pie

This is all that's left!

This is the second of the four pies I made the other day for Relief Society. I didn't get pictures of the other two this will have to do. Maybe I will remember on Thanksgiving...hey, it could happen!

The original recipe for this pie is from one of my favorite websites. I've made several of Ree's recipes but this one is my favorite by far. The original recipe can be found here and her picture is beautiful! http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/12/scrumptous-and_i_do_mean_scrumptous-apple_pie/

Caramel Apple Pie

Pastry for 1 crust pie
6-7 cups peeled and sliced Granny Smith Apples
Juice of ½ lemon
½ cup sugar
4 T. flour
¼ tsp salt
½ c flour
1 ½ sticks butter
1 c. brown sugar
½ c. quick oats
¼ tsp salt
½ c. pecans
½ jar caramel ice cream topping (I like Mrs. Richardson’s)

Mix peeled apples, lemon juice, sugar, flour and ¼ tsp salt. Set aside.

Cut butter into the flour, add brown sugar, oats and ¼ tsp salt. Stir together.
Pour apples into prepared pie shell and top with crumb topping. Cover crust edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and back for another 30 minutes.

Chop pecans, and when 5 minutes of baking time remains sprinkle them over the pie.
Remove from oven and ½ jar, or more if you like, caramel topping over the top