Shredded Pork Chili

Friday was our ward chili party and I signed up for chili not realizing it was a cook-off until the reminder email came in. Panic! I remembered that Laura made a successful batch of pumpkin chili last year, so I called for instructions. Knowing I was in a time crunch, she suggested I try what once won her a chili cook-off prize--Bear Creek's 'Darn Good' Chili mix, with added corn. Laura thinks they have altered the mix since she won with it, and not for the better. So, I decided to improvise.
I stuck a smallish 1.5 lb. pork roast (comes in a 3 pack at Costco) into our crockpot on high with one large onion, diced. About 4 hours later the pork was ready to shred with a fork. In a large pot I mixed the Bear Creek chili according to the package directions also adding 2 cans of diced tomatoes undrained, and about 2 cups frozen sweet corn. After simmering for 30 minutes, I added it to the crockpot with the pork, a little garlic, some salt & pepper, and let it simmer for another 30 minutes.
It was excellent with sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. Carter really liked it and he is my pickiest culinary critic.

Apple Maple Turkey Burgers

This is a great recipe. I was so impressed. I hope you like it!!

APPLE MAPLE TURKEY BURGERS WITH MAPLE-DIJON SAUCE

For Maple-Dijon Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons real maple syrup

For Burgers:
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
1/4 cup real bacon bits
1/2 cup chunky applesauce
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
2 tablespoons real maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Hamburger Buns
Hamburger condiments

Set up grill for direct cooking over medium heat. Oil grate when ready to start cooking.

For Maple-Dijon Sauce: In a small bowl, stir to combine mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, and 2 tablespoons maple syrup; set aside.

For Turkey Burgers: In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients for burgers. Wet hands to prevent sticking and shape into 4 patties. **The meat mixture ends up a little wet and sticky so refrigerate the meat for a while so they don't fall apart on the grill.**

Place burgers on hot oiled grill for 5 to 6 minutes per side or until done.

Serve on buns with traditional burger condiments and a dollop of maple-Dijon sauce.

Note - Indoor: Prepare burgers as directed. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot add burgers and cook 5 to 7 minutes per side or until done.

**I cooked these inside on the stovetop grill pan. Be careful to keep the heat medium-low because the sugars in the turkey meat mixture carmelize and can burn pretty easily.

(The picture is from a different recipe that has some cranberry sauce on it.)

Cookie Sheet Advent Calendars

This looks like a fun way for the kids to count the days until Christmas.

Since these cookie sheets are not magnetic, I assume the white grid must be. Any ideas what it may be made of? Sheet metal painted white?

Since the cute magnets all look like they are made of things you get at Robert's, maybe they have magnetic sheets there too. I'll check it out.

Tortellini & Fresh Basil

Few ingredients + little cook time AND delicious outcome? I'll take it.
My dear friend made this delicious meal while I visited her this summer-
and she finally posted the recipe for me, so I will now pass it along to you...

Tortellini & Fresh Basil
1 pound ripe tomatoes (seeded & chopped)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup olive oil
3 TB balsamic vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 (9 ounce) packages refrigerated cheese-filled tortellini
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Combine first 7 ingredients in a serving bowl. Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain. Add tortellini to tomato mixture, and toss well. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or chilled. Yield 4 main-dish servings.

Three Cheese Chicken Penne Florentine

Being a cheese lover, this dish really hits the spot. I love the color as it's cooking. The recipe as it is makes quite a large casserole so I usually half the recipe. I hope you like it!!

Fresh spinach, chicken, and a combination of cheeses make this dish comforting enough for the last days of winter yet fresh enough for the first days of spring. You also can cook the pasta mixture in individual eight-ounce ramekins; bake for 15 minutes.

1 teaspoon olive oil
Cooking spray
3 cups thinly sliced mushrooms (**Not a mushroom fan, I cut this down to about 1 cup)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
3 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (16-ounce) carton 2% low-fat cottage cheese
4 cups hot cooked penne (about 8 ounces uncooked tube-shaped pasta)
2 cups shredded roasted skinless, boneless chicken breast
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup 2% reduced-fat milk
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed reduced-fat, reduced-sodium cream of chicken soup, undiluted

Preheat oven to 425°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until tender. Add spinach, oregano, and black pepper; sauté 3 minutes or just until spinach wilts.

Place cottage cheese in a food processor; process until very smooth. Combine spinach mixture, cottage cheese, pasta, chicken, 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, milk, and soup in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)

CALORIES 345 (25% from fat); FAT 9.7g (sat 5.1g,mono 3.1g,poly 1g); IRON 2mg; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 275mg; CARBOHYDRATE 32.9g; SODIUM 532mg; PROTEIN 31.7g; FIBER 2.1g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2006

BYU Mint Brownies!

I just found this link on the Alumni website for the delicious BYU mint brownies. Remember how good they are?

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.

1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (The website says, "Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.")

MINT ICING

5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.