Taco Chili

This is one of the easiest & tastiest dinners ever.  My entire family from ages 2 to 36 loves this dish.  Best part is I just throw everything in a crock-pot & go on about my day.  Then when dinner rolls around I whip out grated cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, some raw veggies & dinner is done.  No expensive ingredients & wonderful taste, it's a winner.  Here's the skinny...
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 onion diced
2 tablespoons butter
2 cans (15oz) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce
2 cans (15 oz) chili beans in sauce
1 can (15 oz) kernel corn
1/4 cup or 1 package taco seasoning mix
Directions
In large skillet melt butter, add onion & cook 2 minutes.  Add ground beef & cook until meat is brown.  In slow cooker or crock pot combine meat mixture, tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili beans, corn (undrained), & taco seasoning.  Give a good stir.  Cover 7 cook on low heat setting for 4-6 hours or high heat setting for 2-3 hours.  Serve with grated cheese & sour cream on top.  Enjoy! (Serves 6.)

*You can kick this dish up a notch by adding jalapenos &/or diced green chilies & hot sauce.

Quick Chicken & Dumplings

Chicken & dumplings has to be one of the all time comfort foods.  There's nothing quite like chicken & dumplings on a cold day.  This version has all the flavor & wonderfulness of full out homemade chicken & dumplings, but you can make it in a fraction of the time.  The only difference is you don't cook a whole chicken in the broth for hours.  Otherwise, it's just like the original.  This is a meal that will stick to your bones & make you smile.  And all under an hour.  Here's the DL...

Ingredients

6 cups chicken broth

1 1/2 cups diced carrots

1 1/2 cups diced celery

2 garlic cloves diced

1 medium onion diced

2 Tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups cooked bite size chicken pieces

1 can cream of chicken soup

salt & pepper

Dumplings

2 1/4 cups Bisquick mix

2/3 cups milk

Directions

In large pot or dutch oven cook butter, garlic & onion for 5 minutes.  Add chicken broth, carrots, & celery.  Cover & simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.  Add cream of chicken soup & stir until combined.  Add chicken & salt & pepper to taste.  Cover & simmer 10 minutes.  Meanwhile mix milk & Bisquick mix together until combined.  Drop dumpling mix by big spoonfuls (about 2-3 tablespoons each) into stew.  Dumplings will double in size so spread them out (I usually do one in the middle & 4 or 5 along the outside).  Cook uncovered for 10 minutes.  Cover & cook 10 minutes more.  Sprinkle a little freshly ground pepper on the top & dish up & serve.  Enjoy!

BBQ Beef Hash

This one super easy but very filling dinner.  It's also super fast to make & you will have everything in your pantry already.  Make some homemade biscuits to accompany it & your meal is complete (& has all the food groups except fruit, you're on your own with that one).  This is a good hearty meat & potatoes meal that you can prepare in a flash.

Here's the skinny:

BBQ Beef Hash
1 lb ground beef/elk/deer
1 cup sliced carrots
1 can green beans
4 medium potatoes
1/2 medium onion diced
1/2 green pepper diced
6 Tbls butter
Salt & pepper
BBQ sauce

Cook ground beef and set aside.  Cut potatoes into one inch pieces (like homefries).  Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in large pan, add onion & green pepper.  Cook for 4 minutes.  Add remaining butter an allow to melt, then add the potatoes.  Add salt & pepper to taste.  Fry potatoes until they are cooked through & have a little crispiness to them (you may need to add more butter or vegetable oil to achieve this & keep them from sticking to the pan).  Meanwhile blanch carrots so they are tender but not  falling apart.  Mix beef, carrots, beans, & potatoes together in the pan.  Then add your favorite BBQ sauce until everything is coated.  I like to make my own BBQ sauce, but you can use any BBQ sauce you like.  Dish up while hot & enjoy!

My Favorite BBQ Sauce
1 onion diced
3 Tbls butter
2 cups ketchup
1/3 cup molasses
1 tsp mustard
2 tsp brown sugar
1 Tbls Worcestershire sauce
1/8 cup whiskey

Melt butter in sauce pan.  Add diced onion & cook until tender, about 8-10 minutes.  Add remaining ingredients & allow to simmer stirring often for at least 10 minutes.  Taste it & add more salt or sugar as desired.  It you like things a little spicy add some chili powder.  So good you could eat it by the spoonful, but I suggest using it as a topping.