Lighter Loaded Potato Skins

The hubby and I loved it, the kids didn't, they aren't fans of ground turkey. I'll try it again with beef or chicken. Probably beef.

Turkey Chili Loaded Baked Potato Skins

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Original recipe and source: Loaded Turkey Santa Fe Baked Potato Skins 

by SkinnyTaste.com

Printable Recipe

6 russet potatoes, washed, scrubbed and dried

For the filling:
1/2 lb lean ground turkey
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 jalapeno, chopped fine
1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chiles
1 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

For the topping:

shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
1/4 cup chopped scallions

sour cream or Greek yogurt

Pierce the potato with a fork in a few places. In a microwave safe dish cook on high about 5 minutes per potato. When finished, allow the potatoes to cool, enough so you can handle them. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise. Scoop out the center of the potatoes leaving about 1/4-inch thick wall.

In a large skillet brown the turkey. When the turkey is browned, add onion, garlic, black beans, jalapeno, tomatoes, ancho chili powder and cumin. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and simmer on low, covered, for about 30 minutes. 
Remove lid, add corn and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes or until all the liquid reduces.
Heat  oven to 450° F. Place the potatoes on a foil lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper and bake skins for 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven, fill the potato cavity with meat filling. Top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese is melted about five minutes.
Top with sour cream and scallions and serve.

Joining 

 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

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Cincinnati Four Way Chili

We finally tried Cincinnati Chili the other night. Four way. Spaghetti, Chili, Cheese and Onions. I forgot to get the oyster crackers. I saw it on Food Jaunts, it looked so good and that was that, I had to make it. It's nothing like the chili I normally make, which is more like Texas Chili but I do use beans. Miss Picky likes them and when it comes to food if she's asking for something good for you, I'm throwing it in there. So much for authentic. Those real Texans who say beans don't belong in chili never had to feed my picky teenager. And I finally found something that went really well with whole wheat spaghetti. The chili. I needed to use up that last box. Whole wheat spaghetti just didn't go over well with marinara at my house. But it's perfect with Cincinnati 4-way Chili. Just perfect.

and leftovers are even better!

Cincinnati Style Chili

adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

Source: http://foodjaunts.com/cincinnati-style-chili

Printable Recipe

2 lbs ground extra lean ground beef (at least 95% lean)

2 onions, finely chopped

2 cups water

2 cups beef stock

1 15-oz can tomato sauce

4 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/2 teaspoon allspice

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa

2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 bay leaf (fish it out before serving)

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 dashes Tabasco or similar sauce

2 teaspoons paprika

shredded cheddar cheese

chopped onions

red kidney beans

oyster crackers

spaghetti, cooked according to package directions (I used whole wheat and it was good with the chili!)

Bring the water and beef stock to a boil and add the ground beef. Stir until the beef is separated. Mix in the remaining ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 to 3 hours or until thickened.

Serve over the spaghetti and top with cheese, kidney beans, onions and oyster crackers.

Joining 

 Beth at Beth Fish Reads for her fun Weekend Cooking Party. Every weekend. It's open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share! Go on over and see some fun posts.
 

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

 

 

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Wordless Wednesday: Chili

More Wordless Wednesday can be found here!

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Buffalo Chicken Chili

Went looking to find something new, and found it at the My Bizzy Kitchen Blog! Knew I had to try this the minute I saw the name of the recipe. Buffalo Chicken Chili!  Right up my alley! Packed a lot of flavor and a lot of heat! You can really taste the flavor of the hot sauce in this one. A little too hot for some at the table, but I loved it! Served it with corn muffins from a Jiffy Mix. I made them in a Madeleine pan! Not too bad, only three got stuck! And I didn't burn them! The chili recipe made a lot, I froze some and sent some in to a friend that I know loves hot stuff. She raved about it, and made me promise when I make it again that I will send some in for her!
Thanks Bizzy Kitchen, I loved this one!

Best Buffalo Chicken Chili
Source: My Bizzy Kitchen
Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 large red pepper
5 cloves of garlic
5 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1/2 cup Frank’s Hot Sauce
2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 (15 oz) diced tomatoes(I used one can of Rotel Tomatoes with Green Chilies)
1 (15 oz) black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) chili beans in sauce (do not drain) - (I used one can of Bush's Best Chili Magic Chili Starter Traditional style)
salt and pepper to taste

Put chicken breasts in food processor to grind up, if you can find ground chicken breast, you can use that too. Heat oil and add ground chicken and cook about 10 minutes on medium heat until no longer pink. Rinse out processor and add carrots, celery, garlic and red pepper and puree. Add to chicken mixture and cook about 5 minutes until veggies start to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients, put stove on simmer and cook for an hour.

Joining Mary's Mosaic Monday. For more mosaic's stop by the Little Red House!

and

Miz Helen's 2012 Texas Star Chili Cook-Off

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Getting chili here...

It's getting chilly here in New York! Time for apples, pumpkins, and comfort foods! And to us, comfort food means a big bowl of hot chili, hot as in temperature and hot as in spicy! Sorry people but we also like beans with our chili.What we don't agree on is toppings!

Made a huge pot of it the other night. We like it better the next day, it gets thicker, and the flavors come together to make a really hearty, delicious bowl of goodness! We do however like different things on our chili. one plain, one with cheese, avocado and onions. One with cheese, crushed saltine crackers and onions, and one with everything, cheese, tomatoes, onions and avocado.

Flashing back to one of our favorite chili recipes, it's from epicurious.com, and was posted to the cooking forum where I saw it and had to try it. Made it many times since then, using ground beef one time and mostly boneless chuck roast cut into small pieces. That was time consuming, so this time I cut big chunks out of the roast and pulsed it in the food processor. Not too fine, and it was a nice texture in the chili. And much easier if you have a nice sized roast!

Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin

Adapted from the kitchen of There's Always Thyme to Cook
Source: Bon Appétit - February 2009 by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
posted Cooking Forum - Riverrat
Printable Recipe

1 tablespoon cumin
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 1/2 cups (or more) beef broth, divided
1/4 cup pure ancho chile powder
1/4 cup Texas-style chili powder blend (I didn't have that, what is it?  I used New Mexico ground chili powder, Chipotle chili powder and a medium heat chili powder blend)
1 1/2 tablespoons mole paste (I had to make it, couldn't find in the store, then froze the leftovers, see recipe below)
2 teaspoons (or more) salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
2 tablespoons masa flour
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to taste)

Garnishes:
warm, freshly cooked or drained canned black beans, kidney beans or pinto beans
chopped white, red or green onions
grated cheddar cheese, monterey jack cheese, or queso fresco
sliced fresh or pickled jalapeno chiles
tortilla chips or oyster crackers
avocado

Sauté bacon in large pot over medium high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in 4 batches, sauté beef in drippings in pot until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer beef and most drippings to bowl with bacon. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth to pot. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and any accumulated juices to pot. Mix in all the chili powders, mole paste, 2 teaspoons salt, vinegar, oregano, and cumin. Add 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer gently uncovered until beef is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls if chili is dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Mix the masa in a quarter cup of warm water to make a slurry. Spoon it into the chili and bring back to a boil to thicken the chili. Season chili with salt, pepper, and cayenne, if desired. Add more broth if it's too thick.

Chili can be made 3 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over low heat.


Mole Sauce
Source: Allrecipes
Adapted by There's Always Thyme to Cook

2 teaspoons oil (vegetable or olive oil)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A little handful of cilantro, chopped, or 1 teaspoon dried
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
1 one can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
1/4 cup almonds, sliced or chopped

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in cocoa powder, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the tomatoes and green chile peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer about 20 minutes.  Let it cool a bit. Then whiz it with an immersion blender to make a smooth sauce, but be careful of splattering. Or you can also whiz the whole thing in the food processor.

Note: I put the leftovers in an ice cube tray and when it's frozen, put them in a ziploc bag and have a cube if I need one for a recipe.

Joining Suzy at Kitchen Bouquet for another Flashback Friday.

 and

 Food on Friday at Carole's Chatter 

and joining

Miz Helen's 2012 Texas Star Chili Cook-Off

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Mosaic Monday: Chili

Joining Mary at the Little Red House for Mosaic Monday! Check out Mary's blog and see all the Mosaic's this week!

Today is one really rainy day! It's one of those days where you just need something simmering on the stove. Chili works! I may even try to make some corn bread to go with it, but even from a mix, they end up burned. but then again, I have all day to get it right, and four boxes of mix in the closet!

Back to the chili. We love chili. Ground beef, beef chunks, chicken, turkey chili! Vegetable, not so much. I usually get Wick Fowler's to make a quick pot. All nice ingredients, and he saves me a step by having the pre-measured packets. I never said I wasn't lazy!  But every once in a while I get ambitious and Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin is my go to recipe for fantastic beef chili. Ever since I first saw it posted to raves on a Cooking Forum by Karen (Riverrat) last year. Great recipe but cutting up a 4-lb chuck roast is work. I've made it with ground beef, too, also good! but try the chuck roast. and I added beans. Who cares about authenticity? My kid is a picky eater and she likes beans!

White Chicken Chili

Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin

Wick Fowler's Two-alarm Chili

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White Bean Chicken Chili

It was one of those days. Not exactly gorgeous outside. Ended up a lazy day. Pulled some chicken from the freezer expecting cutlets for Chicken Marsala. Have a load of mushrooms to use up. Wouldn't you know it. Boneless, Skinless Chicken thighs. I should have noticed, but I just threw them in the frig the other day to defrost. Now I had to use them. So I googled. Came up with a few good choices.

Chipotle-Lime Grilled Chicken

Broiled Chicken and Artichokes

or maybe this one...
Herb-and-Cheese-Filled Chicken Thighs

The grilled chicken sounded real good, but looked like it might rain, so I thought I'd be nice and not drench the husband! I think it drizzled instead of poured. and only for a little bit. Too late now. The broiled chicken seems really easy and really simple, so I'm saving it for another day. The stuffed chicken thighs really topped my list but I was in lazy mode today, so I'll have to put that off for another time. but it's definitely on the "must try" list.

Well, you probably guessed from the title of the post. I went with simmering. Much easier on a day of nothing but laundry and errands. We had a nice big bowl of White Bean Chicken Chili that I found at epicurious. and it was good. Really good.

Those other three contenders are really high on the list, I know there's more chicken thighs buried deep in the darkness of the bottom bin of the freezer. Unless they're the long lost cutlets I was looking for!

I didn't have aniseed, so for that matter, I didn't even miss it! I added a tablespoon, maybe a little more of ancho chile powder. Used olive oil instead of the corn oil. less garlic, more cumin and no cilantro. My daughter, Miss Picky, thinks it tastes like soap. Trust me, I know from soap, I was a fresh kid. I bubbled many a time after saying the wrong thing to my mother, cilantro does not taste like soap. At least not to me.

So no cilantro but it needed something green, so I added a whole bunch of baby spinach. It was a really nice addition. We liked this. It's very similar to Susan's Chili Blanco Especial, which I usually make and we love. So I stole her idea of the tortilla lining the bowl! Great idea!

White Bean Chicken Chili
from Bon Appétit at epicurious.com
Printable Recipe


2 tablespoons corn oil
1 large onion,chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon aniseed
1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 15-ounce cans cannellini beans (white kidney beans)
1 cup canned chicken broth
1 7-ounce can diced green chilies
1/2 cup whipping cream
Grated cheddar cheese
Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, cumin, oregano, aniseed and dried red pepper. Sauté 5 minutes. Push onion to 1 side of pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to pan. Sauté chicken approximately 5 minutes.
Drain beans; reserve 1/2 cup bean liquid. Add beans, broth, chilies, cream and reserved bean liquid to chicken. Simmer until chicken is tender and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat before using.) Ladle chili into bowls. Top with cheese and sprinkle with cilantro.

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Everything old is new again...

Reruns. Dinner from the freezer. Ancho Beef Chili. Heat it up, add two kinds of beans, red kidney and pinto, and toss together a big salad, becomes a great dinner with no fuss at all. This time no sad, little overcooked corn muffins. I solved that issue with a box from Entenmann's!




Click for the recipe

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Back to blogging!

Stuff happens. I deleted my blog, no thyme to cook, because life took some unexpected turns when my dad got ill. and I thought I wouldn't be able to devote any time or thoughts to cooking, let alone blogging. So I deleted blog number one. It had been a nice diversion. So I tried to get it back. No can do. So here I go on blog number two...

I made what has to be the best tasting chili recipe yet! We love chili. With beans, without beans, but I had never made it with hunks of beef. Just ground beef. or chicken. So Karen posted a chili recipe on the Cooking Forum at the Gardenweb. She raved. Then Beverly raved. Then I got to copying and pasting. and then I got to actually cooking. then I raved! It's originally from epicurious. and it is a keeper. Best chili we've had yet! My baking on the other hand has pretty stayed the same, burnt and pretty much hit or miss, mostly miss!

The recipe called for mole paste. Trader Joe's USED to carry that sauce. Three other supermarkets and I came up empty handed. The self-proclaimed queen of takeout had to go totally scratch on this one. I googled quick and easy mole recipe. Found an easy one with great reviews! Worked out perfectly! I even have some in the freezer for next time. Which will be sooner than later!

Cubism for Chuck Roasts!


Simmering for five hours!



Sad little Corn Muffin from a Jiffy Mix. helps to read the box. I did fill halfway, but I filled TWELVE, not six :) So they ended up like corn hockey pucks. An exercise in futility to chew these things!



Finshed and oh so good! Spicy, comfort food goodness in a bowl!



Beef Chili with Ancho, Mole and Cumin
Source: Bon Appétit | February 2009
by Cheryl Alters Jamison and Bill Jamison
posted on the GW Cooking Forum by Riverrat
Printable Recipe

Chili:
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
4 bacon slices, chopped
1 4-pound boneless chuck roast, trimmed, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch cubes
1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 1/2 cups (or more) beef broth, divided
1/4 cup pure ancho chile powder
1/4 cup Texas-style chili powder blend
1 tablespoon mole paste
2 teaspoons (or more) salt
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 to 2 tablespoons masa (corn tortilla mix)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Garnishes:
Warm, freshly cooked or drained canned black beans or pinto beans
Chopped white, red or green onions
Grated cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, or queso fresco
Sliced fresh or pickled jalapeno chiles
Tortilla chips or oyster crackers

For chili:
Toast cumin seeds in heavy small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Cool; grind finely in spice mill or in mortar with pestle.

Sauté bacon in large pot over mediumhigh heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to large bowl. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper. Working in 4 batches, sauté beef in drippings in pot until browned, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer beef and most drippings to bowl with bacon. Add onion and garlic to pot. Sauté until onion begins to brown, about 5 minutes. Add 1/2 cup broth to pot. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Return beef, bacon, and any accumulated juices to pot. Mix in ancho chile powder, Texas-style chili powder, mole paste, 2 teaspoons salt, vinegar, oregano, and cumin seeds. Add 3 cups broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat to very low and simmer gently uncovered until beef is very tender, stirring occasionally and adding more broth by 1/2 cupfuls if chili is dry, about 2 1/2 hours. Mix in masa by teaspoonfuls to thicken chili or add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to thin. Season chili with salt, pepper, and cayenne, if desired.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool 1 hour. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled. Rewarm over low heat.

For garnishes:
Set out garnishes as desired. Ladle chili into bowls and serve.


Allrecipes - Mexican Mole Sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (I used Droste)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried cilantro (I used fresh, and chopped it)
1/8 tablespoon dried minced garlic (I used fresh and chopped it fine)
1 (10.75 ounce) can condensed tomato soup (I used one can of Rotel tomatoes with green chilies)
1 (4 ounce) can diced green chile peppers
(I also added a handful of finely ground almonds (food processor!) on the suggestion of one of the reviewers.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook the onion until tender. Mix in cocoa powder, cumin, cilantro, and garlic. Stir in the tomato soup and green chile peppers. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10 minutes. (I simmered much longer, and I whizzed the whole thing in the food processor to make a smoother sauce)

It's nice to be back blogging!

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