Whistle Stop Chili

Posted on November 8, 2013 by fmadmin

We’ve had the Whistle Stop Chili at the market for a few years now.  A while back I brought a box home to try, but never got around to it.  While searching the kitchen cabinet, I found the box and finally decided to give it a go.  When I told my husband I was making chili at 5 o’clock, he instantly got a look on his face.  He also told me it was impossible to make good chili in such a short amount of time.  Little did he know, I had the Whistle Stop Chili starter.

chili starter

This dish dates back to the 1880s as a “poor people’s food” and it all started in San Antonio, TX.  It was said the dish had as much pepper as chunks of meat.  Interestingly enough, chili is mostly served as an appetizer or side dish in today’s restaurants.

I followed the recipe on the back and cut it by half for the amount of meat I had.  I don’t like red kidney beans, so I used Cannellini beans instead.  Cannellini beans are white kidney beans and I find them to be a bit creamier than their red kidney bean relative.  They are great in soups, stews and even in salads.  If you’ve never tried them, click here for 12 different ways to cook Cannellini beans.

chili

We had some roasted butternut squash leftovers, so I added it to our bowls and topped with cheddar cheese.  For the girls, I mashed the butternut squash in their bowls first, then added the chili.  They didn’t even notice!  They enjoyed eating their meal and even asked for seconds.  Enjoy!

 

Do you sneak veggies in your children’s plates?

How do you make your chili?

Do you have a favorite bean?

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Pumpkin Cream Pasta

Posted on November 1, 2013 by fmadmin

With all the pumpkin talk, I decided to try my hands at cooking a Pumpkin Cream Pasta for an easy weeknight dish. Since this was my first time making it, the pumpkin taste was pretty mild.  You may add more pumpkin butter if you want more of the pumpkin flavor.  Just remember to season with salt, so the dish doesn’t become overly sweet.

Pumpkin Cream Pasta

In order to make this dish, you can purchase already made sofrito in your grocery’s frozen section or you can follow the recipe below.  A lot of different cultures have their own combination.  For example, the Cajun Holy Trinity is made up of celery, green bell peppers and onions.  The French Mirepoix is made up of celery, onion and carrots.  The Portuguese mix onions, garlic and celery in their soffritto.

The smell of sofrito in my kitchen will forever transport me back to Puerto Rico.  Whether my grandmother made it herself or bought it from a neighbor, a container of homemade sofrito was always in our refrigerator.

 

Chicken sausage with pumpkin cream sauce
Author: Xiomara Meeks
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Ingredients
  • 1 package Al Fresco chicken sausage, cut in 1/4 in slices
  • 2 tbsp sofrito
  • 2 tbsp McClain’s Pumpkin Butter
  • 1 cup whipping cream
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp Troyer’s Amish butter
  • salt to taste
  • For sofrito:
  • 1 green bell pepper
  • 1 medium size purple onion (I prefer purple, but you can use white or yellow)
  • 1 cubanelle pepper
  • 4 garlic cloves
  • 2 culantro leaves (if you can’t find culantro, you can double your cilantro)
  • 1 cup cilantro
  • salt
Instructions
  1. Add the olive oil to a heated large pan with sides. Then add 2 tbsp of sofrito and cook for about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the chicken sausage and follow package instructions. Remove the sausage slices from the pan.
  3. Add pumpkin butter and whipping cream to the pan and cook over medium heat for about 10-12 minutes until thickened. Add 1 tbsp of butter, then add cooked pasta and sausage.
  4. To make sofrito: Chop and blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender. Season with salt. Keep refrigerated.

 

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Zucchini Eggplant Casserole

Posted on October 25, 2013 by fmadmin


vegetable side dishesby Xiomara Meeks – Are you stuck in a rut?  While I’m a big fan of zucchini and eggplant, it has been a while since I’ve cooked either one at home.

Zucchini seems easier to cook than eggplant to me.  Or at least, I’ve had better luck adding zucchini to an oriental inspired dish than cooking eggplant.  Although I prefer eggplant to zucchini, it just seems like such a big hassle sometimes.

The other day I received this picture from a friend.  It made me realized I’ve been slacking on my vegetable eating. Sure, at home we eat avocados and tomatoes almost daily.  But this mixture of colorful veggies just made me want to try some new veggie recipes at home.

 

 Easy Zucchini Eggplant Casserole

Who has time to prep, chop and bake?  I know we are all short on time these days.  At least that’s how I feel when I get home after leaving the market and picking up the girls at daycare.  It’s like entering my second job.  😉  So, with that in mind, I promise this dish is quick, tasty and makes for great leftovers!  The beauty of this dish is that once is in the oven, you’ll have time for other stuff.

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