Its been awhile since this has been done and we all need new ideas going into winter - Fancy, easy, fast, slow, hot, mild, it doesnt matter.
What are some of your favorite things to cook at home....


We've gotten really into Chicken Tortilla Soup and White Chicken Chili.

Chicken Tortilla Soup I Recipe - Allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-tortilla-soup-i/)

(we leave out the hominy -hated it when i was a kid, never tried it sense)

Cha Cha's White Chicken Chili Recipe - Allrecipes.com (http://allrecipes.com/recipe/cha-chas-white-chicken-chili/)

in addition to the white beans (navy) we also add a can of kidney beans(drained)

Hamburger helper

Ground pork burger with a side of sauteed portabello mushrooms.

I feel bad for you peasants that have no help and have to cook your own meals. May you have better conditions in the future!

Take a look at my username and take one guess..... if you guess sushi you are wrong. :wink:

My wife uses the heck out of her slow-cooker in the winter. Lots and lots of different ways to make chili, seasoned drum sticks and roast.

This one--a cousin of Chili and another of my favorites, Puerco Verde- started out as an excerpt from the Weight Watchers Crockpot Cookbook, "Slow Good." My wife picked up a copy of this little, softbound, book a few years ago. Now it is out of print. Guess what: Even eBay and Amazon have it listed for about $80.00!! The book described it as a “brothy, hearty, stew” and noted, "can also be made with chicken."

I know that some in here have expressed a dislike for hominey and I have to admit that I didn't like the strange mutant corn that occasionally appeared on the trays of my childhood in an Elementary School Lunch Program, but I'm about 50 years older now and have learned to really like hominy. Especially the gold hominey, rinsed and drained. For me, it takes the place of beans (texture-wise) in a recipe without all of the gas. Please don't be offended by the lack of cilantro in this outline. =)

The trick to getting this to come out right is to cook the pork "low and slow" and then add the other ingredients much later in the cooking process. As with my chili, I start with large chunks of pork, let them simmer for about 40 min. then cut them into smaller, bite-sized pieces. If you start out with the pieces too small, they often seem to disappear during the cooking process. Here's a summary of the way I did it the other day (that produced excellent results, by the way):

Pork Posole ("6 Servings")
1-1/2 lbs boneless pork shoulder (trimmed of excess fat)
1 t. salt (m.o.l. / to taste)
1 t. coarse ground black pepper (m.o.l. / to taste)
1 t. lemon pepper
1 T. olive oil
2 cups (MOL) reduced sodium chicken broth (or beef stock—preferred)
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (to 4) chipotles en adobo minced (To taste: Pretty hot. Last time I used 3 of them)
1 T. chili powder
1 T. ground New Mexico chiles
2 t. dried oregano (Mexican oregano if available)
2 t. ground cumin
3-4 tomatillos, quartered
3-4 large spoonfuls Herdez Salsa Verde
1 can chopped Hatch green chiles
2 large tomatoes, diced (Or "fire-roasted" large-diced canned tomatoes)
1 (15 ox.) can yellow (or white) hominy rinsed and drained (I prefer yellow)
(Garnishes / Sides)
2 cups chopped romaine lettuce (I don't mess with this)
6 radishes, chopped (I can't eat radishes or cucumbers)
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro (or parsley, or green onions)
Lime wedges . . . Sour cream . . . Grated cheese . . . Etc…..

Season (salt, pepper, lemon pepper) and sear large chunks of pork in oil and move them to large pot.
Deglaze the skillet with whatever you have on hand. Add beef stock (or broth). Stir-in two spoonfuls of the adobo sauce from the chipotles, chili powder, cumin, oregano and ground New Mexico chiles. Pour over pork in pot. If necessary, add enough broth or stock to cover pork pieces at least halfway.

Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about forty minutes.
After about forty minutes, remove pork from pot, cut into smaller pieces and return them to pot.
Add the chipotles, onion, and garlic. Mix in and simmer for about thirty to forty minutes.
If the pork pieces still seem too large, cut them down a little in the pot.
(If you can do this with a wooden spoon, the pork is approaching desired tenderness.)
Add the ("fire-roasted") tomatoes, chopped green chiles, tomatillos and (golden) hominy.
Simmer another thirty-plus minutes, uncovered.. Allow to cool slightly, and then serve in bowls with garnishe(s) of choice and warm tortillas or corn bread.

BTW: If you are going to make this with chicken, it isn't necessary to do all the stuff in this video, but it might be a way to pass a cold winter day when you aren't out there mowing the lawn, watering the flower bed, raking the leaves or pressing the button on the microwave. =)
kAekQ5fzfGM

Personally, I'd sear the chicken then dry roast/braise it, reduce the Posole liquid, perhaps thicken it with some masa, corn starch, arrowroot or potato sauce and use it as a sauce.

PSA: Beware of chicken stamped as originating at this place. I think it's in Canada somewhere.
http://www.mommahealth.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Boneless-Chicken-Ranch-Far-Side-247x300.jpg

My wife uses the heck out of her slow-cooker in the winter. Lots and lots of different ways to make chili, seasoned drum sticks and roast.

So does mine. She starts with either beef or chicken, then adds whatever vegetables, spices, and Cream of Something soup she has available. Growing up, her family called them "Fridge Cleaners". I call them "Snowflake Stews" because they're never the same twice.

In Minnesota they call them Hot Dishes.
I call them "Adventures in LeftoverLand" =)

(e.g.) . . . =)
http://www.okctalk.com/food-restaurants/27631-diy-dinners.html

I love making roasted chicken. My favorite way is to try the skin for 24 hours in the fridge, which gives a crispy skin while keeping the meat juicy. Serve with roasted asparagus and it's a perfect meal for me.

My wife uses the heck out of her slow-cooker in the winter. Lots and lots of different ways to make chili, seasoned drum sticks and roast.

Also great in the summer. You don't heat up the house and, added bennie time, the house smells yummier and yummier throughout the afternoon into the eve.

BBatesokc,
I would be interested in how she does drum sticks.
C. T.
My wife uses the heck out of her slow-cooker in the winter. Lots and lots of different ways to make chili, seasoned drum sticks and roast.

Venison and black bean chili.....I can't wait for another cold front. I need an excuse to make a pot!

Venison and black bean chili.....I can't wait for another cold front. I need an excuse to make a pot!

Why wait. set the ac to frigid, wear only swimwear and enjoy.

A pot of pinto beans flavored with ham hocks; fried potatos; real cornbread (no flour and no sugar); raw onions and pickled jalopenos on the side.

BBatesokc,
I would be interested in how she does drum sticks.
C. T.

She just puts some crumpled up foil in the bottom of the cooked (to keep the legs from sitting in the juices) and then puts different rubs on the legs and then lets them slow cook. They are so good. She takes the skin off to make them healthier.

A pot of pinto beans flavored with ham hocks; fried potatos; real cornbread (no flour and no sugar); raw onions and pickled jalopenos on the side.
Making some of that today although the snow from yesterday is almost all gone now. Next cold snap will be some chili.

Winter is approaching, it's time for good chili. This chili is really good. It's enough for a crowd or it can be halved I'm sure. I chop the brisket and smoked sausage with a food processor but I'm sure you can ask the butcher to do it for you.
C. T.



Ingredients
3 lbs Brisket, finely chopped
1/2 lbs Smoked link sausage, finely chopped
3/4 lbs Fresh pork, finely ground by butcher
2 medium White onions, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs Cooking oil
1 oz Tequila
12 oz Beer
1 Tbs Cumin
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Oregano, ground
1/2 tsp Mustard, hot, dry
1 oz Chili powder
1 cube Beef bouillon
6 clove Garlic, minced
6 oz Tomato paste
1/4 tsp Brown sugar, packed
3 ea Jalapeno peppers, finely chopped
1/2 ea Cayenne pepper, finely chopped
1 16 oz Whole tomatoes
1 ea Bay leaf

Directions

Chop brisket and smoked sausage. A food processor works nicely. Brown
brisket, sausage, ground pork, and chopped onions in cooking oil, in
large iron pot. Drain thoroughly in colander. Marinate meat over-night
in refrigerator in tequila and beer-using more beer, if necessary, to
cover to the top. Put meat and all other ingredients into electric
slow cooker. simmer, covered, for 6 hours on high temperature, or 12
hours on low heat. Stir occasionally. When done, let cool an hour,
then refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, heat only the
portion required for the meal. Separate portions can be frozen for
later use. For extra spice, sprinkle ground cayenne pepper over
individual servings. If a slow cooker is not available, the chili can
be simmered over low heat about seven hours.

C.T.: Recipe looks great! I hope to try it this winter. Reminds me of my favorite homemade Margarita recipe: empty out a can of (semi- or formerly-) frozen limeade into the blender, put in that same can full of tequila and the same can full of beer. Blend. Pour over ice.
I bet it'd go well with the chili.

Venison and black bean chili.....I can't wait for another cold front. I need an excuse to make a pot!

Better get cooking, buddy. The cold has arrived!

Why wait. set the ac to frigid, wear only swimwear and enjoy.

I am afraid if we did that at this house, any appetite would be gone. :)

A pot of pinto beans flavored with ham hocks; fried potatos; real cornbread (no flour and no sugar); raw onions and pickled jalopenos on the side.

Yup, that is what I'm eating this cold day. Well, except for the jalapenos, raw onions and potatoes.

She just puts some crumpled up foil in the bottom of the cooked (to keep the legs from sitting in the juices) and then puts different rubs on the legs and then lets them slow cook. They are so good. She takes the skin off to make them healthier.

You got yourself a gem, there, Brian.