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Sweet and Spicy Chili

Sweet and Spicy Chili

Chili ………congers up images of winter, football, and Sunday!

I was going to stun you with my incredible chili knowledge…….you know the history of chili……..yada…..yada……yada. Well, it seems there is quite a controversy as to the origins of chili so, if you are really all that interested, you will have to google it. By the time I wrote all of it down and you read it ……..holy moly.

So, instead, I will amaze you with this Sweet and Spicy Chili. First, let me say that chili is Tim’s thing. There are a few items in the food world that for some reason are beyond my scope…….for reasons unknown………chili is one of them.

As we were planning our next recipe Tim suggested chili. I tried to steer the planning anywhere but there, but he kept coming back to it. The next words out of his mouth were music to my ears…… “I’ll make my chili”……..done!

Only one problem……….he had never written it down into a recipe. So, as he added ingredients I wrote them down. Now let me say that we always have the same spice conversation……

Tim: “ It needs more spice”
Marty :“ Tim, not everyone likes that much spice”
Tim: “Just a little bit more”
Marty: “ No, its fine”…….and then he adds more.

Turns out, in this recipe he was totally right! It was not too spicy……. it was perfect. Chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, and two things I have not had in chili before…….cocoa powder and cinnamon.

I had a big ????? with the cocoa and the cinnamon. They are that in the background taste, you can’t quite pick them out, but they make the dish. We also added brown sugar and salsa…….that added that some’m..some’m………and it all came together perfectly.

Just spicy enough, with a touch of sweet. We did not add any toppings to ours but feel free to add whatever you like……. we ate ours with biscuits…….or as Tim calls them skits.

However you top it or whatever you eat with it, Sweet and Spicy Chili will warm you up, make your favorite team win, and let you have a super Sunday.

It makes a small batch, it will serve 4-6, and if its just for two you can have it again and you know how it goes with chili …….even better the next day!

Sweet and Spicy Chili

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Tim Boyd
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Yield: 6 1x
Category: Soup
Method: Simmer
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

Scale

1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1–4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies
1–15 oz. can dark red kidney beans
1–28 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 cup salsa
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

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Instructions

In a large pot over medium heat, brown ground beef, onion, and garlic. Meanwhile mix together brown sugar, chili powder, cocoa powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Add to the browning meat mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes to let the spices release their flavor. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 30-45 minutes. Serve with shredded cheese or your favorite chili topper.

Keywords: chili, sweet, spicy, ground beef, kidney beans, tomatoes, soup

Thanksgiving Pizza

The meal was prefect, you spent the days with family and friends…….everyone is gone, the dishes are done……….what are you going to do with all those leftovers????

Make a pizza……thats right……a Thanksgiving Pizza! Everything that makes Thanksgiving special, on a pizza…..say what????? No its true!

So, this is more of a method than a recipe. Heres what I did:

Gravy for the sauce. Spread leftover gravy over a purchased or homemade pizza crust.

Then top with leftover mashed potatoes.

Dressing and Turkey go next.

Cranberry sauce….as much or little as you like.

Brie Cheese.

In the oven for 15-20 minutes.

And …….OMG its Thanksgiving……… on a pizza! It was the best thing I have ever done with left overs. You know how when you make some thing, and you take a taste and you are speechless …….this is like that. Tim and I both just kept saying…..omg this is soon good!!!

So take all those leftovers, toss them on a pizza crust and prepared to relive Turkey Day again!!!!

NOTE: You can add any leftovers you want. If you like sweet potatoes, or have leftover veggies…….just toss on what you like best.

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

You can’t please everyone…….but sometimes you find someone who appreciates the out of the ordinary recipe. I made a Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza for Tim and I. It was incredibly tasty and we both really enjoyed it. Beets are not everyone’s cup of tea and the color can be off putting to some…….unless they know how great beets are!

I went for my routine Mammogram and was talking to the tech about food. I told her about writing the blog and gave her one of our cards. She mentioned the fact that she liked simple things without odd ingredients. I told her about the pizza and although she didn’t turn up her nose, I could tell it might not be her thing. She proceeded to tell me one of her co-workers really liked beets and she would tell her about the blog.

After I was finished, as I was leaving the co-worker ask if I was the blog lady…..too cute. I said I was and she in a pleading voice said “Please tell me there is goat cheese on your pizza”. She said she had been to a restaurant that had a beet pizza and it had goat cheese……guess what….. mine does!!

Mine also has spinach, and mozzarella cheese. I bought a crust……way easier if you are in a time crunch like I am so much these days. I made the beets into a pesto……….walnuts, garlic, parmesan, and olive oil. Whatever you do with beets, roast them first, it makes them sweeter, and a breeze to peel.

I plant them every year in my garden, and when I harvest them, I roast them all. I line a sheet pan with foil, wash the beets leaving about an inch of the top and the tap root……that long mouse tail looking part………I put them on the lined sheet and cover them with foil, into a 400* oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the beets. Let them cool slightly, peel them, cutting off the stem and tap root. Then I freeze them. They freeze beautifully, so when you need them for a recipe….. boom…..you have them, roasted and ready to go.

So, for this recipe I smeared the beet pesto on the crust, topped it with baby spinach and the cheeses, and into the oven for 15-20 minutes………Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza.
If no one but the tech at the hospital tries this, I will have made one person happy…….wait three as I said, Tim and I really liked it, so don’t be put off by the color or the idea of beets, roast them and give Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza a try……..

Roasted Beet Pesto

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Yield: 1 cup 1x
Category: Sauce
Method: Blend
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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1 cup red beets, roasted
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ cup walnuts, roasted
½ cup parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt to taste

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Instructions

Add all ingredients except for the olive oil to a food processor or blender and blend briefly
Leaving the food processor (or blender) running, slowly add the olive oil until all ingredients are well combined. If the pesto is too thick try adding a small amount of water until pesto is smooth.

Keywords: beets, parmesan, walnuts, pesto, sauce

Roasted Beet Pesto Pizza

★ 5 Stars ☆ ★ 4 Stars ☆ ★ 3 Stars ☆ ★ 2 Stars ☆ ★ 1 Star ☆ No reviews

Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: 4 1x
Category: Pizza
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

Scale

1 pre- made pizza crust such as Boboli
1 cup beet pesto
2 cups spinach, thinly sliced
1.5 cups mozzarella cheese, grated
2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

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Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400*
Spread 1 cup Beet Pesto on pre- made pizza crust. Top with spinach, mozzarella cheese, and goat cheese
Bake pizza for 20 to 25 minutes or to desired crisp.
Allow pizza to cool 5 minutes before serving.

Keywords: pesto, beets, premade pizza crust, quick, spinach, goat cheese