Now, back to food...
Now that the weather is sufficiently chilly, I feel the need to make cozy, yummy dinners. I have also tried to keep introducing new foods to my family. Food is to magical to keep preparing it the same way over and over. That's why I started New Menu Monday. We try something we have never tried before every Monday. I record a variety of food related shows and I browse a few favorite food websites. Sometimes I present several ideas and let the guys decide which one sounds best to them but most times I just prepare something and everyone tries it.
Even when the kiddos were little, I used to make them try new things. If they thought they didn't like it even before they tasted it, I would make them take "No Thank You Bites". The amount of bites would be their age (age 5 = 5 bites). Most of the time they would find that they liked the taste after a few bites. Sometimes they didn't, and that's OK. If the majority of us didn't like it, I would throw away that recipe and never make it again. But most of the time we have a wonderful new addition to Mom's Cookbook and I try to incorporate it into the rotation.
I have heard that a lot of you have a hard time getting out of your dinner rut so I am now going to post our New Menu Monday choices on the blog. Happy Cooking and Happy Eating!!!
We had this last Monday and thought it was GREAT!
Cheesy Hash Brown Chili by Rachel Ray
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons EVOO - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 1 pound ground beef
- Salt and pepper
- 1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 1-pound bag frozen shredded hash brown potatoes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Yields: 4-6 servings (We had a little left over)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°F. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven.
In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the tomato paste. Add the beef and cook, breaking up the meat, for 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.
Add the beans and the tomatoes with their juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Transfer to an 8-by-11-inch baking dish.
In a large bowl, combine the potatoes and cheese. Scatter the potato mixture over the chili. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet and bake until the potatoes are cooked through and the chili is bubbling, about 35 minutes.
1 comment:
Sounds tasty. Welcome back to blogging. You've been missed by me.
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