Butternut Squash Bean Chili

Difficult season of life right now...

My Dad is terminally ill with cancer. My father-in-law had a major car accident and is living with us for a bit. 

At this point, functioning is difficult. Writing complete, coherent sentences with correct spelling is a challenge. Please forgive my choppiness. I need sleep. 

I'm taking comfort in food which is a dangerous place to be. I know me - stress equals eating. 

I need to make healthy things. Vegetarian chili comes to mind. We have a butternut squash and out came this. Warm comfort in a chocolate bowl.

Butternut Squash Bean Chili

Ingredients

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 jalapenos, seeded and minced

2 tbsp chili powder

2 tbsp cumin

1 tbsp oregano

1 tbsp lime juice

2 14.5 oz cans tomatoes, undrained

2 14.5 oz cans any beans (black, red, pinto, etc), drained and rinsed

2 c butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 1lb)

Salt and Pepper

Sour cream 

Chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in pot over med-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft and beginning to brown, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and jalapenos, stir 1 minute. Add spices: chili powder, cumin, oregano and lime juice, stir 1 minute. Add in tomatoes with juice, beans, and butternut squash. Cook with lid on until squash is soft, about 20 minutes. Stir the pot around 10 minutes, add water if necessary. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream, cilantro, and lime wedges.

 

Chicken Feta Soft Tacos - Fast Weeknight Dinner

You know I avoid the kitchen most all summer long. I just don't love being in there where it is hot. I get all whiny and complaining, kinda like my kids and it isn't pretty. I LOVE cooking on the grill in summer. I mean it's already hot outside, so cooking out there doesn't change much. It's already 92 in the shade.

Actually, I guess I should say, I love getting my HUSBAND to grill. I do all the prep work and then he stands out there sweating and feeling very manly. Works out great for everyone involved.

This recipe was born of leftover grilled chicken. I often have the Grillmaster cook a couple of extra pieces of chicken to have for salads the next day. This night, I needed fast and had the extra chicken already done, but it's really fast even when starting from nothing. I just happen to have these ingredients in the fridge, so I set them all out. Thankfully it came together beautifully. Really, simple, delicious, fresh...exactly what summer is all about.

Chicken Feta Soft Tacos

chicken breasts

feta cheese

cilantro

cabbage (or lettuce)

limes

pumpkin seeds, roasted and salted

sour cream

tortillas

Drizzle some olive oil over the chicken and sprinkle with some salt and pepper (oregano is good too if you have it). Make sure the chicken is at room temperature before putting on the grill. Grill with indirect heat on medium for about 10-15 minutes until the juices run clear. After the chicken comes off the grill, let it rest for 10 minutes and then chop it into small pieces. Serve all the ingredients in a divided chip tray (like Help Yourself Oatmeal) with warmed tortillas. Let everyone custom make with their choices. My kids especially love the pumpkin seeds, so pick these up next time and keep in the pantry. Summer is served!

 

Kid Creations - Mini Meatloaves

My oldest has decided I'm boring in the kitchen. He has reached the tender age of 8 1/2 and is "bored" with my menu choices. The child is a budding foodie. He has exotic and varied tastes and I love that about him.

In our house, whenever I hear complaining, I figure that person needs to come up with a solution to whatever problem is bugging them. Since I wasn't doing the complaining about the food, I didn't think I need to change. I pulled out the kid cookbooks and said, "pick what YOU want to make for dinner". He actually thought about it seriously, read through the cookbook, and then showed me his pick...Everyday Drumsticks. This recipe is from a very old Betty Crocker's Children's Cookbook that my Mom used to cook from as a child.

The recipe actually cracks me up. In essence, it's a meatloaf on a stick, creating a "drumstick". I figured we really didn't need weapons sticks at the table, so we settled on just the "drum" part of the recipe. These have nothing to do with what you usually think of in terms of drumsticks. There is no chicken involved in the recipe. It's an easy recipe that Super Bear made ALL by himself. I seriously did not help him except to stir the cranberry sauce. See?? I told you to buy those extra bags of cranberries over Thanksgiving and put them in the freezer.

Mini Meatloaves
1 lb ground beef (I used venison)
1 c soft bread crumbs
salt and pepper
2 eggs
bacon (optional)
2 c cranberries
1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
zest of one orange
1 tsp nutmeg


Combine all in a large bowl and knead with your hands to really get it mixed well. Shape into mini balls or rectangles. Wrap with 1/2 bacon strips. Place on a slotted baking sheet or wire rack on top of a baking sheet to catch the grease. Broil for 10 minutes. Watch carefully for burning bacon!


In the meantime, combine cranberries, water, sugar, zest, and nutmeg into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries are popped and soft. The mixture will thicken. Serve over meatloaf.

Grilled Salmon with Herb Lemon Butter

This recipe was just what I needed after the week of "junk" food on our vacation. I paired it with potatoes and fresh green beans. Finally...what dinner should look like.

Grilled Salmon with Herb Lemon Butter
adapted from Food Network.com

Ingredients

1/4 c butter, softened

2 Meyer lemons, zested

1/2 tsp dill

1/2 tsp chives

1/2 bunch thyme, finely chopped or 1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 small clove garlic, smashed and finely chopped

salt and pepper

4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets, skin-on

olive oil

Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature. In a small bowl, combine the butter, zest, herbs and garlic to make a compound butter. Mix well. Preheat grill to medium hot.

Coat the fish with olive oil. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the clean, preheated grill. Cook for 8 minutes. As the salmon cooks it will turn from translucent orange to opaque pink.

Turn the salmon over and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the grill and top with the room temperature compound butter. The butter should act as a sauce and melt over and coat the grilled salmon.

Bring on the summer!!