Did somebody say food?
Here’s a favorite that will warm you up during the winter months.
CHILI MACARONI BAKE
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) uncooked elbow macaroni
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 1 can (4 ounces) chopped green chiles, drained (optional)
- ½ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1-2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (depending on how much you like cheese. For me, the cheesier the better.)
Instructions
- Cook macaroni according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cook beef and onion over medium heat, crumbling beef, until meat is no longer pink. Scoop out oil and discard if there’s too much from the beef.
- Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
- Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Drain macaroni; stir into beef mixture.
- Preheat oven to 375°.
- Transfer mixture into greased 2-qt. baking dish.
- Top with cheese.
- Cover and bake at 375° for 30 minutes.
- Remove cover and bake another 10 minutes.
EASY SLOW COOKER CHICKEN SOUP
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken (breast or thighs) cut into pieces
- (4) 15 oz. cans of chicken or vegetable broth
- bunch celery – chopped with leaves
- large carrots, peeled and chopped
- (5) cloves of garlic, smashed (wrap in cheese cloth if you want to remove them after the soup is done)
- small bunch of dill – chopped
- small lemon, sliced
- salt
- Pinch of pepper
- Noodles if desired – after soup is finished
Instructions
- Toss everything into the crock pot and cook for 4-6 hours.
- Remove lemon slices and bagged garlic.
- Do not add noodles unless you are planning to serve all of it at the same time.
- By not adding the noodles it makes it easier to freeze and thaw the soup.
To add a little sweetness into your life:
CRANBERRY UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE
Ingredients
For the topping
- 2 cups (200 g) fresh cranberries
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup (165 g) packed light brown sugar
For the cake
- 1 ¼ cups (162 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 large eggs, separated
- ½ cup (124 ml) orange juice
Instructions
You’ll need a hand mixer for this.
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan.
- Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly spray the paper with cooking spray.
Make the topping
- Arrange the cranberries evenly in the bottom of the pan; set aside.
- In a large nonstick pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour evenly over the cranberries; set aside
For the cake
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir with a whisk.
- In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until well mixed and fluffy.
- Beat in the orange zest and vanilla extract.
- Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, until well combined.
- Reduce the speed to low, add half the flour mixture followed by the orange juice.
- Add the remaining flour mixture, mix until just incorporated.
- In a separate bowl: Add egg whites to a separate medium bowl. Using clean beaters, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold stiff peaks.
- Fold ⅓ of the egg whites into the batter, then gently fold in the remaining egg whites.
- Pour the batter over the cranberry mixture.
- Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the cake on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
- Run a knife around the cake to loosen it from the pan and invert it onto a serving plate.
- Gently peel off the parchment paper if it sticks to the top of the cake.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
- The cake will keep for up to 2 days covered and stored in the refrigerator.