When I think about my Cold Case Reopened book which is set in Colorado, I think about eating a steaming bowl of chile con carne by a campfire. It’s the perfect kind of meal for a cold winter day and I always make a big pot of it to have leftovers! Hope you enjoy it!

Chile con Carne

Ingredients

2 pounds beef chunks (chuck or bottom round)
1/2 stalk celery finely chopped
1 carrot finely chopped
1 small onion finely chopped
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1 pound small red chili beans (dried beans; rinsed)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp Gochujang (Korean chili paste – can be omitted)
32 ounces Chicken or Vegetable Stock

For later addition to the chili:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1/2 red pepper chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

For toppings:

Chopped Onions/Scallions
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a big stockpot or Dutch oven. Add the beef cubes and brown. Do not overcrowd them because you don’t want them to steam instead of brown. You can also substitute pork or chicken, but if you use chicken, you may need to adjust the cooking time as it may break up faster than either beef or pork. Remove beef from the pot and place in another dish for now.

Add the celery, onions, and carrot and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Then add the tomato paste and cook for another couple of minutes.

Add the meat back to this pan. Add the beans (make sure you rinsed and picked them through for stones). Add the stock. It should cover all the meat and beans. Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, and Gochujang and stir.

Cook at a low boil on the stove for 2 to 3 hours. If you are cooking in a Dutch oven or ovenproof pot, you can cook the chile in the oven at 325 degrees for a few hours.

The beans and meat should be tender within two to three hours. Since the original carrots, celery, and onions will have dissolved by now, it’s time to add the other onion and red pepper. Fry them up with the olive oil and then add to the chili.

Once the meat and beans are tender, lower the heat to keep the chili warm. If it has too much liquid, let it simmer without the top to reduce the liquid.

Serve the chile with the toppings! You can also break up some tortilla chips and dice some avocados to also use as toppings.

As I mentioned before, you can change this up by using pork or chicken. You can also substitute ground beef or turkey. As for the heat level, if you love heat, add more of the Gochujang. If you can’t find this red pepper paste, use cayenne, hot sauce, or chiles in adobe. You should be able to find those in the Spanish section of your grocery store.

This is an easy and adaptable macaroni salad recipe that’s just perfect for a summer BBQ or picnic. It doesn’t take all that long to prepare and you can mix in your favorite vegetables and change it up as you see fit.

Ingredients

1 box Barilla Elbows
2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped cucumbers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped red (or orange) peppers
1/2 cup shredded carrots
8 ounces diced mozzarella cheese
1 cup basil leaves
1 clove garlic
3 heaping tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Follow directions on the box for cooking the elbows. I use Barilla elbows because they have ridges that hold the dressing better and normally cook them for about 7 minutes so they are al dente. Once cooked, rinse with cold water and drain.

To make the creamy pesto dressing, coarsely chop the basil and garlic. Place in either a blender or food processor, or use an immersion blender to mix. Add the oil and mayonnaise and mix until completely blended. For more punch, think about adding some grated parmesan to the dressing if you’d like. If you’re adding parmesan, you may want to hold back on the salt at this stage, but salt and pepper to taste. If you like it more garlicky, add additional cloves before you mix the dressing in your blender or food processor.

If you really like basil, double up the amount and add a little more oil and mayo to keep the dressing smooth. Or just make a chiffonade of the basil and mix it in!

Place macaroni in a large bowl and add the dressing. Mix well.

Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, red peppers, carrots, and cheese and mix again. I used both red and yellow grape tomatoes to add a punch of color to the salad.

To change things up, consider using these ingredients as additions to the salad:

scallions, greens included
salami
pitted green olives
marinated artichokes
celery (I like the greens better than the stalk)
Peas

I’d love to hear from you if you try the recipe and if you added anything different to the mix!

It was one of those nights where I needed a little comfort food and to also clean out some things in the fridge. Rotisserie chicken, peas, some carrots getting a little past their prime. I thought, why not a Chicken Pot Pie! Total comfort food for me and I hope for you as well. While I normally would do my white sauce for the filling, I’m trying to clean out the pantry so I dug in there for things I might use. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe!

Caridad’s Easy Chicken Pot Pie

Ingredients

2 pie crust shells (Pillsbury, box mix, or made from scratch)
3 cups chopped chicken
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup peas (Fresh, canned or frozen. If canned or frozen, pre-cook and drain to eliminate excess liquid)
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup celery chopped
1 can Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 can Half and half
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (the real stuff!)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Lightly grease large 9-inch pie pan. You can do individual, but I did one big pan to save time. If you’re using dark metal pans, you may need to cut down on the cooking time.

Saute mushrooms in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Olive oil is my go-to but you can substitute vegetable oil or butter if you prefer.

Saute mushrooms for about 3 minutes to get rid of their liquid.

Add carrots and celery and saute for another 3 minutes or so.

Add onions and saute until softened, about another 2 to 3 minutes.

Add mushroom soup and the half and half and stir well. Remove from the heat and add the chicken. Mix well until all the chicken is coated with the sauce. I’m not cooking the chicken at this stage since it’s already cooked and I don’t want to overcook it since it’s going into the oven for at least 30-40 minutes.

Salt and pepper to taste and add peas, mixing them in gently. I had canned peas and they are softer, so I added them last. If you’re using frozen ones that you’ve cooked, you may add them in earlier, but don’t mush them up.

Prepare your pie pan with the bottom layer of crust, stretching it up carefully to reach up the sides.

Fill the pan with your chicken, soup, and vegetable mixture and make sure it’s level. Top with the grated parmesan cheese.

Cover this mix with the top pie crust shell. Close the edges of the pie by folding and crimping the edges all around.

Cut a few slits in the top pie crust to allow steam to escape so you won’t burst that top crust with the steam.

Cook this pie for about 30 minutes. Remove and place a tin foil collar on the crimped edges of the pie so they won’t brown too much. Cook for another 10 or so minutes or until the top crust is golden brown.

Let sit for about 5 minutes and then slice and eat.

Some people will do an egg wash on the top of the crust. That will give you a nice glaze and color, but that extra color can throw you off as to the pie crust being cooked.

You can also do this pie Spanish-style by using tomato sauce and paste instead of the mushroom soup. Add some olives and capers to that red sauce for some brininess and kick. Maybe even some chorizo for another pop of flavor!

Bon Apetit!

I’m always looking for an easy dish to make if I’ve got leftovers. We had some delicious potatoes that my daughter made and I immediately thought: Cottage pie! (Only Shepard’s pie if it’s lamb, I’m told). So if you’re looking for something to do with leftovers or to make it fresh, this is an easy one for you! Plus if you use a stove-to-oven pan, there is less to wash.

Easy Cottage Pie

Ingredients

2-3 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup grated cheese (cheddar/provolone/swiss)
8 ounces chopped meat
1 large onion chopped
1/2 cup peppers chopped
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/4 cup wine
1/4 water
2 tbsp tomato paste (I keep a Cento tube in my fridge for ease of use)
1 can of sweet peas (14-16 ounce or so)
1 roasted pepper chopped (you can skip this, but I love them and always have a bottle of them around)
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the olive oil in the pan until shimmering and add peppers. Saute for 3 minutes or so and add onions. Saute until softened and add garlic. Saute for another minute and add meat. Brown the meat and then add salt and pepper, tomato paste, and water. Simmer for another 3 minutes or so to heat.

Add peas. I used the whole can because we love peas, but you can adjust to your own taste. Stir gently and turn off heat on the pan. Top with the roasted peppers. Cover with mashed potatoes and make sure to cover the entire surface. Top with cheese of your choice.

Bake for 15 minutes or until mixture under the mashed potatoes is bubbling and the potatoes are starting to brown. If you’re using a low gratin dish as I did, place it on another baking pan to avoid spills in the oven.

Once the mixture is bubbling and brown, broil for 2-3 minutes. Make sure the pan you’re using can be used with the broil function!

Once it’s browned, remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes and then serve! Nom nom. It’s tasty, trust me. A real comfort food as well at a time when you need comforting.

I didn’t have carrots around, but if you do, add them! Also a little celery if you want. Adding vegetables in this is a good way to get added nutrients and also add filling volume that will help you eat less and keep down the calories. If you want something a little spicier, give it a shot of hot sauce or my new fav ingredient, gochujang Korean chili paste.

One of the things I’ve been trying to do as part of my health journey is to eat more vegetables. One way I’ve been doing that is by adding veggies like carrots and celery to some of my traditional recipes, like my bean chili. Another way I’m doing it is by making a meatless dinner at least once a week. Last night’s dish was a delicious stuffed and baked eggplant so today I’m sharing that recipe with you! This recipe can be doubled to make enough for a second weeknight dinner. I could just imagine Carlo from NEVER A BRIDE making something tasty like this for a dinner with Emma!

Ingredients

1 medium eggplant
1 carrot diced
1 celery rib diced
2 onions diced
4 cloves of garlic minced
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 cup ricotta cheese – part skim
1 cup shredded mozzarella – part skim
1 egg
1 cup seasoned Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup grated parmesan
Salt and Ppepper to taste

Sauce

1 14.5 ounce can of crushed/diced tomatoes (I love Hunts Fire Roasted for making a small pot of sauce)
1 tsp basil
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant in half and cut off a bit of the skin side so that eggplant boat will lay flat. Scoop out the inside of the eggplant, but do not cut through the bottom.

Oil a baking pan and lightly oil the scooped out eggplant halves. I used a spray cooking oil.

Lay the halves scooped side down on the baking pan and bake for 30 minutes. (Nothing worse than squeaky eggplant!)

Chop the scooped out eggplant and bottoms you sliced off and saute in about 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes and then add the mushrooms until they are all a nice golden color. Transfer to a mixing bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients.

Saute the carrot and celery for about 5 minutes or so and then add half of the onions. Saute until the onions are translucent and then add half of the chopped garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add to eggplant and mushrooms in mixing bowl.

Beat the egg and add to the mixing bowl together with the ricotta, mozzarella and 3/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Mix well.

While you’re waiting for the first bake of the eggplant, get to work on the tomato sauce! Saute the onions in a tbsp of olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and saute for another minute or two. If you like a slightly spicier sauce, add some red pepper flakes while you’re cooking the onions. Add the crushed/diced tomatoes and the tomato paste and simmer for about half an hour or to desired thickness. I like my sauce thick!

Back to the eggplant. Remove eggplant boats from the oven and flip over. You’ll notice that there is some steam coming off the halves. Fill each half evenly and sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and parmesan.

Bake for another half an hour at 350 degrees and then kick up the heat to 425 for another 20 minutes or so (or until the tops are a golden brown). Remove from the oven and let sit for about 5-10 minutes so they will be cool enough to eat. Top with the tomato sauce and more parmesan to serve.

Hope you enjoyed today’s Tuesday Tip. Let me know if you try it out yourselves!