Cincinnati Chili with Lentils

I know there’s a group of Cincinnatians out there just cringing right now. I am messing with a classic. However, you probably weren’t too thrilled with my use of bison and TVP in my last entry either. This adaptation was inspired by a recipe a friend of mine e-mailed to me. It was another version of Cincinnati Chili with Lentils. It started me thinking about using lentils in the recipe in my previous post. So, I gave it a try and it turned out pretty well. No, it’s not exactly the same. However, if you are looking for a healthier, vegetarian, or a more economical alternative, this will work. It also passed with flying colors with the rest of the household, which is a major plus.

Cincinnati Chili with Lentils

3 cups lentils
9 cups broth
3 cups onion, finely chopped
4 ½ cloves garlic, minced
22.5 oz tomato sauce
3 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp chocolate chips
1 ½ Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
1 ½ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 ½ tsp cumin
¾ tsp cardamom
3/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Place all ingredients in stock pot. Bring to a simmer (you may want to save adding the chocolate chips until now) and let simmer for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally. When lentils are cooked, blend mixture. I used my immersion blender, but you can blend a bit at a time in a regular blender. This will give it the same texture as the original recipe.

Serve over spaghetti with the following toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese (for a 3-way) plus
Red beans OR chopped onions (for a 4-way)
Red beans AND chopped onions (for a 5-way)

*Pumpkin Pie Spice (substitute, 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves


While we all loved this, we are still playing around with the technique of making this recipe.  Why?  Because we think it's fun to experiment with different ways of doing things.  We're going to try running the lentils alone through the grinder to see what that does to the texture and I'm going to try making this in the crockpot.  I will ammend this post with the results of our effort - so be sure to check back!

Cincinnati Chili

Cincinnati Chili is not your “typical” Texas-style chili. It is something completely different, originating, of course, from Cincinnati, OH. It is served over spaghetti and topped with shredded cheddar cheese, red beans and/or onions. Oyster crackers are often served with the meal. Cincinnati Chili is also used as a coney sauce, topped with shredded cheddar cheese. This can seem like quite the project, but it is never as difficult as I make it out to be before I get started. It also makes a lot of chili, so you’ll have plenty to either feed a crowd or freeze for future use.

Cincinnati Chili
3 lbs ground beef
3 cups onion, finely chopped
4 ½ cloves garlic, minced
22.5 oz tomato sauce
1 ½ cups beef broth
3 Tbsp chili powder
3 Tbsp chocolate chips
1 ½ Tbsp vinegar
3 Tbsp honey
1 ½ Tbsp pumpkin pie spice*
1 ½ tsp cumin
¾ tsp cardamom
3/8 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Boil ground beef, onions, and garlic in water. Once beef is cooked, strain meat, onions, and garlic through cheesecloth or a fine strainer. Return meat mixture to pan and add other ingredients. Heat to simmer.

Serve over spaghetti with the following toppings:
Shredded cheddar cheese (for a 3-way) plus
Red beans OR chopped onions (for a 4-way)
Red beans AND chopped onions (for a 5-way)

*Pumpkin Pie Spice (substitute, 1 tsp)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

Personal Note: I usually make this with ground bison and I have even substituted one pound of ground bison for 1 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein). I just put the TVP in the water about 10 minutes before straining the mixture through the cheesecloth.

Sugar Cookies and Buttercream Frosting

Happy Valentine's Day!!!!!
The final "Sweets for your Sweet" recipe is your basic sugar cookie.  I received this recipe from a friend who found it in her Betty Crocker cookbook.  I made these for a Valentine's Day party and they were a big hit.  Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time staying out of the leftovers!  At least it's a beautiful day for a walk.  I can balance out those extra cookies!  I hope you enjoy these as much as we have and I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Sugar Cookies

Makes about 5 dozen 2-inch cookies

1 1/2 cups powered sugar
1 cup margarine or butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar

Mix powered sugar, margarine, vanilla, and egg in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Heat oven to 375. Grease cookie sheet lightly with shortening.

Divide dough in half. Roll each half 1/4 inch thick on lightly floured surface. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet.

Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. Remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack.
Notes:

1. You can sprinkle the cookies with granulated sugar before baking and forgo the frosting.  They will still be wonderful and a bit on the healthier side.
2. These are great without sugar or frosting.
3. I was short on time when I made these, so I rolled the dough into a log, put it in the freezer for 40 minutes then moved it to the refrigerator for 20 minutes.  When it came time to bake the cookies, I just sliced the log every 1/4" for a basic round cookie.

Buttercream Frosting (from the powdered sugar bag)
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
Cream butter.  Add remaining ingredients and continue creaming until mixture is well blended and light and fluffy.  Will frost two 9" layers or one 13x9" cake.
This frosting literally takes minutes to make (faster than running to the store) and is better than what you would buy in a tub in the dessert aisle.

Bunco Dip

In keeping with the "Sweets for Your Sweet" theme, here is a recipe that is sure to be a hit.  My friend Monica introduced me to this recipe.  She calls it Bunco Dip because she always made it for Bunco parties.  It is very easy, taking only minutes to assemble.
Bunco Dip
1 8-oz pkg reduced fat cream cheese
1/2-3/4 jar caramel ice cream topping (recommend Smucker’s, it tends to be thicker)
Mini-Heath bars - chopped
Apples, sliced (recommend Granny Smith)
Graham Sticks

Place block of cream cheese on a plate. Cover with caramel ice cream topping. Sprinkle with chopped Heath bars. Serve with apple slices and graham sticks to scoop up dip.
I imagine it can be adapted, but I have a hard time moving away from caramel and Heath Bars!  I have thought about using chocolate sauce and Butterfingers or Reece's Cups instead, for chocolate and peanut butter lovers.  If you decide to try to adapt it to your favorite flavors, I'd love to hear the results.

Tar Heel Pie

I found this recipe on a North Carolina postcard and had to buy it just to try the recipe. It is basically a super-rich brownie pie! Needless to say, I love this pie! This is a great recipe for a gathering, just so that you are not tempted to eat too much of it yourself. It is very fudgy and I am always nervous that it isn’t done, but it is. Just watch for dryness around the edges and the crust to darken.
Tar Heel Pie
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, scrambled
Pour melted butter over chocolate chips and stir. Blend remaining ingredients into chocolate mixture. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes.
It's THAT easy!  It is great in the Pat-in-Pan Crust.

Tar Heel Pie Tarts

Pat-in-Pan Pie Crust

Valentine's Day is fast approaching so it's time for some "Sweets for Your Sweet" recipes.  Actually, this recipe is a prelude to the first "sweets" recipe.  The filling will come next.  If you love chocolate, you will love the next post.  However, first things first...

This is my absolute favorite pie crust recipe. It is from Cooking from Quilt Country, a cookbook about Amish life. I love this recipe because I don’t have to make a mess on my counter to make it. It is made directly in the pie pan. It can be used for any single-crust pie: pumpkin, crumb-topped fruit, quiche, etc. I have been known to add a bit of cinnamon with the flour if I'm making apple or pumpkin pie.  The only down-side to this crust is that there isn’t any leftover crust to make little cinnamon pinwheel cookies with afterwards.

Pat-in-Pan Crust

1 1/2 cups plus 3 Tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup oil
3 Tbsp cold milk

Place the flour, sugar and salt in the pie pan and mix with your fingers until blended.
In a measuring cup, combine the oil and milk and beat with a fork until creamy.
Pour all at once over the flour mixture.
Mix with a fork until the flour mixture is completely moistened.
Pat the dough with your fingers, first up the sides of the plate, then across the bottom.
Flute the edges.
Shell is now ready to be filled.

If you are preparing a shell to fill later, or your recipe requires a prebaked crust, preheat the oven to 425F.
Prick the surface of the pastry with a fork and bake 15 minutes, checking often, and pricking more if needed.

For a 10" crust, use 2 cups flour, 2 tsp sugar, 1 tsp salt, 2/3 cup oil, 3 Tbsp milk

Crockpot Cooking

My sister sent me this article about the economic and environmental advantages of using crockpots.  I love my crockpot, whether it's cooking dinner, keeping spiced cider warm (a Christmas eve tradition), or even cooking breakfast all night while I sleep.  It's awesome!  In the past week I've used it to make Chicken Cacciatore and chicken for burritos.  I even had enough burrito chicken to packages in the freezer for 3 future meals.  So, if you haven't already, dust off your crockpots and have dinner waiting for you.