The Best White Chili Recipe!

1/4 cup Oil or Chicken Grease

1 Onion, diced

5 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 1/2 tsp. Oregano

1 tsp. Cummin

1 Shake Cayenne Pepper

2 tsp. Salt

1 6 oz. can Green Chili's

3 cups Cooked White Beans, Canelli, Great Northern, Navy, or Garbanzo (or 2 cans with juice)

2 cups Cooked Chicken, Shredded or Chopped

4 cups Chicken Broth

16 oz. Sour Cream

Sauté onions in oil or grease until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic, oregano, and cumin, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute 

Add cayenne, salt, green chilies, beans, chicken, and broth. Bring to a simmer. Simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Mix in the sour cream. Continue to cook until just heated through.

Enjoy!

This soup is tasty on it's own or garnished with tortilla chips, and shredded cheese.

Sweet, Rich, Gluten Free Cornbread Recipe!

1 cup Corn Meal

1 cup Masa Harina

1/4 cup Sugar

1 tsp. Salt 

1 tsp. Baking Powder

1/4 tsp. Baking Soda

1 1/4 cup Buttermilk

1/2 cup Melted Butter or Bacon Grease

2 Eggs

In a mixing bowl blend the dry ingredients together. 

Add the buttermilk, fat, and egg. Combine thoroughly.

Pour into a greased 8×8 inch pan or 8 inch iron skillet.

Bake 20-25 minutes at 350° F.

Other Corn Bread Recipes:

Cake-Like Soaked Grain Cornbread

Purist Cornbread

Tightwad Tip: Save Grease

 

I save grease from cooking hamburger, chicken skins, chicken broth, ham bones, bacon, etc..... 

Fat rendering out of fried chicken skins.

I use it for frying eggs, sauteing onions, spreading on tortillas before warming them in a skillet. Chicken grease is soft when chilled. Beef grease is hard when chilled. Pork fat is somewhere in between the two.

The harder fats can be used in place of shortening in savory pastries. Chicken fat works fine in tortillas. Bacon grease tastes good in cornbread as a replacement for butter or oil. 

To save grease: 

I recommend that you pour grease from browned hamburger meat into a heat safe bowl and then chill in the refrigerator until firm. Oftentimes  the fat poured off hamburger meat has water at the bottom. Scoop the hard fat off the top and put in a jar to store.

Collecting fat from the top of broth
after chilling in the refrigerator.

To save fat from chicken broth or other types of broth:

Boil bones and trimmings for several hours. Allow broth to cool. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. The fat will solidify on the surface of the broth. Scoop the solid fat off the broth and store it in a jar in the refrigerator.

Spreading chicken fat on a corn tortilla
 before warming it in a skillet.

To collect fat from bacon or fried chicken skins just pour the fat into a glass jar when it is still hot and in a liquid state.

I can't say how long this fat will last in the refrigerator. I keep mine for several weeks until it is all used up. I only throw it out if it smells rancid, but normally it is gone long before this point.

Baked Beans From Scratch

Although this is a great recipe any time of year it is particularly good this time of year to take to Cook Outs and Weiner Roasts!

This recipe is a real budget saver, too. Everyone knows that beans are a cheap source of protein, and in this recipe you reap maximum savings by using dried bean instead of canned beans.

I use pinto beans in this recipe because they suit our taste and texture preferences. You can use any type of beans that you like, though.

Baked Beans From Scratch

1 lb. Dried Pinto Beans

Water

Pinch of Baking Soda

2 Tbsp. Oil or Bacon Grease

 1 Bell Pepper, Diced

1 Onion, Diced

1/4 cup Sugar (use 1/2 cup if you like sweet baked beans.)

1/4 cup Molasses

1/2 cup Ketchup

1 Tbsp. Mustard (Prepared)

1 tsp. Liquid Smoke

2 tsp. Worcestershire Sauce

1/4 tsp. Chili Powder

1/8 tsp. Ground Pepper

Salt to taste

Step 1.

In a large bowl place the dried beans and pinch of baking soda. Add a quantity of water and soak the beans for 12-24 hours. As the beans expand check periodically to be sure that they stay submerged. Add more water as needed.

Step 2.

Drain the beans and turn into a large pot. Cover the beans with fresh water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer gently until the beans are tender, about 2 hours. Remove from heat. Pour off excess cooking liquid. Leave an amount of water that comes even with the level of beans in the pot 

This portion of the recipe can be done ahead of time. The cooked beans can be stored in the refrigerator for a few days.

Step 3.

Saute bell pepper and onion in hot oil or bacon grease until soft and translucent. Add sugar, molasses, ketchup, mustard, liquid smoke, and spices. Warm through, then add the cooked beans with their remaining liquid.

Step 4.

Pour beans into a casserole dish or iron skillet and bake at 350° F. for 1 hour. This step gives the top of the baked beans a nice caramelized effect. Enjoy!

(Alternate Step 4. 

Just heat the baked beans on the stove top and simmer for 30 minutes.)

Cowboy Beans Variation:

Use a mixture of beans (pinto beans, black beans, kidney beans, butter beans, etc.)

Add 1/2 a pound browned ground beef

And 1/2 pound sliced hot dogs