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

Rejoice!

 Rejoice in the Lord alway: 

and again I say, 

Rejoice.

Philippians 4:4

And how can I help but rejoice

When on Christ and His sacrifice 

I let my mind linger?

When I recall my desperate condition!

How, in the most absolute degree, 

I was beyond any hope of gaining Heaven.

When my thoughts wander through memories

Of days in my past,

In which, the only motivation of living

Was to keep out of Hell one more moment.

What darkness!

What despair!

And then,

The glorious light of Jesus' love shines in!

What brightness!

What joy!

He loves me!

He died to wash my sins away!

He offered me eternal life as a free gift!

Free, free, free!

Free for the asking!

Just to take Him at His word.

Just to trust His promise,

"Whosoever will, 

Let him take of the water of life freely."

Friend, I hope you, too, are rejoicing in this wonderful truth. 

No one need remain in darkness and despair.

Jesus loves you, too.

He died to take your punishment.

And, He wants you to trust Him as your Saviour.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, 

He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, 

hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; 

but is passed from death unto life.

John 5:24

Roasted Red Pepper, Mushroom, Spinach, And Chicken Thigh Recipe

 

Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Recipe

3 large red bell peppers 

5 chicken thighs

8oz  button mushrooms

1 red onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

½ cup white wine (or chicken stock + 1 Tbsp. Lemon juice)

1 cup chicken stock

1 tsp smoked paprika

½ to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

Salt

1 medium bowl of baby spinach leaves

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup olive oil

Step 1.

To roast the red peppers:

Place in preheated oven at 30 min at 350°F – 180°C and roast for 40-45 minutes. Remove and place in a bowl or anything with a lid. Cover and leave for 30 minutes. 

Or:

Place the red peppers in a preheated grill. Roast until the skins blacken. Rotate the peppers until they are uniformly blackened on all sides. Remove from grill and place in a covered bowl for 30 minutes.

Step 2.

Slice the mushrooms in fairly thick slices and sauté in a frying pan with a little olive oil. Set aside once nicely brown.

Step 3.

 Cut chicken thighs in 2 or 3 pieces. Sprinkle with smoked paprika and cayenne pepper. Place the same pan on high heat with olive oil and sauté the chicken until nice and brown on each side. Set aside once cooked.

Step 4.

Place the diced onion in the same pan on low heat, add the minced garlic and gently cook until a little brown. Add extra oil if required. Deglaze with white wine then add chicken stock. Reduce by half.

Step 5.

For the bell peppers, remove from bowl and peel off the skins. They should remove easily. Take out the core, tear them apart and scrape away any seeds. Keep one or two slices for later. Place the rest in a blender along with the onion and wine reduction. Blitz on high until velvet smooth.

Step 6.

Pour bell pepper sauce into the same pan on medium heat. Add the cream and return the chicken and mushrooms. Slice into strips the roasted bell peppers set aside. Add to the sauce, mix well, taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and cayenne pepper. Leave to simmer very gently for 3-4 minutes.

Step 7.

Chop up the baby spinach in medium coarse size and add to the sauce mix. Mix well and serve over pasta.

This is a really tasty dish! I had a some beautiful red bell peppers which led me to search for a recipe that highlighted the red pepper flavor. Red peppers are kind of special because you have to wait so long for their color to change. After all that waiting I wanted to cook something special with them.

I found this recipe through a tantalizing cooking video. The original recipe is from recipe 30.com.

https://recipe30.com/chicken-in-roasted-bell-pepper-sauce.html/

The flavors that were prominent were the capsaicin of the peppers, the olive oil soaked into the mushrooms, the smokey hint of the smoked paprika, and richness of the cream, and earthiness isolated to the spinach bites.

Peppers, Peppers, Peppers!

 

I have been able to harvest a lot of peppers from our small garden plot this year.

I have used the banana peppers to make Lacto-Fermented Pickled Peppers. I still think this is the best recipe for pickled peppers. You can follow this link for the recipe:

https://simplyinspirations101.blogspot.com/2017/11/lacto-fermented-peppers-recipe.html?m=1

The habanero plants have produced marvelously! I have been using them to make some aged pepper hot sauce. If you are curious about my method you can read all about it here:

http://simplyinspirations101.blogspot.com/2020/10/my-aged-pepper-hot-sauce-recipe.html?m=0

When my Mom was in town to meet our newest baby she froze the majority of the bell pepper harvest for me. She just diced the peppers and froze them in freezer bags. It was a blessing to have her help! :)

Genesis 8:22

While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.

Seasons are changing here in the Mid-west.  My flowers are fading. The days are shortening. Soon we will be going to weiner roasts and enjoying campfires with family and friends.

Brief Birth Story For Baby #4

 What A Baby Costs

By Edgar Albert Guest

"How much do babies cost?" said he

The other night upon my knee;

And then I said: "They cost a lot;

A lot of watching by a cot,

A lot of sleepless hours and care,

A lot of heartache and despair,

A lot of fear and trying dread,

And sometimes many tears are shed

In payment for our babies small,

But every one is worth it all.

"For babies people have to pay

A heavy price from day to day--

There is no way to get one cheap.

Why, sometimes when they're fast asleep

You have to get up in the night

And go and see that they're all right.

But what they cost in constant care

And worry, does not half compare

With what they bring of joy and bliss...

You'd pay much more for just a kiss.

"Who buys a baby has to pay

A portion of the bill each day;

He has to give his time and thought

Unto the little one he's bought.

He has to stand a lot of pain

Inside his heart and not complain;

And pay with lonely days and sad

For all the happy hours he's had.

All this a baby costs, and yet

His smile is worth it all, you bet."

I normally don't share personal information such as birth stories on this blog, but since I have shared more pregnancy related topics this time around I will go ahead and recount a brief description of the labor and delivery of my most recent child.

This pregnancy was my most difficult pregnancy so far. It culminated in the most easy delivery that I have had with any of my children. It brings to mind this verse from Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 7:8

Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof: and the patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit.

Baby #4 was born at 41+3 weeks. I wasn't surprised at all to be overdue. All of my children have been born a week or more past their due dates. I always expect to go late.

I was having contractions through the night, but I was ignoring them and able to sleep pretty well.

When I woke up at 5:36a.m. my waters ruptured. I called the midwife. Then I woke up Mr. In The Mid-west.

The children started waking up. Mr. In The Mid-west was cleaning the house to get ready for people to show up. He was also getting the children ready to leave. I was packing clothes for the children and cleaning the bathroom and brushing Dear Daughter's hair between contractions. I wasn't timing them, but I could tell they were getting close.

The midwife called at 6:37a.m. to see what contractions were like. I timed a few. They were 2 minutes apart and a minute long! She said she would leave her house and head our way. It's an 1 1/2 hour drive, by the way.

Around 7a.m. is when I felt like I was going through transition. Around 7 is also when my Mother-in-law got to our house to pick up the children.

I went to lay down. I usually get really sleepy after transition and experience a welcome respite before the really hard part starts.

The midwife got here at 8:20. She made it! I was starting to do little, teeny tiny, pushes. May be I should describe it as slightly bearing down. But I really didn't want to push. The midwife checked and said I had a cervical lip. I tried a squatting type position for 2-3 contractions. I wasn't holding myself up on my own. Mr. In The Mid-west was holding me up by holding me under my arms and I was just dangling in a squatting position. That worked. The lip was gone and I could push the baby out. I like to be on my knees, leaning into the bed for that part. Baby #4 was born at 8:46a.m! 3 hours of labor. Not bad at all! :) 

I am grateful that everything went well. I am also glad that it is all over. I have been enjoying getting to know our newest little bundle of joy! :)