Mom's Super Easy Chili

Homemade Chili is probably the 1st thing Mom taught me to cook. Most of her recipes were quite simple...When you are feeding 11 people every day, you have to be able to stretch those dollars and also save time. I made this meal for my family for a little over six dollars.  I know there are tons of Chili recipes out there with all kinds of different ingredients and types of meat, but this recipe has always been a real crowd pleaser, and I always get compliments!

I also made the yummy beer bread which set me back a little over a dollar!  I will be posting this recipe up too!

Chili:

Prep time - 5 minutes

Cook time - 30 to 45 minutes

1 Lb. Ground Beef

2 - 15 oz. cans tomatoes

(I use the diced, but you can get the whole tomatoes and put them in the blender or use a stick blender right in the can)

2 - 15 oz. cans of chili beans

1 small onion

Cumin, Cilantro, Salt, Pepper

Brown your ground beef.  Chop the onion, add to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and beans.  Season to your taste with Cumin, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper (probably about a teaspoon of each to start).  Simmer for about 30 Minutes.

I bought the ground beef in the 3 lb. chub and cut it into 3/1 lb. hunks and froze the other 2, so 2.66 for the meat.  My local market had all of their canned goods on sale for .68, so I stocked up on those and used 4 of them - 2.72.  I got 6 onions for .99 on the produce managers special rack and used 1 - .17.  The bread cost me about 1.29 and we used 1/2 of it, so - .65.  Total for meal - $6.20 and I have leftovers.

Shirley's Famous Potato Salad

When my family does Thanksgiving, there are 5 phases of eating...Appetizers, main course, dessert, sandwiches, then more dessert. It truly is an eating marathon!

 The sandwich course would not be complete without my Mom's famous potato salad. The recipe is so simple that it really still surprises me that people say it's "The best potato salad they have ever eaten". The photographer from my grandson's 1st Birthday party even mentioned it in her blog:

" I absolutely LOVED all of the decorations, and the food was fabulous ... from "Donald & Daisy's Delicious Desserts" to "Hot-Diggity Bar-B Dogs" & "Pluto's Pizza"... and the best potato salad I have ever had ... hands down!"

Stephanie (LIFEShots Photography) did a great job including the photo of the potato salad above.

Here is the post from LIFEShots Photography's Blog

Ok, so back to the recipe...here it is:


5 Lbs. Red Potatoes

1 Dozen Eggs

1 Small Onion

1 Jar Mayo

Salt & Pepper

Boil the potatoes (whole) until firm-tender (you don’t want them to overcook, or they will get mushy).  Remove from pot to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool.  Hard boil the eggs.  When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and dice into around ½ in. cubes.  Peel the eggs and chop them up into the same bowl.  Chop the onion finely and add to bowl.  Add salt & pepper to your personal taste.  Add the entire jar of Mayo in and mix it up with your freshly washed hands.  Refrigerate.

Note: Sometimes I will have to add a little extra mayo.

Ball Gravy

Hahaha...I knew that would get your attention! Of all the Thanksgiving memories I have, I think the funniest was the fact that when I was little, I would call the cranberry sauce "Ball Gravy".  In fact, I can barely contain myself while I am typing this.  Man, I was soooo cute!

Well, enough about me, let's talk cranberries shall we?  One of the most popular staples at Thanksgiving dinner has to be the cranberries.  Although I couldn't get enough of them as a child, I am not a big fan, but  the people who DO like them, though, REALLY like them, so I make them :)

Some prefer the jellied kind, you know the ones that come in a can with the handy cutting marks down the side...

Photo provided by Flickr user busbeytheelder

My  Mom always served these, and the whole cranberries, which she made from scratch.  Super easy, just buy a bag of fresh cranberries, rinse them, then put them in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of sugar.  Turn the heat to med-high, stir, and keep an eye on them.  When the berries start bursting, wait about a minute and then turn the heat off.  Sort of like popcorn, the berries should continue to burst.  When they are cooled off, put them straight into your serving dish and refrigerate.

I will have to say, though, my favorite version of Cranberries has to be my Friend Terri A.'s Portofino Cranberry and Jell-o mold.  It is so delicious, but unfortunately I don't have a photo, so you will just have to take my word for it!  Here is the recipe:

Portofino Cranberry and Jello Mold

Ingredients:

2-  3 oz Packages Raspberry Jello

1 ¼ Cup Boiling Water

1 Can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 Can 1# Whole Cranberry Sauce

¾ Cup Port Wine

1 Cup Chopped Pecans

8 oz. Package Cream Cheese

1 Cup Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello in boiling water

2. Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce and wine

3. Chill until slightly thickened

4. Fold in nuts and turn into a 9X13 Pyrex.  Chill until firm

5. Beat softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.

6. Spread over set Jello mold and chill

Cut in squares and serve.

Thanks Terri!

If you have any recipes to share, just click on the "Thanksgiving Recipes" tab at the top and put it in the "Comments"

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks from now until Turkey Day!