Black Bean Chili for a Spring Sunday

I wanted to make chili for the guys today - it's a gorgeous spring day but still a bit cool and I needed to use up some ground beef in the freezer.  Some of the stuff I used can be substituted for other things in the frig and pantry.

3 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste along the way
1 cup chopped red, orange, yellow peppers
1 cup chopped shallots
3 garlic cloves

1 tsp. ground coriander, roasted garlic flakes and celery salt
1 T. dried cilantro, cumin, minced onion, and chili powder (more to taste)
1 can chopped jalapeno peppers
2 cans chopped tomatoes with garlic, oregano and basil
1 qt. of vegetable or beef stock
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 T. molasses or sorghum*
any kind of mole, enchilada or chipotle sauce, if you have it.

2 pounds ground beef, browned
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 c. Wondra flour
1/4 c. cornmeal
Williams-Sonoma Tacolicious Mole Rojo
*Muddy Pond Horsepowered Tennessee Sorghum

I heated up 2 T of the olive oil with salt and pepper and threw in a bag chopped red,orange and yellow peppers (about one cup) I had frozen. I don't like green peppers and this was a great substitute. I added about a cup of chopped shallots and sauteed it all with three garlic cloves, sliced thin. I threw in 1 tsp. of ground coriander, 1 tsp. of celery salt, 1 T. dried cilantro, some roasted garlic flakes, 1 T. cumin and 1 T. chili powder.  I sprinkled on some dried minced onion and cooked this all together, adding some vegetable stock to keep it from sticking to the pan.  I then added 2 cans of chopped tomatoes (with garlic, basil and oregano) and 1 can of chopped jalapeno peppers.  To this I added about 1/2 cup of some Williams-Sonoma Tacolicious Mole Rojo.

I tossed this all in a crock pot and set it on High (4 hours) with 1/4 cup real maple syrup and 1 T. Muddy Pond Horsepowered Tennessee Sorghum.  Some molasses might work just as well for flavor.

I added 1/4 cup cornmeal to this and mixed well, topping off with the rest of the quart of vegetable stock and let it all start cooking.

I browned 1-1/2 to 2 pounds of ground beef and placed this in a colander to drain the fat. I added it to the chili and let it all cook for about 2 hours.  When it was bubbling, I sprinkled on 1/4 cup of Wondra flour and mixed it in very well so as not to lump or clump.  I then added four drained cans of black beans.

I cooked this all on High for four hours and then set it to 12 hours warm until the guys ate it later with chips.

If I had had grated cheese, more chopped onion, fresh corn, sour cream, chopped cilantro and sliced avocados, I would have served it with these - but I didn't.  They loved it anyway.

Baked Eggs with Fresh Cheese and Uncured Ham

Yesterday, we traveled about on the South Coast and found a small shop called Milk and Honey in Tiverton, RI. I must admit, we were a bit disappointed in the fact that there was very little honey in this shop, but there was a great selection of cheese.  I bought something called Cloumage which is a fresh cheese like a softened buttery cream cheese in a tub. It wasn't too expensive (we also bought some Rubiolo which was a bit pricey.)

This morning, I melted butter in some medium, deep crocks (see photo - these are like ramekins but are deep and not tiny.)
I lined the crocks with three slices of uncured Trader Joe (no nitrite) Black Forest Ham. I sauteed two shallots in butter, salt and pepper until they were nice and golden and limp and placed them on the ham. Then I spooned about 3 T of the fresh cheese on top and sprinkled it with about 12-15 fresh cilantro leaves. I dropped in two fresh eggs (without breaking), topped with fresh pepper and sea salt and lightly sprinkled with Trader Joe Bread Crumbs. I baked them for about 20-25 minutes in a 400 degree oven until I could see that the whites were cooked and the yolks not completely.

Yummy! We had no breads in the house so I added Asiago and Cheddar Cheese Crisps.

Liddabit Sweets' Turtles

It's Volunteer Appreciation Day once again - the 4th annual at the Morrill Memorial Library and I'm making candy this year.

I'm a bit nervous because I'm not a candy maker and I don't trust those candy thermometers. But I'm risky and my oven is broken so stovetop is the real deal this year.

Update!  They were delicious. I assembled them in wide, shallow muffin cups I found at IKEA.  I made two matches from the ingredients I had leftover for neighbors.

3/4 c evaporated milk
3/4 c plus 1 T granulated sugar
1/3 c heavy whipping cream
1/2 vanilla bean, slit open and seeds scraped out, pod reserved 1/4 tsp. vanilla paste or 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
80-100 toasted pecan halves
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 T unsalted butter
2 cups chopped dark chocolate (13 oz) OR
2 cups chopped dark chocolate and 1/3 c. clear oil
1-1/2 t coarse sea salt
Maldon sea salt for garnish

Stir together the sugar, evaporated milk, heavy cream, and vanilla bean and seeds in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, uncovered and without stirring.

While this caramel mixture is heating up, arrange the nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place 4-5 whole pecans in a star shape for each turtle.

Once the caramel mixture has come to a boil, insert the candy thermometer.  Add the light corn syrup and stir gently with the heatproof spatula until everything is mixed well. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, stirring often and making sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to keep the mixture from burning, until the mixture reaches 230 degrees F (thread stage) about 30 minutes.

Add the butter to the caramel mixture and fish out the vanilla bean. Stirring continuously, cook the caramel until it reaches 241 degrees F (soft-to-firm ball stage), 15-20 minutes; it will be a deep tawny color and have slow, rolling bubbles in the center. Remove it from the heat.

Stir in the salt and the vanilla paste or extract, making sure to mix well so that they are distributed evenly. Allow it to cool for about 5  minutes, stirring it a couple of times, until it thickens up a little bit and has the consistency of hot fudge.

Pour a couple tablespoons' worth of caramel onto each pecan cluster.  Allow them to set up until they are no longer warm, about 20 min.

Meanwhile, temper the 2 cups of chocolate or use the 2 cups of chocolate and 1/3 c. oil to make Cheater's Chocolate* coating.

Once the caramel has set up, pour some of the prepared chocolate into the clean funnel. Top each turtle with about a T of chocolate. The turtles' heads and feet should be visible.  When the turtle chocolate is completely cooled but not enough to be hard: Garnish with a few flakes of sea salt. You don't want the sea salt to melt into the chocolate but you do want it to stick.

Cheater's Chocolate Coating:
Melt the chocolate by placing it in a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and heat it in the microwave on High for 20 seconds.  Stir the chocolate with a whisk or heatproof spatula, then continue heating it on High in 20-second increments, stirring after each increment, until the chocolate is completely melted.

Alternatively, use a  double boiler over simmering water, allowing the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally until it's completely liquid and there are no lumps (15-20 min.)  Remove from the heat and slowly stir in the oil (sunflower or safflower) until it is completely incorporated.  Keep the coating warm by setting the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water until you're almost ready to use it; then remove it from the heat and allow it to cool until it has the consistency of warm fudge sauce - 15-20 minutes.

Pears, Pomegranate and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple Sesame Vinaigrette

1 medium butternut squash, peeled, using Blade B, spiralize and place on parchment on baking sheet. Roast 8-10 minutes after sprinkling with salt and pepper, to taste
Spiralize 1 large asian pear

Place 3-4 oz of arugula, ¾ cup pomegranate seeds, 3/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts in bowl with spiralized pear.  Toss with vinaigrette.

For the vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon real maple syrup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
1 tablespoon soy sauce
and pepper, to taste
1 garlic clove, crushed and then minced

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay out the butternut squash noodles. Coat lightly with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper and roast for 8-10 minutes or until cooked through but still al dente. While the squash cooks, combine all of the ingredients for the vinaigrette and toss with pear, arugula and pomegranate seed.

Once butternut squash is done, add it to the large bowl and toss. Serve immediately.

We served this with Sockeye salmon broiled with a bit of salt and pepper and maple-balsamic oil.

Beef Bolognese with Fresh Pasta

Last night we arrived home late from holding the new grand babies at the hospitals and our last Blue Apron meal of the week, Beef Bolognese, was waiting to be cooked. It sounded heartwarming and hearty and as usual, Blue Apron has attended to all the details and all we have to to do is the fun stuff - cook and eat.

We liked this recipe so much that we thought we might duplicate it at a moment's notice and wanted to have the recipe handy. (And, we’ve changed it up over the years as I update this in 2025.) 

For each two people: (multiply as needed)
8 ounces of premium ground beef
8 ounces of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle or homemade fettuccine. 
10 ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only the greenest leaves)
2 cloves garlic
4 carrots, peeled
3 stalks celery
1 large yellow onion
1 large bunch rosemary
Small can tomato paste
1/2 c Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Dice the carrot, celery, onion. Crush the garlic. Chop the rosemary leaves (leaves only)
Saute in a pan with 2 tsp. olive oil and stir until softened and fragrant, 2-4 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and cook until fragrant and deep red in color, 2-3 minutes. Note below! You will be adding pasta water in  a step below. 
Add the ground beef. Season with salt and pepper, breaking up meat and browning, 4-6 minutes.
Take off the heat while pasta cooks.
Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook al dente, 3-4 minutes (unless dry pasta and cook a minute shy of the directions).
Reserve 1-1/2 cups of the pasta liquid and then drain the pasta completely.

Put the bowl of leaves in the microwave for 45 seconds to soften them before adding to the pan. 
Add pasta and 3/4 to 1 cup of the liquid to the meat sauce, cooking for 2-3 minutes until all is coated, thick and combined.
Add the Brussels sprout leaves and all put a pinch of the Parmesan to the pan.
Cook and coat 1-2 minutes. Add more of the pasta water if this is too dry. Season again with salt and pepper. Plate and garnish with the rest of the Parmesan.
Delicious and filling! And good for you, too. About 700 calories per serving.

Shopping list for Four: 1 pound of fresh, premium ground beef 1 pound of fresh pasta, preferably something wide and dense like Pappardelle; 12 or more ounces of fresh, large Brussels sprouts (discard stems and white inner core saving only leaves) 4 cloves garlic 8 carrots 4 stalks celery 2 large yellow onions 2 large bunches rosemary 2 cans tomato paste 2/3 c. Parmesan cheese, finely grated

Betsy's Pumpkin Bread

Years ago, when my friend Betsy was a young wife, she made pumpkin bread in empty coffee cans. It was moist and yummy and I've made only that pumpkin bread recipe for years.

Heavens to Betsy, but I couldn't find my recipe this holiday season when I needed it. Bless this day and age when I can text a lifelong friend and she can text her mother and voila! The recipe appeared in my email within an hour.

Here it is:

3/4 tsp. baking powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. each salt, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg
4 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups pumpkin
1-1/2 c butter
5-1/4 cups flour

Mix well and add 3/4 c. nuts or raisins, ginger chips, cranberries (fresh and chopped or dried). Grease flour pans.  Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

I cut a medium-sized sugar pumpkin in half, scooped out the seeds and placed it cut side down on a cookie sheet. I roasted it for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. This yielded about 3 cups pumpkin.

Gerry Canelli's Lasagna

Gerry's been asked several times for his magnificent lasagna recipe. He makes it different every time but finally managed to get it written down so that others can make their own similar version.

Here it is:

Gerry’s Lasagna and Tomato Sauce recipe

For 9-1/2” – 13-1/2” pan (or similar)

2 boxes of lasagna noodles (you may have some unused noodles)

1 pound ground beef
1 pound  sausage (sweet, hot, or a mixture)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (more depending on taste)
3-4 T dried oregano
3 T dried basil
1 tsp. fennel seeds
1 tsp. crushed rosemary
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley (or ¼ cup dried flakes)
15 oz. can tomato sauce
12 oz. tomato paste
15 oz. can diced tomatoes (I like the garlic and herbed blend – drained)
24 oz. can Hunt’s pasta sauce (garlic and herbs)
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. whole milk ricotta
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
2 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
8-12 slices provolone cheese
Optional: if you can find scamorza cheese, slice ½ pound in addition to the other cheeses)

Start by making the meat sauce filling.  Place the tomato sauce and tomato paste into a saucepan. Using the tomato paste can as a gauge, add 1.25 cans of water.   Add fresh garlic, fennel seeds, oregano and basil, and crushed rosemary.  Place the saucepan on medium heat and stir occasionally until it starts bubbling.

In another pan, brown the ground beef, breaking it into small pieces.  Drain, and add to the sauce.

Take the casings off the sausage, discard. Brown the sausage, breaking it into small pieces, and add it to the sauce.  Take the sauce off the heat.

Taking the pan you intend to use for the lasagna, lay the noodles in the pan to gauge how many noodles you need for one layer.  Multiply by 3 (or 4 if you want a really deep dish); add in a few extra noodles in case some get stuck together when cooking.

Using salted water, cook the noodles as directed, stirring occasionally. Stop cooking about 30 sec to 1 minute before the end. Keeping the noodles in the pan, drain the hot water and immediately fill with the pan with cold water – let it sit.

Drain the ricotta cheese if it’s watery. In a bowl, mix it with either the fresh or flaked parsley, add in some dried oregano, mix and set aside. Remove the lasagna noodles from the water and drain in a colander.

Open the can of pasta sauce and pour some of the sauce into the bottom of the lasagna pan. Rotate the pan so that the entire bottom surface and some of the lower edge of the pan are coated with sauce.

Build the layers using noodles covered with ricotta and meat sauce and various amounts of the rest of the cheeses (mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar and provolone*) in the following way:

1.      Spoon some of the ricotta cheese on the noodles.

2.      Spoon some of the filling sauce across, then sprinkle a layer of shredded mozzarella, and a little of the Parmesan.

3.      Add another layer of noodles, and using your hand, press down to smooth out the layer (this helps to smooth the ricotta layer underneath it).

4.      Add more ricotta (if you are only doing 3 layers of noodles, use all of the ricotta here), then add more sauce.

5.      Note:  Sprinkle the drained diced tomatoes, cheddar, mozzarella, thinly sliced provolone or scamorza cheese, Parmesan on alternating layers (first and third if you have a 4-layer lasagna; the middle layer if you have a 3-layer lasagna.)

6.      Add another layer of noodles, and using your hand, press down to “smooth out the layer.  Add a thin layer of sauce.

For the top layer, use the remaining shredded cheeses and sprinkle on the top of noodles.  Finish with sliced provolone and Parmesan on top. By now I typically have run out of sauce, this is when I use more of the Hunt’s pasta sauce and sprinkle it across the top.

Cover with foil.

Cook for ~ 45 minutes at 375 F or until you can see or hear it bubbling.

Let rest for at least 10 minutes.  If you pre-make this dish, you can set it aside for a hour or more, then toss it in the oven without the foil and heat it up for 10 minutes or so.

 Using 1 or 2 metal spatulas cut and serve in portions.

**Note: the University of Cincinnati has a style guide for capitalization of types of cheese!