Thursday, March 30, 2017

Crockpot Chili & Corn Casserole.

Yesterday, I posted about what we've been up to lately which included a yummy chili and cornbread casserole dinner on Tuesday night.  I still hate to cook.  But I'm a mother and a wife so I do it.  And I also love yummy food. A girl's got to eat, right?

So this winter I made my first chili based off of a few recipes I found on Pinterest.  I like my chili rich and thick.  Watery, bland chili is just not my favorite.  And then there's also the super controversial bean/no bean argument.  I was born and raised in TX and I need beans in my chili!  I know this is a hot topic of among Texans but for ME and my house...we eat the beans.




There's also nothing better than cornbread with your chili.  (Along with cheese and sour cream...and if you need some crunch..some Fritos.)  I know there are so many corn/cornbread casserole recipes out there.  But this one was given to me when I was a newlywed, living in Green Bay and away from home on Thanksgiving for the first time.

Craig was playing for the Packers and one of the other quarterbacks' wives invited us over for Thanksgiving.  She made this amazing corn casserole and I had to have the recipe!  I was shocked at how easy it was and I've made it every single Thanksgiving since then (plus many other times in between).

And just for kicks, this was me with Deanna Favre (Brett Favre's wife) and Jeannie Pederson (wife of Doug Pederson who was another backup QB with Craig and is now the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles).  This was taken after dinner one night at Brett Favre's Steakhouse in Green Bay. Both of these ladies are so amazing and calmed my fears of this NFL lifestyle I was now a part of at 23.


But back to the food.

No, this meal is not on your diet plan.  No this is not gluten free, fat free, sodium free, or in any way good for you.  But it tastes good and life is too short (in my opinion) to not indulge every once in awhile.

Feel free to take some liberties with the chili recipe!  I did.  Sometimes it just takes a few tries to get it just perfect!  My advice is to write down what you'd change each time so you'll remember for the next time.  (Like "less water", "more chili powder", extra chilis" etc).



I should probably also call this the Lazy Girl's Chili.  I'll do anything to avoid chopping onions so sometimes I skip them and add onion powder to get some flavor.  I also tend to use things I have on hand so if I have 2 cans of Chili Beans and no Pintos I'll just do that.  Or a can of Ranch Style Beans instead of one of those.

So here ya go!  (Remember, I am no chef.  I don't give out recipes often!  So forgive me for my "dashes" and "sprinkles" of something instead of actual measurements...)

Crockpot Texas Chili

INGREDIENTS:

2 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, chopped 
*(I skip the onion sometimes and just use onion powder when I brown the meat)
1 can Rotel, drained (I use mild or original but go "hot" if you like it spicy)
1 can Pinto Beans, drained
1 can Chili Beans in sauce
2 tbsp chili powder
1 29oz can of tomato sauce
1 4oz can green chiles, drained
2 cloves minced garlic (about 1 tsp)
3/4 cup of water
Optional/Add to taste:
1-2 tbsp cayenne pepper (if you want it spicy!)
1 tbsp each of salt and pepper (I hate pepper so I skip it)

DIRECTIONS:

Cook meat (along with onion or onion powder) in a skillet until cooked thoroughly.  Drain and put in crockpot.  
Add all other ingredients to the crockpot.
Stir well.
Set on low and cook for 6-8 hours (the longer the better, I think!)
Serve with Fritos, cornbread, corn casserole (recipe below), cheddar cheese, and/or sour cream.


Corn Casserole

INGREDIENTS: 

2 boxes Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 can cream corn
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
2 sticks melted butter
16oz sour cream

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350.  Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until smooth and mixed well.  Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and smooth it out evenly.  Cook at 350 for 45-60 minutes until top starts to brown and toothpick comes out fairly clean.


So there you have it!  Let me know if you make it and how it turns out.  I have to admit that posting recipes makes me super anxious and scared to death you'll make it and hate it.  Eek!  

Before I leave you for the day, I had to add a new favorite pair of wedges to my list from yesterday!  I just found these and feel like I need these in my life!  Imagine them with cute cropped jeans, shorts, or a maxi dress.  Especially good for those maxi dresses that are so stinkin' LONG.  (I'm 5'5").  Do you like???  Go HERE to check out my other favorite wedges!



Have a great day!!

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4 comments

  1. Sounds yummy!! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. YUM! My family would got BANANAS over this. Thanks for sharing!

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  3. 1) Yay...you posted the recipe!
    2) Yessss, to no chopped onions. I love minced onions or just onion powder like you said.
    3) We are a house divided....but I'm #TeamBeans, so I will be making this chili soon. Hopefully we will have a couple more cold/rainy spells before things heat up to 100 degrees.

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  4. We love chili! But usually I use a packet of chili mix :/ Maybe I'll surprise my hubby by making it this way, because it does sound delish!
    And the cornbread? Pass it over!! Sounds SO good!!!
    Thanks for sharing!!

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