Big Batch Family Chili

Adapted from Jimmy Fallon's Crock-pot Chili. 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3  pounds ground chuck beef, ground for chili
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 large white onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chile powder
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 can diced mild green peppers
• 1 yellow or orange pepper, diced
• 1 8oz can tomato paste
• 1  15 oz. can tomato sauce 
• 3 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
• 3 (15-ounce) cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 
  

DIRECTIONS

1. STEP 1

   In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches if necessary, add beef and cook until no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; drain in a colander, discarding fat, and set aside.
   STEP 2
2. Add remaining tablespoon olive oil to skillet and reduce heat to medium. Add onions, garlic, and peppers; season with salt. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
   STEP 3
3. In a 6-quart Crock-Pot, combine beef, onion mixture, chile powder, oregano, cumin, and sugar; stir to combine. Add tomatoes, and beer; cover and cook on high, stirring occasionally, for 5 hours.

4. STEP 4

   Add kidney beans and season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook, uncovered, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with desired toppings.

Crock-pot chicken

• Cut up an onion and put in bottom of crock pot (or you can omit this step)
• Rub a whole chicken inside and out with salt, pepper and any combo of herbs (or omit herbs) and put on top of onions
• Put new potatoes and carrots on top of chicken (or omit this step)

Turn on crockpot to high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-9 hours. 

For Chicken stock:

• Put chicken carcass back in the crockpot with whatever juices were left from cooking
• Toss in 1/2 onion, few carrots and/or stalks of celery
• Add enough water to fill crockpot to about 1 inch from top
• Turn on crockpot to low and let run overnight
• Pour through strainer in the morning and save in fridge or freezer

Creamsicle Cupcakes

From Darci

CAKE

White Cake Mix
2 oranges (zest and juice...no pulp)
Eggs
Oil
Orange Juice

FROSTING

Orange Extract
Powdered Sugar
Cream Cheese
Butter
Heavy Whipping Cream

For the cake. Use the zest of 2 oranges and juice the oranges. Strain
the pulp. (OR.... if you don't want to go through juicing and zesting
the oranges, you can use regular OJ with no pulp and just ad more
orange extract.) Make the White cake mix as so from the box, but
substitute the fresh OJ instead of using water, add the zest. You can
add food coloring and a little more orange flavor with the extract if
you like (tablespoon). Bake as box instructs. I like to bake them for
15 minutes at the temp that is recommended.

For the frosting. Cream 1 cube of cream cheese and 1 stick of butter.
Add five cups of powdered sugar and start with 1/2 cup of whipping
cream, add more depending on the texture you like. Blend all together.
Add 1-2 teaspoons of the orange extract (to your liking). Put it in a
ziplock and cut off the corner. Pipe it out. Yum.

These cupcakes taste best when they are cold. The frosting gets really
yummy and more solid.
I got those little garnishes at Michaels, they come in a variety of
colors only.
I use white cupcake forms

Molasses Spice Cookies Recipe – Cooks Illustrated

INGREDIENTS

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling cookies
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup unsulphered molasses

METHOD

1 Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice together in a bowl and set aside.

2 Use an electric mixer and beat the butter for 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with mixer set at medium speed. Add egg, vanilla extract, and molasses. Beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl with a rubber spatula.

3 Add dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.

4 Place remaining 1/3 cup of granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Working with 2 Tbsp of dough each time, roll dough into 1 3/4 inch balls. Roll balls in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets, spacing them 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.

5 Bake until the outer edges of the cookies begin to set and centers are soft and puffy, about 9-10 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets for 2 to 3 minutes before transferring them to cooling racks .

Note: DO NOT OVERCOOK!!!  This is key here.  The centers of the cookies should be soft and spongy when you take them out of the oven, otherwise they will end up hard and dry.  They will not look done when you take them out.