Comfort and joy on Friday

Who doesn't love tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches? Dipping crusty bread oozing with melted cheese into savory soup is one of childhood's simple pleasures. And it doesn't end at childhood.

Make your sandwich with hearty whole wheat bread and a super sharp Cheddar, then serve it alongside a bowl of homemade T-soup. No, it doesn't all come out of a red and white can.

This recipe from Mark Bittman is simple and uses canned tomatoes, easier for us and sensible for Northerners who have a heck of a time getting their paws on good tomatoes this time of year. I'll make mine with dried thyme (since i have 3 bottles! why?) and pureed it at the end to make it super smooth. If you want yours chunky, so be it.

Just the thing to take the nip out of another chilly night. Have a great weekend.

Wintertime Tomato Soup
1 28- or 35-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, optional
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced
1 small onion, halved and thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart (4 cups) stock or water
1/4 cup chopped parsley.
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Drain tomatoes and reserve liquid. Halve them and put in a roasting pan; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons oil and the thyme, if using. Roast, turning once or twice, until lightly browned, about 30 minutes. Use wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits from pan, adding a little liquid if necessary.

Put remaining olive oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it's hot, add garlic and cook just until it begins to color, a minute or so. Add carrot and onion and cook, sprinkling with salt and pepper and stirring, for about 5 minutes. Stir in stock or water, along with contents of roasting pan and reserved tomato juice.

Turn heat to high and bring soup to a boil, then lower heat so it bubbles gently. Cover and cook until vegetables are very tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Source: Mark Bittman

Flex your mussels

After yesterday's low-brow offering, I'm upping the ante today. I just came across this recipe in the new Cooking Light Complete Cookbook. Next time you're at the book store, look through it. It's a binder-ful of fantastic recipe and you know they've been well-tested.

Anyway, as you know, I love mussels and nearly always make them with Italian seasonings. I'm eager to try this one in a red curry broth. (It calls for red curry powder; look for it at an Asian store, well-stocked natural foods store of Wild Oats in Tampa.) Plus, it's got coconut milk in it ... delightful.

Recipes always call for the mussels to be scrubbed and debearded but the ones I buy never have many hairy bits to pull out. Run them under water to clean and make sure they are all closed. Those that are open have already gone bad. Toss 'em. It's just the opposite after they are cooked. The ones that are closed are bad seeds. Toss 'em too.

I am going to make this on Saturday and serve with rice ... You try it too and let me know what you think.

Another great thing about mussels ... they are usually quite cheap.

(This gorgeous painting is by Scottish artist Lisa Smith. To see more of her work, go to Waterside Arts.)

Mussels in Red Curry Broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1 1/2 teaspoons red curry powder
1 cup clam juice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh lemongrass
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 pounds mussels, scrubbed and debearded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add shallots, saute 1 minute. Add curry powder; saute 30 seconds. Stir in clam juice and next 4 ingredients; bring to a simmer. Add mussels, bring to a  boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until shells open; sprinkle with cilantro. Discard any unopened shells.

Makes 6 servings (about 12 mussels.)

Source: Cooking Light Complete Cookbook.

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

I'm so hungry, even these bugs look tasty. Well, maybe not but I am getting peckish. Always happens about this time of the day. Unfortunately, it makes me think about some sort of trashy food. So, today you'll have to come along with me on my afternoon food fantasy. Maybe you'll even get dinner out of it.

Okay, it's Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday. How about chicken sloppy joes, cole slaw with shredded Granny Smith apples and, and, and ... steak fries! Start the steak fries before everything else.

Here's how it's done:

The Pollo Joes: Take the skin off and shred the chicken with your fingers; set aside. Saute a chopped onion and smashed, minced clove of garlic in a bit of olive oil; about 5 minutes. Dump in the chicken, then dump in a can (or two depending on how much chicken you've got) and heat through. Serve the melange (fancy word for some pretty low-brow food!) on those French hamburger rolls they sell at Publix. Lots of substance to these buns which you need to hold the juicy chicken.

The Apple Slaw: Make your favorite cabbage slaw or buy pre-made and add shredded, tart Granny Smith apples. Leave the skin on; there's nutrition there.

The Steak Fries: Cut a few large potatoes (I like Russets for this) in large wedges. Spritz a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Coat the potato wedges with olive oil and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake in a 400-degree oven for about 25 minutes and flip halfway. Too boring? Then sprinkle with seasonings of your choice: minced garlic and fresh rosemary; steak seasoning; crushed dried thyme; minced garlic and onion powder. Whatever.

I am so hungry right now!

It's worth the time

First off, I love this recipe. The Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs are fantastic, seasoned with fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, garlic and rosemary. Beacause they are roasted, rather than sauteed, they really have a long-cooking flavor.

Okay, now the truth. This is a Rachael Ray recipe that promises to be on the table in 30 minutes. Well, not unless you have a sous chef. I did it in 45 and I was a bit breathless. Give yourself an hour and a glass of wine and all will be okay. Yeah, sure, there are a lot of ingredients. Still, I think it's worth it. If you don't have time on a weeknight, save it for the weekend.

I made this recipe as part of a story my colleague Laura Reiley and I wrote for tomorrow's Taste section. We took four cookbooks that promised meals in 30 minutes and put them to the test. Ironically, only the Ray recipe failed. But just the time part. It gets an A for taste.

Florentine Mac and Cheese and Roast Chicken Sausage Meatballs

Salt
1 pound cavatappi (or other short, hollow pasta such as petite penne)
1 1/2 pounds ground chicken
Black pepper
2 to 3 fresh rosemary sprigs, stripped and finely chopped
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cup bread crumbs
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 (10-ounce) boxes chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place a large pot of salted water on to boil. When it boils, cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.

While the water is coming to a boil, in a large mixing bowl combine the chicken, salt and pepper, rosemary, fennel seeds, garlic, red pepper flakes, ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano, the egg and the bread crumbs. If the mixture is too wet, add another handful of bread crumbs. Form 8 large balls, 3 to 4 inches in diameter.

Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil and place the meatballs on the sheet and sprinkle with olive oil. Roast for 17 to 18 minutes or until the juices run clear. (The time might be more like 20.)

While the meatballs roast, melt the butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, cook for 1 minute, then whisk in the stock and milk. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and cook for 5 to 6 minutes to thicken. Stir in the remaining cup of grated Parmigiano and reduce the heat to the lowest setting.

Add the spinach to the white sauce, separating the clumps as you go. Mix thoroughly. Drain the pasta and place in a large bowl. Pour the spinach sauce over the pasta and toss to combine. Adjust the seasonings. Serve the Florentine Mac and Cheese topped with 2 meatballs per serving.

Serves 4.

Source: Just in Time by Rachael Ray (Potter, 2007)

No, I didn't leave you

Hey, I'm back with lots of recipes up my sleeve. Here's the deal. I took a week off for general r&r and fully planned to post from home everyday, but I couldn't log on to the blog program. After a day of trying I gave up. Hopefully, absence makes the heart grow fonder ... or the stomach hungrier?

I made this Beef and Bean Chili Verde last night for dinner tonight. My family thinks I'm so smart when I do that. If you've been following the blog, you know I've started doing that. I find it really simple when I'm in the cooking mode to make two meals. So last night I did beef strogonoff (again. boring but they love it.) but before I made that I threw together this chili and popped some homemade croutons in the oven. Go here to watch me make them.

The recipe calls for green salsa and I found a new version by Pace. It was quite tasty. This is an Eating Well magazine recipe so there's lot of nutrition. See the tale of the tape at the end of the recipe. We're having it with cornbread ...   

Beef and Bean Chili Verde
1 pound 93-percent lean ground beef
1 large red bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 16-ounce jar green salsa, green enchilada or taco sauce
1/4 cup water
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese and sour cream for garnish

Cook beef, bell pepper and onion in a large saucepan over medium heat, crumbling the meat with a wooden spooon, until the meat is browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin and cayenne; cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Stir in salsa and water; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in beans and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Garnish with cheese sour cream if you'd like.

Makes 4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each.

Per serving: 307 calories, 8 gm fat (3 saturated), 29 gm carbs, 27 gm protein, 6gm fiber, 516 mg sodium. Nutritional bonus: 100 percent RDA of vitamin C.

Source: Eating Well magazine. Photo from Eating Well magazine.

Dumplings for your dumpling

I suppose everyone but me is going to eat lovey-dovey fondue tonight. The restaurants will be packed! When you've been married over 10 years, Valentine's Day doesn't have quite the same meaning. I did ask for tulips this year and I know they are waiting at home for me. A card and a kiss sealed the deal this morning.

With the hubby working late tonight and the wolverine doing something fun at school until 7 p.m., I'm on my own. Maybe I'll make these yummy and quick dumplings for yours truly. I haven't tried this recipe but it looks promising ... and quick. Maybe use leftover rotisserie chicken from last night?

Easy Chicken and Dumplings
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons water
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup cooked chicken, diced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
For the dumplings:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Dash freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup milk
In a medium skillet, whisk together the water and flour until smooth. Slowly stir in the broth, then heat over medium, stirring constantly until thickened. Add the chicken, salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to low.
Meanwhile, make the dumplings. In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. Stir in the milk until the mixture forms a thick batter.
Drop the batter on top of the chicken a tablespoon at a time. Cover and cook on low for 15 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Serves 2.

Source: Associated Press
Recipe adapted from the Recipe Finder site of the Food Stamp Nutrition Connection

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

The rain last night put a big damper on the grilled burgers. I cooked them on the stove, or should I say overcooked them. Oh, well. Dinner was eaten anyway. One tip on the Alexia onion rings. Cook them a little longer than the package says or else they'll be a little limp. Watch carefully so they don't burn at 400 degrees.

For today's recipe, not only can you use rotisserie chicken but you'll need cold, leftover rice. A good way to clean out the fridge? Also, use whatever mushrooms you might have, too. The recipe calls for the stir-fry to be cooked in a wok but I've used a wide skillet with sides that flare out and it works fine.

Fried Rice With Rotisserie Chicken, Shiitake & Bok Choy
1 egg
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced leftover rotisserie chicken meat
1/3 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound bok choy or napa cabbage, trimmed and diced
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and diced
3 green onions, trimmed and sliced
2 cups cold, leftover cooked rice
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Small chiles, for garnish (optional)

Beat egg with sesame oil, salt and pepper; set aside. Put the chicken in a bowl and cover with stock. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet. Add bok choy and stir-fry a minute or two.
Add mushrooms, season with salt and stir-fry until dense part of bok choy is tender and mushroom pieces are moist and reduced in size, about 2 to 4 minutes. Add green onions. Stir-fry for a minute or two. Remove vegetables from wok.

Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to wok. When hot, add rice, breaking it up in the pan. Stir-fry until grains are separate.

Clear an area in the middle of the wok. Add egg. Let it set for a minute or so, then turn it and let the
other side set. Stir-fry until egg is dry and broken up into the rice. Season with salt.
Add chicken and stock; stir-fry until chicken is warm and most of the liquid has evaporated. Add vegetables and soy sauce. Stir to incorporate and adjust seasoning.
If desired, garnish with a few chiles before serving.

Serves 2 or 3.

PER SERVING: 370 calories, 21 g protein, 35 g
carbohydrate, 16 g fat (3 g saturated), 112 mg
cholesterol, 457 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle, 2004

The Burgermeisters of St. Pete

Tonight is Burger Night at our house, which for some reason created a lot of excitement at the announcement. Or rather at the spying of the ground beef in the fridge. "Are we having burgers?" the baby wolverine asked last night. I swear, I saw him drooling.

Everyone loves grilled hamburgers and they may be the last affordable form of beef left. My husband likes them with everything piled high; my son asks for them with blue cheese crumbles melting ever so slightly and I'm partial to what I call Greek burgers. Feta cheese, thinly sliced cucumber and onions. I get those French burger rolls at Publix which are a big improvement over the doughy Wonder-bread type.

I'll serve them with Alexia brand panko-breaded, frozen onion rings. Have you tried this brand yet? No trans fats, very little saturated fat and they're baked. Tasty, too. I've got their sweet potato fries in the freezer too, though we haven't tried them yet. Planning on serving them later in the week with a
spinach fritatta.

I'll either make a green salad and or do my cole slaw trick (store-bought mixed with shredded cabbage to
lessen he dressing). The family has a busy night tonight and we'll just have enough time to get this
dinner in. There won't be many dishes, either, and that's always a plus in my book.

Happy Monday

In an effort to find some quicker cooking dinners, I've been working a lot on the stove. Flash cooking in a skillet seems to get dinner on the table in short order. When the wolverines are hungry, they need food. Fast.

Here's one I made last night that really is a quickie and after back-to-back baseball games, nobody wanted to wait long for food ... and I didn't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. To accmpany the finished dish, I added spinach sauteed quickly in chicken broth and shallots and a few juicy orange slices on the plate. I'd call this one a winner.

Shrimp with Cannellini Beans and Rosemary
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary or sage
1 pound peeled shrimp
2 cups canned cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, fish broth of bottled clam broth

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, and the rosemary. Cook over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 1 minute.

Stir in the shrimp, beans, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the broth and simmer until the shrimp are firm, pink and cooked, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle the remaining olive oil over the shrimp and beans, sprinkle with the remaining parsley and serve immediately.

Source: "Fast & Fit" by Ellen Haas.

A Mediterranean repast

Don't you get bored with the idea of dinner as three things on a plate? Meat, salad and veggies (or maybe starch). That's the way I was brought up and anything different still seems a little incomplete. That said, we have things a little different at our house all the time.

This recipe is from this week's New York Times and is an adaption of a recipe by check Michael Psilakis, a chef and an owner of two Manhattan restaurants, Anthos and Kefi, with a third on the way this month. Broiled feta melds with roasted peppers and briney olives and you scoop it all up with toaste pita wedges. Sure, it would make a good starter but it would also be delicious with grilled lamb chops or just a side of couscous.

Perfectly simple for a day with perfect weather.

Broiled Feta with Roasted Peppers and Olive Salad

10 ounces fresh feta cheese
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced
1 red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded and sliced
1/4 cup thinly sliced sweet onion, such as Vidalia or red
1 tablespoon capers, drained
12 kalamata or other black, brined olives, pitted and halved
12 green, brined olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup freshly chopped herbs, such as parsley, dill, mint or chives, or a combination
1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, more to taste
Juice of 1 or 2 lemons
Salt and black pepper
Toasted or grilled pita bread, cut into wedges, for serving.

Preheat broiler. Crumble cheese into an ovenproof baking dish; cheese should be about 1/2 inch deep. Slide dish under broiler and cook until molten and bubbly, about 2 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine bell peppers, onion, capers, caperberries if using, olives, anchovies if using, garlic confit if using and herbs. Drizzle with olive oil, tossing with hands until evenly coated. Squeeze in lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Toss and taste, adjusting seasonings.

Lightly place salad on top of hot cheese. Drizzle olive oil around and over salad. Serve immediately with pita bread.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings.

Source: Adapted from Michael Psilakis

Rotisserie Chicken Wednesday

I know I get on Rachael Ray a lot for being too perky, too phony, too annoying, too everything. Truth is, she thinks up some darn good recipes if you can get past the irritating titles. For example, sammie, yum-o, stoup.

This simple, doable recipe for Chicken Pasta from Everyday with Rachael Ray (March 2007) is a great weeknight meal that is really all about cooking without a book (sort of my theme this week with apologies to cookbook author Mark Bittman). A quick pasta using shredded rotisserie chicken is one of those dishes many home cooks can throw together without a recipe. For those who need one, make this once then start to improvise. It would be great with small broccoli florets, 1-inch long pieces of fresh asparagus or even baby spinach leaves folded in at the end. A spoonful of sour cream to make it tangy. Use half-and-half instead of broth to make it creamy and leave out the cayenne.

Here's the basics ... make the next one yours.

Rotisserie Chicken Pasta
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 
2 cups shredded store-bought rotisserie chicken 
1 cup frozen baby peas 
1/2 cup chicken broth 
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 
Pinch cayenne pepper 
12 ounces wagon wheels or other short pasta 
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling 
1 tablespoon butter 
Salt 

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet and heat through. Stir in the peas, broth, garlic and cayenne and simmer until the broth has reduced slightly, about 2 minutes. Keep warm over low heat.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the pasta for as long as directed on the package but just shy of being done. Drain and add to the chicken. Stir in the 1/2 cup cheese and butter and simmer over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the pasta is al dente, about 3 minutes. Season with salt, if necessary, and serve with additional Parmesan.

Cook tonight for tomorrow

This photo has nothing to do with my post today, I just think it's funny.  Philadelphia Cream Cheese "angels" are giving away bagels with cream cheese to JetBlue passengers on morning flights in February. I guess it's better than a bag of nuts. The angel wings sort of throw me ... after all, the plane is headed off into the big blue sky.

On to cooking! I made a long-cooking Beef Stroganoff for my family last week and they requested it again this week. Huh? That one took hours to make so I whipped up a quick one last night at about 8 that's destined for the table tonight. Master this cook-without-a-book recipe and add it to your repertoire.

Here's how: Use a better cut of beef like sirloin which doesn't need so long to cook. Put the beef (I used about 1 pound) in the freezer for about an hour. Cut the firmed beef into thin strips. Shake the strips in a Ziplock bag of 2/3 cup flour to cover. Shake off the excess and brown the meat in three batches in melted butter and olive oil in a pot with a lid. Set meat aside.

Use some beef broth to deglaze the pan, scrapping up all the flavorful bits stuck on the bottom. Now add a chopped onion, 2 minced garlic cloves and a package of fresh sliced button mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Let cook for about 5 minutes, until veggies are soft. Add the beef back in and about 2 cups of beef broth. Stir well. The flour from the beef will thicken the liquid. Cook on medium for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard and 1/2 cup sour cream. Adjust seasonings.

Heat through and serve over wide egg noodles and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

All I have to do is heat this up when I get home at about 5:30 and dinner is ready. I'll make a green salad too. Tonight, I'll be their hero.

 

Football hangover food

Yes, I do want to brag. Didn't I say right here on this very blog on Jan. 21 that the Giants would beat the Patriots by 3 in the Super Bowl? I'm taking a bow right now because they actually did win by 3 (17-14). Why didn't I bet? Because I'm usually wrong on those sort of things. Anyway, lots of whooping and hollering at our house last night.

If you're like most of America, you ate a lot of deliciously bad stuff yesterday. And among it was not a lot of vegetables. Unless you count the guacamole and carrots sticks, which you shouldn't because they were eaten with chips and creamy dip.

Today, is cleanse day. You could eat a simple salad with lean protein cooked without extra fat (chicken or shellfish). You could eat nothing. Or you could make a filling soup that's chock full of veggies. We opt for the latter. Here's a nutritious recipe that can be made in about 45 minutes.

Rainbow Soup

1 medium onion (2 1/2 inches in diameter), chopped
2 large stalks celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1 medium red bell pepper
1 cup chopped carrot
1 heaping tablespoon sweet paprika
3 teaspoons turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cinammon
1 bay leaf
A little hot sauce
1 15 ounce can tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 cups baby spinach leaves, chopped
10 oz frozen green beans (or fresh)
Salt and pepper
5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooked cubed or shredded chicken (optional)
Canned white beans, drained and rinsed (optional)

In a large soup pot, put oil, onion, and celery. Cook on low heat for 5-10 minutes to develop more sweetness in the onion.

Add garlic and turn up the heat to medium. Cook for a minute or so and add the peppers and carrots. Cook another minute or two and add the spices. Stir and cook until fragrant - another minute or so.

Add tomatoes and stock, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add frozen beans and chard and simmer for another 5 minutes or until the beans are cooked. If adding cooked cubed meat such as chicken or turkey, add at this time.

Adjust seasonings.

Makes about 9 cups of soup, each one has 53 calories (without chicken or beans) and 3 grams of fiber.

Source: www.allrecipes.com.

It won't be chilly, but make chili

Two days to go until Super Bowl ... do you know what you're making?

I'm going to share my chili recipe with you and if you like a tomato-y, slightly spicy chili I think you'll like it. Make it the day before to let the flavors meld then warm it up in the slower cooker for game day. Make sure you put out bowls of grated cheese, sour cream, sliced scallions, maybe even some sliced jalapenos if you're so inclined, and a bottle of Tabasco Chipotle.

My secret ingredient is an ounce of unsweetened baking chocolate. I was inspired to try this in my chili by recipes for Mexican mole. Don't worry, it's not like you're throwing a Hershey's bar in there. It's unsweetened for one thing. The chocolate adds flavor depth that enhances the chili without being obvious. You can dump it in whole and it will melt as it cooks.

Another thing ... I like the fire-roasted canned tomatoes from Progresso but my family doesn't like big hunks of tomatoes in the chili, so I run puree the entire contents in the blender. The flavor is still there but not the chunks. Man, I'm giving away secrets right and left.

Just because I can't stand to leave you without a dip recipe, I'm including Buffalo Chicken Dip, too. If you like wings, you'll love this.

Game Day Chili
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 pounds of ground beef
1 large can Progresso fire-roasted tomatoes, pureed in blender
1 small can tomato paste
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons chili powder (I mix 1 Tbs regular and 1 chipotle)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 bay leaf
1 square unsweetened baking chocolate
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

In a large pot with a lid, heat oil. Saute chopped onion and minced garlic until soft, about five minutes. Season with salt and pepper while sauteing. Add ground breef and brown. Drain mixture and return to pot. Add pureed fire-roasted tomatoes, tomato paste, bourbon, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, bay leaf. Bring to a simmer then add unsweetened chocolate stir until it melts. Cook on low for about 45 minutes, stirring regularly. Add kidney beans and heat through.

Can be made a day in advance; when ready to serve, remove bay leaf. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, scallion slices.

Serves 6.

Source: Janet K. Keeler

Buffalo Chicken Wing Dip
16 ounces cream cheese
1 5-ounce jar Kraft Roka Blue spread (look for it in the Velvetta aisle!)
8 ounces hot wing sauce (more if you like it hot)
3/4 cup chopped celery
2 cups cooked shredded chicken
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Combine cream cheese, Roka Blue spread, hot sauce and celery. Heat in microwave until cream cheese is melted. Stir. Add chicken and Cheddar cheese. Mix together. Put into a baking dish. Top with more shredded Cheddar cheese, if desired. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Serve with sturdy chips or plain bagel or pita chips and definitely celery sticks!