Slow Cooker Chili with Ground Beef and Beans

What do I make on a weeknight, when I need a quick, warming meal? Ground beef and bean chili. Sure, purists call this chili for sissies. As far as they're concerned, if there are beans and tomatoes in it, I might as well be wearing a dress when I make it. You know what? I don't care. Sissy or not, this is the chili I grew up with, the first one I learned to make on my own. Sure, it's not a bowl of Texas red. It doesn't have to be; it's a great style of chili all on its own.
*Sorry for the mental picture of me in a dress. I hope you're not scarred for life...

This is the chili that converted my kids. They flinch when served a meal with everything mixed together. The kids want to be able to identify all the ingredients, preferably separated by at least an inch on their plates, so they don't have any of the yucky stuff touching the good stuff. One pot meals are not popular around here....but I make this chili so often that it wore them down. First, they covered it with shredded cheese...and ate the cheese off the top. Then they started fishing out the kidney beans. Soon, the ground beef was acceptable as well. Now, two of the three get excited when I make chili.
*The third? He wants his chili made entirely from chunks of beef. Great. I'm raising a chili purist.

Recipe: Slow Cooker Chili with Ground Beef and Beans

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Quick Baked Potatoes

I love baked potatoes, but they take so long to cook. Potatoes need an hour (or more) to be tender in the middle with a crisp, crackling skin. Weeknight baked potatoes? Out of the question.

That changed one afternoon as I drove back from lunch. Jacques Pepin was on the radio, chatting about his new cookbook. Jacques is an encyclopedia of cooking tips, and he had a great time sharing them with the host of the show.

Then came the tip that nearly ran me off the road. His baked potatoes are done in thirty minutes or less. What?
*At this point, I remembered the yellow lines on the road are for my safety, and the safety of all those other cars around me...

Thirty minutes? How? Jacques microwaves the potatoes while his oven pre-heats, giving them a head start. The result is perfect baked potatoes in half the time they normally take.

That was seven years ago; I have used the microwave technique ever since. Now, I'm almost ashamed to share this; it's barely a recipe. One ingredient, two steps. And I'm stretching to make it two steps. But I'll get over my shame. This is too useful a technique.

Recipe: Quick Baked Potatoes

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Merry Christmas! (2011 Edition)

I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really.
Maybe it just needs a little love.

[Charles Schultz, A Charlie Brown Christmas]

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Mike Vrobel
DadCooksDinner.com

Rotisserie Boneless Ribeye Roast with Garlic Crust

Christmas is here; time for the roast beast!

I'm trying something new with my Christmas roast - boneless Ribeye.

My favorite part of a beef roast is the bones. Unfortunately, my guests won't gnaw on rib bones at the Christmas table. This is awkward; I'm not letting something minor (like table manners) get between me and ribs.

So, I'm hunched over my plate, elbows on the table, ripping hunks of meat from the bone…and they're looking at me like I'm Henry VIII reincarnated.
*In my mind's eye, I'm wearing a floppy hat with a feather, have rings on every finger, and am talking with my mouth full while waving a bone around for emphasis. Maybe the Henry VII thing is just my imagination…but there sure are a lot of ribs left over for me to eat while the table is cleared.

That's why I tried boneless ribeye roast. Ribeye roast is a prime rib with the bones cut off. I love the big, meaty flavor of ribeye, and I was curious how it would turn out without the bones.

The boneless ribeye has some advantages over the bone-in prime rib. The best part of a rotisserie roast is the perfect browned crust. With a bone-in roast, that crust only goes halfway around; cutting the bones off takes the crust with them. A boneless roast is ringed with a perfect crust. Carving is the second advantage; no bones to worry about, just slice and serve.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not giving up on rotisserie prime rib. There is something primeval about a roast with bones sticking out of it. It speaks to me. It's that inner Henry VIII thing again. And, I think cooking with the bones on gives the meat a little extra flavor. But boneless ribeye is another a good cut of meat for the rotisserie.

Recipe: Rotisserie Boneless Ribeye Roast with Garlic Crust

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Plank Grilled Brie with Honey and Thyme

Ever have a favorite recipe…that you forget?

Years ago, my go to appetizer was cedar plank Camembert. I'd pull a smoking plank with a big round of cheese off of the grill, and amaze my guests. "What do you mean, you're grilling the cheese?"

I stopped making it. I don't know why; it just drifted out of my memory.

Last month Christopher Kimball talked about secret Thanksgiving recipes on NPR. His favorite appetizer? Brie with Honey and Thyme, microwaved until bubbling. A simple version of my old favorite.
*My favorite part of the show? Mr. Kimball made cornflake stuffing. Yes, stuffing made out of breakfast cereal. Why make cornbread just for stuffing, when you can substitute cornflakes?
That wasn't the favorite part. Asked if he'd confess, he said "I would lie, of course. The prerogative of the cook is, when someone asks what's in it, you don't have to tell the truth."

I know what my Christmas appetizer will be. And maybe New Year's as well. Sure, I could use the microwave, but you know me - the grill will already be fired up. I'm going back to my old standby, and plank grilling some cheese.

Recipe: Plank Grilled Brie with Honey and Thyme

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Pressure Cooker Cannellini Beans, Bacon and Swiss Chard with Pasta

Here is my five dollar challenge meal. I fed my family of five for $16.24, with enough leftovers for a couple of lunches later in the week.

The only problem? The kids didn't like the green stuff - the Swiss chard. They gobbled down the bacon, then picked at the beans and pasta around the chard leaves.
*Someday my kids will love vegetables. This is like saying: someday the sun is going to burn out and become a dwarf star. Sure, it's going to happen, but I'm doubt I'll be around to see it.

Why cook a five dollar challenge meal in an expensive pressure cooker?

Pressure cookers are great for cooking beans. Instead of hours, the beans are cooked through and creamy in 30 minutes. When I want a weeknight meal, like this one, 30 minute beans are critical. You don't need an expensive pressure cooker; any six quart or larger pressure cooker will do the job.
*No pressure cooker? No worries. See the Variations section for cooking instructions using a standard dutch oven.

Recipe: Pressure Cooker Cannellini Beans, Bacon and Swiss Chard with Pasta

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Five Dollar Challenge

Can I feed my family for one Lincoln a person?

I mean well. I really do.

Every year I pull a a few tags from our church's giving tree. I pick grocery store gift certificates. "Great lesson for the kids" I think to myself. "We eat cheap, and use the savings on someone who needs help."

Every year, when push comes to shove, we don't eat cheaper. I buy the gift certificates, of course; our savings takes the hit.

This year, I read about the Slow Food $5 challenge. The challenge: eat for less than a $5 value meal at a fast food restaurant. Aha! Money for the giving tree! At $5 a person, we'll have plenty to contribute.

I rushed to my organic grocery store, the one with the good bulk foods section. I wanted exact amounts on my receipt:

Bacon	4.99/8 oz	$4.99
Cannellini Beans	1.08 lb @ 2.69/lb	$2.69
Onion	.76 lb @ 1.69/lb	$1.28
Garlic	.12 lb @ $5.99/lb	$0.72
Chard	$1.99/bunch	$1.99
Sea Salt	.7 lb @ $0.69/lb	$0.48
Rosemary	.25oz/$0.99	$0.99
Lemon	.24 lb @ 3.69/lb	$0.89
Pasta	$1.09/lb	$1.09
Total		$16.24

*My reuseable bag got me a $0.05 discount, not included in the total.

Forget five dollars a person; I'm closer to three, even with the extra cost of buying organic. I have $8.76 left over from my $25. I'm on the road to savings!

So, how much am I saving?

Not much. Our weekly grocery budget is $200 for five people. If we cut back to five dollars a person, (times five people, times seven days) our budget would be $175. That is not hundreds of dollars to donate to charity.

That didn't seem right. I'm a food blogger. I shop at farmers markets, specialty stores, ethnic markets. I'm a member of a CSA. I eat well - just ask my bathroom scale. I spend a lot on food, don't I? What's going on?

I found answers at the USDA*. Turns out, I am a below average American. I spend less than the "low cost" average per week, and border on the "thrifty" average.
*Source: Official USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home at Four Levels, U.S. Average, January 2011. I'm cooking for a family of five; a 19-50 year old couple with a 9-10 year old and two 6-8 year olds. According to the data, for our family, low cost is $220/week; thrifty is $168/week. I would have to spend $330 a week to be on the high end of the scale.

Wait, what? Thrifty? Me? I just spent $4.99 on 8 ounces of organic bacon. How can I possibly be thrifty?

I don't give myself enough credit, apparently. Dried beans, even expensive organic dried beans, are still cheap. I love strange cuts of meat; sure, short ribs are getting expensive at $3.99 a pound, but compared to a $12.99 /lb ribeye? They're downright penny pinching. Yes, I shop at farmers markets and organic grocery stores, but I buy what is in season...which is usually a bargain. My side trips to ethnic markets uncover a lot of great deals.

I think of my splurges; extra virgin olive oil, real parmesan, a bottle of good wine. My kids have a different view. "Why does everything have to be on sale?" whines my ten year old.
*After I told him to put down the full price Life cereal and pick up the generic Cheerios.

What does it all mean?

Cooking is a great way to save money. Because I cook with real ingredients, five dollars per person isn't much of a challenge. The global average of $2 a day, however...I have some work to do...

Related posts:
Weekly Dinner Plans
Cooking Authentic or Cooking Everyday?
Why Dad Should Cook

What do you think? Questions? Other ideas? Leave them in the comments section below.

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Fiery Mexican Martini

My day job took me to Austin a few times earlier this year. I spent as much time as I could sampling* the local cuisine - barbecue and Tex-Mex.
*Read: stuffing myself until I could barely move.

There are a lot of wonderful things to eat in Austin, but my favorite was the Mexican Martini. Or the Texas Martini - I saw both names used for what is essentially the same drink. Tequila, orange liqueur, simple syrup, and lime juice in a cocktail shaker full of ice, served in a martini glass with a salted rim. Drop in some olives stuffed with jalapenos, and the drink is ready to enjoy.

My favorite version was the spicy Texas martini served at Chuy's, where the tequila is infused with jalapenos, to give the drink a little extra kick. I came home determined to make it for myself.

A Mexican martini is a simple drink, with no place to hide low quality ingredients. Get 100% agave silver tequila. You don't want to infuse reposado or anejo tequila, and cover up all their subtleties with spicy jalapenos. Use orange liqueur, not a cheap triple-sec; I like Cointreau. Most important: you must use fresh lime juice and simple syrup. Please, for the love of all that is good and right, no sweet and sour mix!
*If you want a frozen margarita, then I'll let you use sweet and sour mix. But not in this drink. It needs fresh lime juice to make it work. And, actually, I buy frozen limeade for my frozen margaritas. I have no idea why anyone would voluntarily drink sweet and sour mix.

Yes, there are a lot of steps to this drink. Most of the work is done ahead of time; simple syrup keeps for weeks in the refrigerator, and the infused tequila lasts forever. Once the pre-work is done, you can serve Mexican martinis until your guests say "no mas".

Recipe: Fiery Mexican Martini

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Kindle Cookbooks vs Real Cookbooks

E-cookbooks would never replace REAL cookbooks. No way. I was sure of it. Not my beloved cookbooks, ink on paper, with a olive oil stain to give them character. I love reading, I love books, and I am addicted to cookbooks.* I would never going over to the dark side. Never!
Addict? Me? I can give up cookbooks any time I want. My cookbook habit doesn't control me, I control it… Hey, is that Michael Ruhlman's new cookbook? I must have it. Mine! My…precious!

Now, I'm not a Luddite; I went online with a 1200 baud modem back in the 80's. But books are my constant companions - ever since I snuck them under the covers with a flashlight as a kid. I held out against e-books as long as I could.

My wife, however, used a Kindle for a few weeks, and then had to give it up. After lots of requests, I bought her a Kindle of her own. After a few months, I borrowed it for a business trip. I was hooked - so much for my loyalty to ink and paper. I went out and bought myself an iPad not long afterwards, so I wouldn't have to fight for access to (her!) Kindle.

At first, I only bought novels. (Sci-Fi/Fantasy novels are my weakness. I'm sure you're shocked to learn this.) Novels are easy, I told myself; paragraph after paragraph of text, with no special formatting or pictures. E-books would still never replace my cookbooks.

Eventually, I cracked. Mark Bittman's What I Grill and Why, only available as an e-book, was on sale for $2.99. I couldn't pass it up. Then I was obsessed interested in making a Japanese Hot Pot for dinner…tonight. Even with overnight shipping, it would be too late. Ono and Salat's Japanese Hot Pots was just a download away.

Now I'm the proud owner of eight e-cookbooks. I want to buy more; my plan is to trade in my paper cookbooks and replace them with e-cookbooks. Why the sudden change of heart?

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Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

I have been looking for a Thai flavored variation of my turkey lettuce wraps. After a lot of trial and error,  I have one worth sharing.

Ground Turkey can be dry and lean; it needs a good sauce to help it out. I've been fascinated Larb*, the Thai/Laotian ground meat and toasted rice dish that is served with lettuce. I've been playing with the sauce, trying to find that balance of hot, sour, salty and sweet that is the backbone of Thai cooking.
*AKA Laap, or Laab, or Larp. Why so many names? Apparently, there is no standard way of transcribing Thai script into English.

I was struggling until I came across Leela Punyaratabandhu's blog, SheSimmers.com. After reading her posts, especially the one on Thai Three Flavored Sauce, the light bulb went on. I was making this more difficult than I needed to. Instead of trying to build all the flavors into my sauce, I layered them throughout the dish. I stripped the sauce down to sour (lime juice), salty (soy and fish sauce), and sweet (brown sugar). I moved the heat in the recipe into the pan, by toasting some red pepper flakes, and added cilantro at the very end of the cooking time.
*And I skipped the toasted rice. It never really worked for me, but that's why I can't call this dish Larb. Or Laap, Laab, or Larp. Oh, never mind. You know what I mean.

The result? Delicious. Even better, it is quick easy, and suitable for a weeknight. We have a winner!

Recipe: Turkey Lettuce Wraps, Thai Style

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