Garfield...Recipes with Cattitude! Cookbook (Everyday Cookbook Collection) (9 page)

5-Alarm Chili

A quick trick if you like your chili extra-thick…stir in a can of refried beans!

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 to 3 t. chili powder

16-oz. jar medium or hot salsa

15-oz. can tomato sauce

14-oz. can stewed tomatoes

14-oz. can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

14-oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

3 T. Worcestershire sauce

Garnish: saltine crackers, shredded Cheddar cheese

Brown beef in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and chili powder. Cook, stirring often, until onion is translucent and chili powder is fragrant; drain. Stir in remaining ingredients except garnish; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through. Garnish as desired. Serves 6.

Cheesy Chili Dogs

Don’t have a slow cooker? Combine the hot dogs and the chili mixture in a saucepan and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

8 to 10 hot dogs

2 15-oz. cans chili, or 4 c. homemade chili

10-3/4 oz. can Cheddar cheese soup

4-oz. can chopped green chiles

8 to 10 hot dog buns, split

Garnish: chopped onion, shredded Cheddar cheese, crushed chili-cheese corn chips

Place hot dogs in a slow cooker. Mix chili, soup and chiles in a bowl; spoon over hot dogs. Cover and cook on low setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours. Serve hot dogs in buns; top with chili mixture from slow cooker. Garnish as desired. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Lazy-Does-It Beefy Lasagna Soup

Stir up this spoonable lasagna in your slow cooker, then take a long nap…it doesn’t get much lazier than that!

1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained

15-oz. can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

6 c. water

6.4-oz. pkg. lasagna dinner mix, divided

Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese

In a slow cooker, combine beef, undrained tomatoes, water and sauce packet from dinner mix; stir well. Cover and cook on low setting for 4 to 6 hours. Stir in uncooked lasagna noodles from dinner mix. Cover and cook an additional 20 minutes, until noodles are tender. Garnish individual bowls with Parmesan cheese. Makes 6 servings.

Parmesan Bread Sticks

Enjoy these yummy golden bread sticks with hot soup, spaghetti or even as a snack while you’re waiting for the pizza to bake.

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 t. dried rosemary

1 clove garlic, minced

2-1/4 c. all-purpose flour

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. sugar

3-1/2 t. baking powder

1 c. milk

Spread butter in a 13"x9" baking pan, tilting to coat pan. Sprinkle with rosemary and garlic; set aside. In a bowl, combine flour, cheese, sugar and baking powder; stir in milk until a soft dough forms. Turn dough onto a floured surface; knead until smooth. Roll out into a 12-inch by 6-inch rectangle; cut into strips one-inch wide. Twist each strip 6 times; place in pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Serve warm. Makes one dozen.

Super Stacked Sandwich

This party-size sandwich has something for everyone in it!

12-inch round pumpernickel loaf

1/2 c. mayonnaise

1/4 c. coarse-grain mustard

1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli honey ham

1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli peppered turkey

1/2 lb. thinly sliced deli chicken breast

1 to 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced

1 red onion, thinly sliced

8 slices Cheddar cheese

2 c. shredded lettuce

Cut loaf in half horizontally. In a small bowl, blend mayonnaise and mustard; spread on cut sides of loaf. Layer remaining ingredients on bottom half of loaf; add top half of loaf. Cut into wedges and serve immediately, or wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to 2 hours. Serves 8 to 12.

Be ready anytime for an instant picnic! Tuck a basket filled with picnic supplies in the car along with a blanket to sit on. One stop at a deli or a roadside stand for food, and it’s picnic time.

Italian Meatball Subs

Wanna make your own meatballs? Use the recipe on page 77, but simmer the meatballs right in the pizza sauce until they’re done.

1 onion, sliced

1/2 c. green pepper, chopped

2 T. water

2 15-oz. cans pizza sauce

24 meatballs, thawed if frozen

4 Italian hard rolls, partially sliced and hollowed out

1/2 to 3/4 c. shredded provolone cheese

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine onion, pepper and water. Cover and cook just until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Stir in pizza sauce and meatballs. Simmer until hot and bubbly, 5 to 10 minutes. Fill each roll with 6 meatballs; top with some of the sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Close rolls and place in an ungreased 13"x9" baking pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes, until rolls are toasty and cheese is melted. Serve with remaining sauce for dipping. Makes 4 servings.

Stem and seed a green pepper in a flash…hold the pepper upright on a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to slice each of the sides from the pepper. You’ll then have four large seedless pieces ready for chopping!

Mom’s Chicken Soup for a Cold

…or just to warm you up inside & out! Jon’s mom sends this soup home from the farm in giant jars.

1 T. olive oil

1 c. celery, chopped

1/2 c. onion, chopped

2 T. garlic, minced

5 to 6 chicken thighs

2 c. baby carrots, chopped

3 cubes chicken bouillon

1 t. poultry seasoning

1 t. dried parsley

1 t. seasoned salt

pepper to taste

12-oz. pkg. fine egg noodles, uncooked

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add celery and onion; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook another 2 minutes; drain. Add chicken, carrots, bouillon, seasonings and enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat; reduce heat to low. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to one hour, or until chicken and vegetables are very tender. Remove chicken to a plate. Dice chicken when cooled, discarding skin and bones. Stir chicken and noodles into hot soup in pot. Simmer until noodles are tender, about 5 to 8 minutes. Add a little more seasoned salt, if desired. Makes 8 servings.

Homemade soup tastes even better if it’s made a day ahead of time and refrigerated overnight. As a bonus, any fat will rise to the top, where it’s easy to lift off and discard.

Grilled Peanut Butter & Jelly

Something different for lunch or even breakfast! Just for fun, toast these sandwiches on a waffle iron instead of a griddle.

8 slices whole-wheat or white bread

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. grape jelly or strawberry jam

1 egg, beaten

1/4 c. milk

1 T. vanilla extract

1 t. cinnamon

1 to 2 T. butter

Spread 4 slices of bread with peanut butter and jelly or jam; top with remaining bread. Whisk together remaining ingredients except butter in a shallow bowl. Brush egg mixture over one side of sandwiches. Melt butter on a griddle over medium heat. Add sandwiches to griddle, egg-side down; brush remaining mixture over top. Cook, turning once, until golden on both sides; slice in half. Makes 4 servings.

Country Buttermilk Biscuits

Jon’s mom shared her farmhouse secret to light-as-a-feather biscuits…stop stirring the batter as soon as it’s moistened.

2-1/2 c. all-purpose flour

3 T. sugar

1-1/2 T. baking powder

1/4 t. salt

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 c. buttermilk

In a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix well. Add butter and buttermilk; stir just until moistened. Spoon batter into 12 to 18 greased muffin cups. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, or until golden. Serve warm. Makes one to 1-1/2 dozen.

Make biscuit toppers for bowls of homemade chicken soup. Flatten unbaked biscuits into 6-inch circles and bake them as usual, until golden. Top each soup bowl with a biscuit and dig in!

Bacon Burgers

Everyone loves these burgers…maybe you’d better make a double batch. (Triple if Garfield is coming!)

2 to 3 slices bacon

2 T. onion, chopped

1/3 c. sliced mushrooms

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 lb. ground pork sausage

2 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 T. steak sauce

1/4 t. garlic powder

1/4 t. pepper

4 sesame sandwich buns, split

In a skillet over medium heat, cook bacon until crisp. Set aside bacon; reserve one tablespoon drippings in skillet. Add onion and mushrooms to skillet; cook until tender. Crumble bacon and return to skillet; remove from heat. In a large bowl, combine beef, sausage, cheese, steak sauce and seasonings. Mix well; form into 8 thin patties. Spoon onion mixture over 4 patties. Top with remaining patties; press edges tightly to seal. Cook burgers to desired doneness on a grill or in a skillet over medium heat. Serve burgers on buns. Makes 4 servings.