We’re cooking up Salisbury Steak with Onions and Gravy.  It’s one of those traditional Southern comfort food items you’ll find on the menu at Mom and Pop style restaurants and diners throughout the South.  Fresh ground beef, caramelized onions, and rich brown gravy make this one more delicious item to serve to your family and friends.  All you’ll need to make it even better are some mashed potatoes.  Now we’re talking!

Now, don’t go thinking this will taste like one of those cheap frozen dinners you might find in the frozen foods section of your local grocer.  Those little trays with plastic on top just can’t compare to homemade.  This one is just about as quick and easy to prepare…except for making the caramelized onions.  That takes a little bit of time but it will be well worth the added effort.

I must admit though, I’ve had my fair share of the imposters.  When you can buy a packaged meal with meat, gravy, mashed potatoes, corn and a brownie, all for one dollar, it’s difficult to not pop one or two in your grocery cart.  Still, I hope you will give this little recipe a try soon.

Some may claim this to be hamburger steak.  We’ll be adding a recipe for hamburger steak later.  Hamburger steak is usually not served with gravy like the salisbury steak is served.  Instead, it’s served as a fried or grilled meat patty and may include some grilled onions on top.  You can add your favorite steak sauce to it if you so choose.  It’s most often served with mashed potatoes as well, topped of course with…gravy.

This is a pretty straight forward recipe.  Just don’t rush the onions too much and it will be quick and easy.  We’ll cook up the patties first, caramelize the onions, and then simmer it all together in a rich brown gravy for about 15 minutes.  While that’s cooking, we’ll whip up some mashed potatoes and get ready for some real meat and potatoes Taste of Southern home cooking.  Ready?

Let’s Get Cooking!

Here are the ingredients you’ll need.  I’m using Ground Beef Round in an 80/15 mixture.  I’m showing a two pound package in the photo, but I’m only using half of that in the recipe which will give me four servings.

I just divided the package in half and placed about one pound in a mixing bowl.

Use your hands or a fork to break it up a bit.

Begin by adding 1/2 teaspoon of Black Pepper.  We’ll just go ahead and add the first few ingredients, and then we’ll mix it up.

Add 1 teaspoon of Salt.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of Garlic Powder.

Add 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce.

Add one whole egg, minus the shell of course.  (Smile)

Add 1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs.  I used bread crumbs like mama always used.  I took one slice of white sandwich bread, and crumbled it up in my hands really fine.  It’s easier with bread that is a day or two old.  Of course, you could use store bought bread crumbs or even saltine crackers if you desire.  The bread just serves as a binder for the mixture to help hold things together.  We didn’t know anything about store bought bread crumbs around our house.

Now, jump right in with both hands, and mix it all together.  I folded it, mashed it, squashed it, and folded it some more.  Just mix it all up well and have fun.  Cooking should be fun, so go ahead and squish it through your fingers.

Divide the mixture into equal parts.  I made four patties from the pound of beef.  Shape it into patties, like you would hamburgers, only shape it into more of an oval than something round.  For some reason, Salisbury Steak patties always seem to be oval shaped.

Place your “I Don’t Have A Paula Deen,” regular and well used skillet on medium heat.  Let it warm up for a minute or so, and then add 2 Tablespoons of REAL Butter.  Always use the real stuff instead of margarine.  It’ll just naturally taste better.  Ask Paula Deen, she’ll tell you.

Place the patties in the skillet.  Don’t overcrowd them though, give them some space.  I could only get three of mine in at the beginning, but once they cook down some, I’ll add number four.  Let them cook for about 4-5 minutes.

While the patties are cooking, let’s get started on the onions.  Begin by slicing a whole onion in half and removing the outer skin.

Slice each half into about 1/4 inch slices.  Set aside.

After about 4-5 minutes, you’ll start to see the bottom edge of the patties start to turn brown like the two in the upper right.  Now, you’ll need to flip them over, and brown the other side for about the same length of time.  They don’t have to cook all the way through; we’re just browning both sides for now, to seal in the juices.

Even with only a 15 percent fat content, the patties will shrink.  After I’d turned all three, I had enough room to add my fourth patty.  You just need to watch the first ones and don’t let them burn.  Take them out when they have browned completely on both sides.

Remove the patties from the pan and set aside.  Again, don’t worry about them being cooked all the way through.  We’re going to continue to cook them some more in just a few minutes.

Don’t discard those brown bits left in the pan.  They are full of flavor and we want to save all of them.

Place your sliced onions in the pan, right on top of all those browned bits.  Reduce the heat just a little, and let the onions slowly cook until they are clear and caramelized.  Don’t rush them.  Let them cook low and slow, stirring occasionally, until they turn nice and brown in color.  This step may take 20 minutes or longer, but its well worth the time.  If they cook too fast, they will burn, and you don’t want that to happen.

The onions will start to turn clear or translucent, and then they will start to brown.  We’ll continue to cook them some more as the recipe continues.

Now, sprinkle the 2 Tablespoons of Flour all over the top of the onions.

Stir the flour and onions together.  Then, let this cook for about 2 minutes longer to brown the flour.  If you don’t allow the flour to cook and brown at this point, you’ll get a raw flour taste in the finished dish.  Just keep stirring it for about 2 minutes.

Slowly add 2 cups of warm water.  It’s just warm water straight out of the faucet.  If you were using a cast iron skillet, you’d never want to add cold water to a hot skillet as it could cause it to crack.    Stir the water and onions together.

Add 2 teaspoons of beef bouillon granules.  I highly prefer the granules as opposed to the cubes.  The cubes always seem to take forever to dissolve.  You could certainly use about 2 cups of beef broth if you had that instead.  This will pump up the flavor of the gravy.

Stir the mixture well, and then bring the heat back up to about medium.

Carefully place the meat patties back into the gravy mixture.

Cover the pan.  Let the whole thing simmer on medium or just a notch below medium, for about 15 more minutes.  They just need to simmer lightly and not be at a rolling boil.  You also might want to turn the meat patties over about half way through.

After about 15 minutes, it’s all ready to serve.  Man, I’m hungry right now.  I’m a true meat and potatoes kind of guy and love this Salisbury Steak.

We cook a lot of dishes with gravy, or gravy and onions, here in the Taste of Southern kitchen.  It seems like most all of them just go best with mashed potatoes served as a side dish.  You could also serve them over a bed of rice if you prefer.  Add some whole corn or maybe some green beans, and a piece of cornbread, and you’ve got yourself a real meal for lunch or dinner any day….even on Sunday.

Enjoy!

Here’s a quick and easy comfort food recipe that makes some great sandwiches.  I’ve loved a good
Sloppy Joe sandwich since my early days in school.  Say what you want about school lunches, but
I always seemed to enjoy mine.  I especially enjoyed the Yeast Rolls they served and they were
even better on the days they used them as buns for Sloppy Joes.

I’m going to try and re-create those Yeast Rolls one day soon so watch for it.  Our school made
these rolls practically every day of the school year.  Sometimes they were just bread with our meals
and then some days they would be hamburger buns, pizza crust or the buns for Sloppy Joes.

It’s been quite some time since I’ve made Sloppy Joes from scratch.  It’s too easy to buy that mix that comes in the can these days.  And, I have to admit that it’s not all that bad.  It’s just….these are BETTER.

Sloppy Joes are really easy to prepare and perfect for a quick and easy lunch or dinner meal.  They are
great when the kids have friends over, or when everyone gathers around the TV for a big game.

You can serve them on store bought hamburger type buns or perhaps make “sliders” out of them by
using packaged dinner rolls as buns.  You can also make them a little more “grown-up” if you bake up
some homemade rolls of your own like those school Yeast Rolls or some crusty bread type of roll.

Ready to give them a try?  A printable version of the recipe follows the step-by-step photos.

Let’s Get Cooking!

You’ll need these ingredients.  I’m using Ground Beef with an 80/20 fat content.  I’m also using some
frozen chopped bell peppers that I keep in the freezer for just such purposes.

Begin by chopping up about one half of a small to medium sized Onion.

Either chop up about 1/2 cup of fresh bell pepper or, if you have it in your freezer, measure out
1/2 cup of what you already have.

Bell Peppers get up to around $1.78 EACH sometimes during the winter months around here.
I can usually find them around 5 for $1.00 during the summer when they are coming fresh
out of the gardens so I stock up.  I chop them up, and then freeze them in Ziploc type bags for later.
It’s thrifty and convenient at the same time.  Try it.

Place your large skillet on medium heat and then add your ground beef.

I used a wooden spoon to start breaking up the hunk of beef and stirring it as it begins to brown.

When it gets mostly brown, check to see how much fat (grease) you have in your pan.  Mine had
hardly any at all.  You don’t want a lot of grease but you do need about 2 or 3 tablespoons of it.  If
your ground beef has produced a lot of fat, use a spoon and scoop some of it out or carefully pour
it out of your pan.

Add in the chopped Bell Peppers.

Add the chopped Onions.

Stir it all up real good.  Don’t let the meat stick to the bottom of the pan and burn.  Simmer over
medium heat for about 5 minutes, letting the onions begin to turn translucent.

Sprinkle in the 1/2 teaspoon of Granulated Garlic Powder.

Sprinkle in the 1/2 teaspoon of Chili Powder.

Add the 8oz. can of Tomato Sauce.

Then add in the 1/4th cup of Ketchup.

Give it another good stir.

Add the 1/2 cup of water.

Add 1 teaspoon of Mustard, the regular old yellow stuff in the bottle.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of Ground Black Pepper.

Finally, add the 2 Tablespoons of Brown Sugar.  Give it all another good stir.

Reduce the heat down to medium-low and let it all simmer for about 20-25 minutes.  You’ll need
to stir it every once in awhile and make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the pan.  You
shouldn’t have a problem with sticking if you have the heat turned down to a proper simmer.

Let the juices reduce down but don’t let it get all dried out.  You need some good juice…thus the
“Sloppy” part of the name.  If it’s too watery, it will just soak down your buns and that want
be good….soaked buns that is. (Smile)  It’s not necessary to cover the pot while it simmers either.

When it’s cooked down to your liking, remove from heat and serve immediately.  It will cool down
rather quickly once it’s out of the pan so you need to have everything else ready to go at this point.

Enjoy!

Where’s the chicken?  It’s called Chicken Fried Steak, but it doesn’t actually have any chicken in it.  And now that we think of it….it doesn’t really contain any steak as we know it either.  Confused yet?

It does contain “cubed steak,” but it really doesn’t contain chicken.  It’s also sometimes referred to as pan fried steak or even country fried steak.  Just depends on who you ask I guess.  It’s typically made from the cheaper cuts of beef and it’s just one more way to prepare cubed steak.  It’s also normally pan fried as opposed to deep fat fried.  You can serve it as a main dish to your meal, or it can be placed in a bun, or between a couple of slices of bread to make a really delicious sandwich.  I’m all for anything you can place between slices of bread.

Chicken Fried Steak wasn’t something served up around my house as a youth.  I pretty much came to know about it through visits to local mom and pop style restaurants or diners.  It shows up on a lot of menus at those type of establishments.  As mentioned, it’s pan fried so if you have a cast iron skillet, this is perfect for it.  We’re going to fry the cubed steak, then use some of the pan drippings to make our homemade gravy to top it off with.  Serve that up along side some mashed potatoes and another vegetable of your choice and this quick and easy meat can be on the table in little time at all.  Sound good?  Alright then…Let’s Get Cooking!

Here are the ingredients to make our Country Fried Steak…except for the onion.  It sneaked in the photo while I wasn’t looking.  I guess it thought we were going to make country style steak or something else.  So please…ignore the onion.

We’re going to prepare our seasoning breader for the cubed steak.  Begin by placing the two cups of flour in a fairly good sized mixing bowl.

Add one Tablespoon of salt.

Add one Tablespoon of Black Pepper.

Add one Tablespoon of Garlic Powder.

Add one Tablespoon of Paprika.

Add one teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper.  It’s just for a little flavor and doesn’t really make the dish hot.

Stir all the dry ingredients together.

Stir it well, until everything is properly incorporated to make our seasoned flour breader.

REMOVE about 1/4 cup of the flour mixture and save for later to make the gravy.

Break two eggs into a separate dish.

Use a whisk or fork and stir the eggs up well.

Place a piece of the cubed steak in a plastic bag or between two layers of plastic wrap.  I’m using one of those really thin bags you find in the produce section of the grocery store to put your tomatoes etc. in.  They come in really handy sometimes so I hardly ever throw them away if they’re still clean.  They’re perfect to pound out the cubed steak for this recipe.

You can use a meat tenderizer hammer if you have one.  If not, find a thick saucer or plate and use the edge of it to pound out the cubed steak.  Now, the steak has already gone through a meat tenderizer machine at the grocery store, but we want to flatten out the cubed steak sections and make them thinner.  It will also make those cheaper cuts of meat more tender and easier to chew.  Besides, its a good stress reliever so have fun.

Pound it out real good.  This will flatten it out good and thin.

Remove the tenderized steak portion from the bag or plastic and place it in the seasoned flour mixture.

Jump right in with both hands and coat the steak piece really well with the seasoned breader.  Work it into the crevices of the cubed steak.

Next, place the flour coated steak section in the egg wash.  See how flat we got that.  My little egg wash pan was almost too small.

Flip the steak piece over to coat both sides with the egg wash.

Place the steak back in the seasoned flour mixture once again.

Flip it over, making sure you coat both sides well with the flour breader mix.

Gently shake off any excess flour.

Set the breaded steak section aside.  Look, it’s almost as big as the plate.

Place some cooking oil or shortening in a good sized skillet.  Your cast iron will work well here, but I didn’t use mine today.  Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan just under about 1/4 of an inch deep.

When the oil temperature is ready for frying, place the steak piece into the pan.  I had my pan set about one notch above the medium heat setting.  You’ll have to test yours for proper frying temperature as stoves vary greatly.  The oil is hot enough when a few sprinkles of the flour mixture sort of sizzle and turn brown in the oil when it’s dropped in.  You could also place about 2 drops of water in the oil.  When it starts to bubble and pop…or talk to ya….it’s ready for frying.

These pieces are so large you’ll have to cook them one at a time.  They’ll cook quickly though so that’s not a problem.  Let the steak cook for about one minute, then turn it over and cook the other side for about 1-2 minutes.  Don’t overcook them.  If the oil starts to smoke, reduce the heat.

When you see the bottom edges start to brown, that’s the time to carefully flip it over.  You’ll also see some blood rising to the surface from the steak at this point.

Flip the steak over and let it cook for about another 2 minutes.  Don’t overcook it.

You’ll repeat this process until all of the pieces have been cooked.  As they finish, remove each piece and set it aside on some layers of paper towels to drain and rest.

Reduce the heat of your pan to medium-low.  Cubed steak doesn’t normally have enough fat to mention.  You’ll need about 2-3 Tablespoons of oil in the pan.  If you don’t have this much after frying all the pieces, add a little more oil to the pan drippings.  It’s time to make some gravy.

Those little bits of pan drippings are loaded with flavor.  As you can see, I didn’t end up with a lot.

Stir in the 1/4 cup of flour we reserved earlier. Don’t just dump it all in one spot, sprinkle it around the pan.

Working quickly, stir the flour and oil mixture together.  If you mixture dries out too fast, add about a tablespoon of butter or a little more oil to make the roux.

Since I’m using Chicken Granules, I’m adding two cups of warm tap water at this point.  You could also just add two cups of chicken broth if you have it.

Slowly add the water, stirring it in as you go.  Continue to stir the mixture well.

Add the chicken granules.  One teaspoon of the granules with one cup of water equals one cup of chicken broth according to the directions on the granules jar.  I added two teaspoons of granules since I added two cups of warm tap water in the step above.

Add the milk and quickly stir it all together.

NOTE:  There are numerous possibilites for making the gravy.  I could have just added two cups of milk and two teaspoons of chicken granules and omitted the water.  That would make a somewhat creamier gravy if that’s what you’d like to have.  This gravy recipe is just a little thinner.

Let it all simmer for a minute or two.  You’ll want to taste the gravy at this point to see what if anything it might need.  You may want to add some additional Salt, or some Black Pepper, it’s just a matter of your personal taste.

The gravy is ready when you can pass the spoon test.  Remove the spoon you’ve been stirring with and drag your finger across the bottom.  If the gravy leaves a trail where you’ve wiped it off, it’s thickened enough for serving.  If it’s too runny, let it simmer awhile longer and test again.

Plate up your vegetables and place a piece of the Chicken Fried Steak on each plate.  Top with gravy and serve warm.

Enjoy!

This thick and hearty Beef Stew is a one-pot meal that is much more quick and easy than you might at first think.  It only requires a few simple ingredients to prepare and although it has a lengthy cooking time, it’s a great way to cook up supper without a lot of fuss.  Slowly simmered to bring out all the flavors, you can sit back and relax while this one cooks.  Your family is gonna love it.

We’re about to wrap up winter here in the south so I wanted to get this recipe online during these last days of cool weather.  OK, 80 degrees for the past several days…isn’t cool weather, but I think we’re still going to see a few more cooler days ahead before Spring actually arrives.  The trees around where I live have already burst forth in full bloom and look like they are covered with snow.  Just yesterday, I started seeing some green leaves appear as well.

I love spring, but over the past few years, I’ve been really hit hard with allergy problems.  I never had it until about 2009 when I took up fishing and started spending lots of time outdoors.  Problem is, it just seems to be getting worse each year since.  Still, I love this time of year….don’t you?

Beef stew is not just a winter meal, don’t get that idea OK?  It’s great any time of the year.  Its just that this recipe is kind of thick and it makes a great meal all by itself on a cold winter day.  The heartiness of the meat and potatoes alone, slow simmered in broth, will both fill you up and warm you up.

You would have normally found Beef Stew served up for Sunday dinner at my house.  Mama would cook up a great big old pot full, about 3 times as much as this recipe will make.  She would then let it slow simmer for hours on the stove until it was all just right.  It was only later in life that she acquired a slow cooker – or – crockpot, so my memories are of that big old aluminum pot she liked to use.  As I’ve mentioned in some of my other stories, we always had about 10-15 people at our house for Sunday dinners.  It was a time when all the family got together and usually included our pastor and his family as well.  My brother and sister were both married with new families of their own, and if they didn’t show up for Sunday dinner, Mama would call them to see if they were on the way….or why they weren’t….on the way.  Gotta love it.

Being a widower now for going on 14 years, sitting at home with a table of one….just isn’t the same.  I guess that’s why we look and refer to them as the “good old days” now.  But, for me, cooking up these old favorites can bring back a full rush of happy days from years gone by.  Days when I had my eye set on that one pastors daughter, just wanting to be around her and realizing that my whole reason for going to church was just for the chance to sit with her while her father preached down fire and brimstone.  Days when I hoped mama was going to invite them home for Sunday dinner and maybe….just maybe…she and her brother would stay the afternoon while her mom and dad visited with some other members of our church.  Of course, there are lots of other Sunday dinner memories in my head, but I’ll have to save those for later.  For now, let’s get this pot on the stove and cook up some good old southern comfort food.  If you’re ready…Let’s Get Cooking!

Beef Stew Recipe:  You’ll need these ingredients.

We’ll start out by melting about two Tablespoons of Butter in a large pot set on medium heat.

While the butter is melting, slice up your onions.

Toss the beef cubes into the pot with the melted butter.  The beef used here is boneless, pre-cut cubes that are easily found in your local grocery store.  It’s usually chuck or round that has been cut into 3/4 to 1-1/2 inch cubes.  If you can’t find them already cut, you can do it yourself very easily.   Just select any chuck or round cut…except for top round…and just trim off the fat and cut it into bite sized pieces.

Brown the beef in the butter.  Some recipes call for tossing the beef cubes in flour before you add them to the pot.  I don’t think it matters all that much and just toss them into the butter.  I’m going to let them cook a bit until they start to brown but not get a brown crust on them.  Just stir them around every few minutes and let them cook.  This will take about 6-10 minutes depending on how hot the pan is.

When the meat has browned, pour in 4 cups of warm water from the kitchen tap.

Add the teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce.

Toss in the sliced onions.

Add one teaspoon of salt.

Add one teaspoon of sugar.  Mama used sugar in just about everything.  I come by it naturally I guess.

Add one half teaspoon of Black Pepper.

Add one half teaspoon of Paprika and stir all the ingredients together.

Place a lid on the pot and let it simmer.  I open the vent on the lid of the pot to let out steam as it cooks.  You’ll want to lower the heat down to about half way between your low setting and your medium setting on your stove.  You don’t want it to cook at a rolling boil, just a low and light simmer.  It will cook this way for about an hour.  Just check it about every 20 minutes or so and give it a stir at the same time.

While the meat is simmering, go ahead and wash up a couple of carrots for slicing.

Slice up the carrots in about 1/2 inch rounds.  You want good bite sized pieces here.  Baby carrots would also work, but I even slice those up smaller whenever I use them in this type of recipe.

Scrub down the potatoes and prepare them for cutting.

Quarter and dice the potatoes.  Try to cut them into uniform sized pieces so they will all cook up about the same.

When the meat has simmered down, it’s time to start adding the other ingredients.

Add in the sliced carrots.

Toss in the diced potatoes.

Add in the Tomato Paste….then stir it all up real good.

Add in the Beef Bouillion Granules.  I like using the granules because they are much easier to work with as opposed to those cube things.  The cubes take a long time to dissolve in my opinion.  Seems like no matter how much I stir, sooner or later, I’ll see a piece of one of the cubes floating around in the pot.  Of course, beef broth would also work very nicely, especially if you have home made.  We added 4 cups of water in the beginning so according to my jar, I need 4 teaspoons of Granules to make 4 cups of broth.

Give it all a good stir.

Cover the pot once again and let it all continue to simmer over that medium-low heat.

Check on your stew about every 20 minutes or so.  It will take about 30-45 minutes for the potatoes and carrots to cook until tender.  I like mine with just a little bit of a “bite’ left in them.  The longer it cooks, the more mushy the potatoes will become.  You’ll just want to keep a close check on it after you add the carrots and potatoes and cook it to your personal liking.

This is a great meal to prepare ahead of time, warm up and serve later.  If you’re doing that, don’t overcook the vegetables because they will cook even more once you warm the stew back up before serving.

Serve and Enjoy!

Serving Suggestion:  Beef Stew is certainly a meal you can serve all by itself, but I really like it along side some cooked white rice and a piece or two of homemade corn bread.  It just doesn’t stay beside the rice for long.  I stir it all up together and eat it that way.  If you wanted to stretch the meal, either stir in some cooked rice or just let the rice cook during the last 15-20 minutes or so while you’re simmering the stew.

You’ll find lots of variations of Beef Stew here on the internet.  Some add green peas, celery, string beans, tomatoes, or even mushrooms.  I’ll just save all that stuff for the homemade vegetable soup.  Give me this basic meat and potatoes version any old time.  I do hope you’ll give it a try and let me know what you think.  Enjoy!

Chili with meat.  Chili-con-carne literally means chili with meat.  This may not be a true hand me down Taste of Southern recipe from my family heritage, but every once in awhile, you find a recipe that you just want to try out.  You may not know exactly what intrigues you about it, you just know that you want to cook it and see what it tastes like.  Thus….today….I present you with Baxter’s Chili-Con-Carne Recipe.  Let me explain.

I’ve become pretty much addicted to attending a local auction house each Friday and Saturday night.  Friday night is designated towards new stuff, and Saturday night is classified as Antiques, Collectibles and Old Stuff night.  I much prefer Saturday night, but I’m usually in attendance on both nights.  And, I must add, I bring home WAY too much stuff.

On one particular Saturday night a few months back, I purchased an older book at auction.  The book is entitled “STARSTRUCK – The Wonderful World of Movie Memorabilia.”  It was published in 1986, written by Robert Heide and John Gilman.  In short, it contains lots of color, and black and white pictures of old movie posters, signs and more, with movie stars from long ago.

Since my very first job ever was working at our local movie theatre, this kind of stuff fascinates me.  I’m not a big collector but I do have a few old movie posters of my own along with some other items of interest.  Mostly, I was able to pick up this hardback book for $2.00 so I went for it.

I’ll quickly admit that I’m not much of a book reader, just give me one with lots of pictures.  Glancing through this book, there is a section on the Movie Star Magazines that were popular as I was growing up along with some earlier items.  If you remember when you use to be able to buy ice cream cups that had pictures of movie stars inside the lids of those cups, then you might be a bit older than I am.  I do remember them, but just barely, and there is an article about those in the book also.

Among the sections were a couple of pictures about movie stars and their recipes.  One of the recipes said it was “Warner Baxters own recipe for chili con carne.”  It just kind of caught my attention.  I had just started work on this website back then, and thought I’d give it a try.  As it turned out, it tasted pretty good and was simple enough to make, so I decided to add it to the site.

About the only chili we ever had around our house was hot dog and hamburger chili.  I don’t recall my mom ever making just chili with beans.  If she did, it wouldn’t have been one of her regular dishes or I’m positive I would have remembered it.

Chili con carne is said to have originated in Texas.  Thus, it’s an American dish according to Wikipedia and you’ll find it served in many restaurants throughout the South.  If you’d like to read more, you can read the latest information posted by Wikipedia by Clicking Here.

By the way, Warner Baxter was indeed a very popular movie star back in the day.  He was an American actor best known for his role as The Cisco Kid in the movie “In Old Arizona.”  He won the second Academy Award for Best Actor in the 1928-1929 Academy Awards.  He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and was somewhat of an inventor as well.  He first appeared in Silent Films but later moved on to the “talkies,” as you can see by the poster above.  You can learn more about him at this link… Warner Baxter.  Baxter was rather handsome so I’m sure the ladies all liked him.  Looks a bit like Clark Gable if you ask me.

Here’s a scan of the article and recipe from the book.  Please note that I totally did NOT start out with the one and a half cups of Olive Oil, nor did I use three onions.  I made a few slight changes, but the recipe I’m offering here is adapted from the above recipe.

As I mentioned, this is a pretty quick and easy meal to prepare.  It does require soaking the beans overnight so keep that in mind.  I think you’ll like it if you give it a try.  I know there are thousands of variations on chili so I’d also be interested in learning about your favorite recipes for the same.  If you’re ready… Let’s Get Cooking!

Baxter’s Chili Con Carne Recipe:  You’ll need these ingredients for my adaptation of the recipe.

Secret Ingredients:  You’ll also need some Black Pepper, Beef Bouillon Granules and Cocoa Powder.
(OK…so maybe…just maybe…they aren’t really all that secret.  Maybe…I just forgot to include them in the picture with the other ingredients….or….maybe they just all wouldn’t fit in that one single picture.  You decide.  OK? ) 

Spread the dry beans out in a large dish or on your counter-top and sort through them.  You’ll want to remove any small sticks, rocks, or other foreign items you might find.  Also, remove any shriveled up and bad looking beans that might be included.  Beans are usually harvested by mechanical means and it’s just natural to find these type of things in any given bag of dry beans.  Just throw the bad parts away.

I like to place the sorted beans in a colander next and run some cool water over them to rinse away any dirt or dust that might be on them.

Place the rinsed beans in a large pot and cover them with several inches of cool water.  Set them aside and let them rehydrate overnight or for at least 6-8 hours.  You’ll probably also find some directions on the bag the beans came in for ways to do a quick soak if you need them sooner.

The next day, drain the dirty water off the soaked beans and rinse them once again under cool running water.  See how they have plumped up?

While the beans are draining, dice up one medium sized Onion.

Just rinse out the same sauce pot and place it on your stove.  Turn the heat to about medium-high and let it warm up for a minute or two.

As I mentioned, I opted not to use as much olive oil as the recipe called for.  Instead, I’m using 1/3 cup to saute the onions in.

Toss in the diced onions.

LOWER the heat back to medium and keep a close watch on the onions.  Stir them often and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.

Once the onions start to get a little color on the edges and turn translucent, you’re ready to move forward to the next step.

Add the Ground Beef to the pot.  Break it up with your wooden spoon or fork and stir it around a bit.

A couple of minutes later, do the same with the Ground Pork.  Drop it in the pot, break it up and stir it around.

Let the meats simmer over medium heat, stirring often to keep breaking it up.  You don’t want the meat to burn so stir often.  It will need to simmer for about 15-20 minutes, depending on your stove and heat settings.  Just let it brown and don’t overcook it.

Once most of the meat has browned, it will look something like this.

Add the 2 cans of Tomato Sauce to the mixture.

Add one Tablespoon of Chili Powder.

Add one teaspoon of Garlic Powder.

Add one teaspoon of Oregano.

Add TWO teaspoons of Beef Bouillon Granules.  Just pretend that I did this one twice… because I did.

Add Four Cups of Hot Water.  Just use hot water straight from your tap so as not to cool down the cooking process.

Add the soaked Kidney Beans to the sauce pot… carefully.

Stir it all together very well.

You may want to raise the heat just a little and let it all come back up to a slight boil.  That’s just about the time you start to see some bubbles coming to the surface and popping.

Cover the sauce pot with a good fitting lid.  The lid on my pot has an adjustable vent built in.  I normally open it up completely to allow steam to escape.

REDUCE the heat down to about Medium-Low and let the pot simmer for about 1-1/2 to 2 hours, or until the beans are done to your liking.  You’ll need to stir the pot about every 30 minutes or so to be sure nothing is sticking to the bottom.  A slow simmer is best.

Add one teaspoon of Salt.  You may want to add more or less depending on your personal tastes.  You just need to start off slow and add more as you go if you think you need a bit more.

Add one teaspoon of Cocoa Powder.

Add one teaspoon of Black Pepper.

TASTE TEST:  Stir everything together very well and let it simmer for another 10 minutes or so.  Give it a little taste test and make any adjustments as needed.  You might think it needs a little more of the Beef Bouillon Granules for more of a beefy flavor, or perhaps a little more salt or pepper.  Just make it your own recipe for you and your family.  If you do add something, make a note of it for your recipe box for next time.

Top it off with a little shredded cheddar cheese.  OK, not as little as I’m showing here.  I wanted you to see the Chili-Con-Carne and not hide it under a lot of cheese.  Add a big old hunk of cornbread on the side or maybe a hot toasted cheese sandwich of some sort.  Either way…

Serve warm and Enjoy!

Follow these easy, step-by-step, photo instructions for making our Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy Recipe.  A longtime Southern favorite, Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy is just comfort food at its best.  Mom and Pop restaurants throughout the South feature this on their menus and, now you can enjoy the same great flavors in your home kitchen.  Quick and easy to prepare, we’ll show you how, step-by-step.

Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy Recipe:

Here’s a really simple recipe that just needs about an hour to slow simmer before its ready to serve.  You can take advantage of some cheaper cuts of beef anytime you find them on sale and, whip up some great Southern comfort food that can be served with rice, mashed potatoes or even noodles.  It’s your choice.

Stew beef works very well for this recipe or, you can use eye of round steak like we did.  You can even go all out and make it with a finer cut like Ribeye steak.  The really great part is, whatever you find on sale, can probably be used to make our Beef Tips.  Buy it while its on sale, freeze it and have it ready for a quick and easy lunch, dinner or Sunday dinner.  I think you’ll like it about any time of the day.

Around the south, just about all the local mom-and-pop style restaurants feature Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy on their menu.  It’s an old diner favorite that is also usually one of the cheaper menu choices because it can take a somewhat tougher cut of beef, slow simmer it to make it tender and, then serve it up with a large portion of rice and gray to cut costs.

Its so versatile in that it tastes great when served over rice, over mashed potatoes or, even over noodles.  I really think you’ll love it once you try it and I’ll look forward to hearing from you after you do.  You can follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions below or, skip on down to the bottom for our printable recipe.  Ready to get started?  Alright then… Let’s Get Cooking!

Beef Tips with Rice and Gravy:  You’ll need these ingredients… and some rice of course.

I’m using this eye of round steak so I needed to cube it up first.  You can use stew beef that is already cut into pieces if desired.

Use a medium size sauce pan to cook in.  Place it on the stove, over medium heat and, add some cooking oil.  I like to add a little extra flavor by using about a Tablespoon of bacon grease.  It’s not required, olive oil or any other type of cooking oil or shortening will work just as well.

I even tossed in a Tablespoon of Butter.  It’s optional of course.

Add the beef to the sauce pan.

Peel and slice the onion and, toss it in on top of the beef pieces.

Stir it around as it cooks, let the beef brown a bit and until the onions start becoming translucent.

Add the Beef Broth.

Bring the mixture to a good rolling boil.

Cover the pot, REDUCE THE HEAT down to a low simmer and let it slowly cook for about one hour.  Now, lets make the rice.

Prepare the rice:  After the meat has simmered for about an hour, go ahead and prepare the rice.  You’ll need some good rice and a little salt.

You’ll find lots of different ways to prepare your rice.  I’m using one of my favorites here.  About any type of rice will work, just use what you have available.  I like to rinse my rice first so here I’m adding one cup of rice into a small sauce pan.

Place the pot under cool running water and just let some water run into the pot.  The rice usually stays on the bottom and I swish it around a little to help remove the dust particles and a lot of the starch that rice contains.  Once the water starts to run clear, you’ll need to drain that water off.

Rinsing rice is a choice and not always necessary.  It seems to keep your rice from being so sticky and clumping all together.  Of course, Instant Rice or Boil-in-Bag types of rice are other choices that usually turn out pretty much perfect.  Again, its all your choice.

Once the water starts to run clear, drain off the excess by just tilting the pot carefully and letting the water run out.

Now, add two cups of cool water back into the pot.  You need about a 1cup rice, 1-1/2 cup water or, 1 cup rice and 2 cups water ratio.  I added just a little over a cup and a half back into the pot.

Add the salt but, don’t stir it.  Stirring the rice in the water will release more of the starches and that will just cause it to be sticky.  Instead, gently swirl the pot a time or two and place it on the stove over Medium-High heat.

Leave the pot uncovered and bring the rice to a good rolling boil.  Let it boil for about 2 minutes at a rolling boil and then reduce the heat.

REDUCE THE HEAT:  Reduce the heat down to about Medium-Low and let the rice simmer.  DO NOT STIR.  We want to let it cook long enough for most of the water to be absorbed by the rice or evaporate out.  This could take 5-10 minutes or so.  Just keep a close watch on it.

Once most of the water has cooked out of the rice, you’ll start seeing little open pockets in the rice.  Watch it closely, without stirring and, without letting all of the water boil away completely.  You’ll need just a little of the water in the bottom so the rice doesn’t burn and stick.  Burnt and sticky rice is NOT a problem you want to have.  You can thank me later.

Now, cover the pot with a tight fitting lid and remove it from the heat.  It needs to sit for about 10 more minutes.

While the rice is resting, add about 2 Tablespoons of Corn Starch into a small cup or bowl.  We’re going to thicken up our gravy.

Add about 3 Tablespoons of cold water.

Use a small whisk or fork and, mix it up well until it is all liquid.

Slowly add the cornstarch and water mixture into the pot with the beef.  Add it slowly, stirring constantly.  This mixture will thicken up the liquid in the beef and make a gravy.  It just needs to cook a few minutes longer to thicken up properly.  If its still too thin for you, make up about half a batch more of the cornstarch and water combination and add it into the beef.

After the rice sits for about 10 minutes, remove the lid.

Use a fork and gently lift the rice from the bottom of the pan.  Gently lifting the rice will fluff it up and separate the grains.  It’s now ready to serve.

You could even toss in a pat of butter for a little added flavor but… its optional.

Place a serving of Rice on each plate, top it with some of the Beef Tips and Gravy.  Ummm… good.

If I have leftovers, I just mix it all together and store it in the refrigerator for later.  This will keep your rice from drying out once it goes into the refrig.  How easy was that?  Enjoy!

Follow these step-by-step, photo illustrated instructions for our Liver and Onions complete with a printable recipe.  I know, its an acquired taste but, it’s certainly worth giving this old southern favorite a try.  It’s quick and easy and goes great with rice or mashed potatoes.

Liver and Onions Recipe:

Liver and Onions is definitely an acquired taste.  I just wonder if all the people that seem to be turned off by even the thought of Liver and Onions have ever even tried it.  How will you know if you don’t try it?

For me, Liver and Onions is one of those things I just like to have “ever so often.”  It’s one of those things that you don’t even have to have been thinking about but, you walk into a cafeteria and see it on the serving line and you just automatically say, “Gotta have the Liver and Onions.”  Or, you see it on a restaurant menu at some special little Southern style home cooking restaurant and you know… “I gotta have some Liver and Onions.”  I can’t even explain it myself but, I know that when it presents itself, I usually end up ordering it.  I just gotta have it.

I’m more apt to order it out than I am to prepare it at home.  However, the same kind of thing happens when I’m walking through the grocery store and spot a package of liver in the freezer section.  It just kind of calls my name and, next thing you know, I’m opening the door of that freezer and placing a pack in my shopping cart.  Now that I think about it, maybe it has a mysterious pull on me and my brain.  Hmmm.

Either way, it’s not difficult at all to make Liver and Onions at home.  If nothing else, the aroma of those onions cooking up in the cast iron skillet will make your head spin with delight.  I do hope you will at least consider giving the recipe a try.  I’ve got the full instructions below plus a printable recipe is at the end of this post.  It may not be one of the prettiest recipes I’ve done but I’ve tried to take precautionary steps to make it as easy on the eyes as possible.  You probably want even notice stuff like that.  Ready for some delicious Liver and Onions?  Alright then… Let’s Get Cooking!

Liver and Onions Recipe:  You’ll need these ingredients.

Place the liver in a colander and let it drain.  Do not try to rinse it, the water will just about wash it all away if you do.  It’s very fragile once its been frozen and thawed.  Just slide it into the colander and let it drain a little.  Raw liver will probably never win any awards for being “Most Photogenic.”  Just saying.

Some folks soak the liver in milk for about 20-30 minutes before going any further.  They say it removes some of that “liver” taste.  If you’re sensitive to it, you might want to give it a try.  I’ve never done it as I kind of like the taste.

Slice both ends off of your onion and peel away the outer layer of skin.

Slice the onion into a gazillion pieces.

Place your skillet over Medium heat and let it warm up a bit.  Then, add two Tablespoons of Butter to the pan.

Place the sliced onions in the pan.

It will take about 15-20 minutes for the onions to cook down.  Just stir them as needed and, let them become translucent and slightly browned.  Watch the heat under them and don’t let them cook too fast or let them burn.

Your kitchen should be smelling pretty good about now.  I love the smell of onions as they cook, reminds me of the fair.

When they’re done, remove the onions and set aside.

Place the liver on a tray and sprinkle with Salt, Black Pepper and a little Paprika.  Use your best judgement and season to taste.  If the liver is getting too soft to handle, you can always pop it back in the freezer part of your refrigerator for a few minutes to firm it back up.

Set up a dredge station for the flour by placing it in a container.  I’m using one of those Chinese Tupperware plates leftover from one of my take out orders of Sesame Chicken.

Take each piece of the seasoned liver and dip it into the flour.  Coat each side well, shaking off any excess and place the liver pieces back in the same pan you took them from until you have coated all pieces.

You’ll probably have to add a little more butter or some cooking oil to your skillet.  You need a thin layer of oil in which to fry the liver pieces.  Add the oil, let it warm up until it’s ready for frying.  You can test this by dropping a pinch of flour into the hot oil.  If it sizzles, the pan is hot enough to start frying in.  Carefully place a couple of pieces of liver in the skillet and let it cook for about 3 minutes.  Use some tongs and lift a piece up to be sure it’s not cooking too fast.  Once it’s lightly browned on the bottom, flip it over.

Flip the liver over and let the other side cook about 2 or 3 minutes more.  Watch it carefully, don’t over cook it or let it cook at hot enough temperature to burn.  Burned liver will not be good.

You can always cut into a portion of the liver to see if it’s done to your preference.  You want to cook it long enough that there aren’t any red juices running out of it and, just to the point of not showing any red when cut open.

Serve the liver warm over a bed of rice with the onions on top.  Or, serve up some mashed potatoes and gravy on the side, either way… it’s gonna be good.  Enjoy!

NOTE:  Some folks like to cook the liver for just a couple of minutes on each side then remove it from the pan.  Then, they make a gravy with the pan drippings and return the liver back to the skillet along with the onions.  A lid is placed over the skillet and everything is allowed to cook together for about 15 minutes or more until the liver is completely done.  I like it that way myself most of the time.  Just saying.

Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to make this combination pork sausage and ground beef meatloaf.  We’re using a mild flavored sausage, and recipe from an old North Carolina company known as Neese Sausage.  You could take it up a notch by adding hot sausage if you’d prefer. Either way, we’ve got a new twist on an old favorite. Printable recipe included.

Neese’s Sausage-Beef Meat Loaf Recipe:

When winter weather arrived in North Carolina, back when I was a youngster, it meant hog killing time. Daddy raised a couple for our family each year and usually on Thanksgiving Day, instead of sitting down for a big dinner, we got up early and ended the day late, preparing pork for the winter ahead.  OK, I didn’t really do much, I was a bit young and pretty much a city slicker, but I do have some fond memories of those days.

Daddy made his own sausage and I got a kick out of helping turn the handle on the sausage grinder he would clamp down on the kitchen table. I remember he went a bit heavy on the Sage, but it was still good with one of Mama’s Buttermilk Biscuits on a cold morning.

Other than homemade sausage, we grew up eating Neese’s Country Sausage around our house. Neese’s is an old North Carolina Company dating back to around 1917 according to their website.  I still love their Liver Pudding products, and my brother is a bit fond of their Souse Meat.  They just make some really good products and we’re proud to know they’re North Carolina home folks.

I spotted a small Neese Cookbook at a local auction a couple of weeks ago and had to add it to my collection.  I broke bad and spent a whole dollar bill for it.  I’m a big spender like that.  I can’t help it some times.  Later, while thumbing through the recipes here at home, I saw this one particular recipe for a Sausage-Beef Meat Loaf and decided I had to give it a try.  I think it turned out pretty well and I hope you’ll feel the same way should you decide to try it at your house.

I used the Mild Country Sausage from Neese’s, but you could punch it up a notch by using their Hot brand if you’re up to it.  Either way, it’s a great variation on an old Southern favorite that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.  I also liked the fact that it uses crumbled up Cornbread instead of white bread, breadcrumbs, or crackers.  That was different, and I liked being able to use some of the last batch I made in my cast iron skillet.

I’ll tell you a bit more about the cookbook in just a minute.  If you’re ready for some Neese’s, then Let’s Get Cooking!

This is the Neese recipe book that I picked up for 1.00 at a local auction.  Interestingly enough, the book is marked on the back as costing $1.00 originally. Seems they hold there value pretty well at least. I leaned it up against an old wooden Neese Country Sausage crate that was given to me by a friend a couple of years back.

I’ve loved the old crate since the day I got it. It’s become even more of a treasure in the past few weeks though. The fellow that gave it to me suddenly passed away right before Christmas at age 48.  It was a shock to all of us and he is dearly missed.  He was all the time buying and selling stuff, and thought I’d like the crate so he gave it to me.  He was a bit of a character and we always ended up joking and laughing about almost anything.

The book contains 34 pages of recipes, all printed on thick brown colored paper.  Here’s a scan of the Sausage-Beef Meat Loaf recipe as seen on page 19 of the recipe book. It didn’t have an exact date, but I think it was printed in 1976, probably as some type of promotional advertising piece for the sausage company.

I wanted to show you the end of the wooden crate.  It’s marked with a Value of $1.75 and “Please Return.”  The crate has a hinged wooden lid but I think someone may have just done that themselves. I’ve contacted the Neese Sausage Company to see if they can give me some more information on both the crate and the recipe book, but haven’t heard back from them yet.  I just hope they don’t ask me to RETURN the crate.

Neese’s Sausage-Beef Meat Loaf Recipe:  You’ll need these ingredients.

We’ll start by washing, slicing, and dicing up the stalk of Celery.  So far… so good.

Do the same with the Bell Pepper. If I had a farm, I’d raise nothing but Bell Peppers.  They get up to about $1.50 each around here in the Winter months.  During the Summer, I can usually find them at a local roadside produce stand priced at 5 for $1.00.  I buy a couple of dollars worth, slice them up and freeze them.  This one happened to be fresh though.

Place your skillet over Medium heat.  When it’s warm, drop in a couple of Tablespoons of Butter.

Add the diced Bell Peppers.

Add the diced Celery.

Stir them around and saute them until they are lightly browned.  Don’t let them burn as you continue to work on the rest of the recipe.

Place the Ground Beef and the Neese’s Sausage in a large mixing bowl. Just remember that you’re only using half the one pound package of Sausage.

Use your fingers and crumble up all the meat.

When you have it all crumbled, mix it up real good.

Add the slightly browned Celery and Bell Peppers.  I poured the little bit of butter left in the skillet right in with the veggies.

Crumble up the cornbread and add it into the mixture.  I’m going a bit “rustic” here, you might want to crumble your cornbread a bit more, like bread crumbs.

Add the can of Cream of Onion Soup.  Do not add the water you would normally add to make the soup, just pour it undiluted, straight out of the can.

Add the Salt.

Add the Black Pepper.

Break the Eggs into a small bowl and whisk them up a bit with a fork.

Add the Eggs to the mixture.

Jump in with both hands and mix it all up really good.

Butter up a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan.  Brush the butter all in the bottom and all around the sides, all the way to the top.

Spoon the mixture into the loaf pan and spread it out evenly.  Use gentle pressure to pack it down in the pan.  Be sure to wipe any excess off from around the edges of the pan, otherwise it’ll just burn right on and make cleaning the pan a bit more trouble. You can thank me later.

Open up the can of Tomato Sauce and pour it all over the top.

Cover the top completely.  I wasn’t sure about this part as my pan was about to overflow.

PLEASE NOTE:  This is not the typical ketchup and brown sugar glaze – that I happen to like – that you’ll normally find on Southern style Meat Loaf.  I can’t say it added a large amount of flavor to the finished product, but we’re following the original recipe.

Since the loaf pan was so full, I opted to wrap a small sheet pan with aluminum foil, and use it as a drip pan underneath the loaf pan, as it baked in the oven.

Bake at 350ºF for a good 60 minutes.  You could use a meat thermometer to be sure it’s reached an internal temperature of 170ºF to be on the safe side.

When it’s done, remove it from the oven and just set it aside on a trivet to cool a little.  You might see some liquid around the inside edges of the pan when you remove the loaf pan from the oven.  Be careful not to spill that and just let it absorb back into the meat as the meat loaf cools down a bit.

Serve warm and Enjoy!

Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making this delicious, meaty Chili. It’s lightly seasoned, so everyone can add the heat and toppings they desire. The whole family will love this one, and it’s so quick and easy to make. We’re sharing a special recipe from some new friends that will be a hit for your next get together, large or small. Printable recipe included.

Howard Family Chili Recipe

Meet the Howards, a couple of my newest friends.

I recently had the great pleasure to meet Rob and Ilean Howard, when my older brother and I, delivered one of his pig cookers to the Howards pastor and church in Wilmington. They were all just super fine folks, and it was a pleasure to spend a little time with them on a cloudy Saturday morning.

It was registration day for the college in Wilmington, so we got caught up in a little bit of traffic on the way down. We might have been a few minutes late for our scheduled appointment, but I think it all turned out well.

This cooker was for the church, and it was great to see everyone smiling once we arrived. My brother always says that we meet some of the nicest people with our deliveries, and I wholeheartedly agree.

I’ve got in the habit of asking the man of the house, just what one dish his wife prepares that is the absolute best. Most will think about it for a few seconds, and most of the time they will say that picking out just one dish is a bit hard to do.

When I posed this question to Mr. Howard, he didn’t hesitate a bit in saying “her Chili.” He knew right away what his favorite was.

I asked him for a bit more information, and then asked Ilean if she would be willing to share her recipe with me for Taste of Southern. She said it was quite simple really, and that she didn’t mind sharing it.

The recipe is pretty simple, using just a few ingredients. Ilean pointed out, that using the right seasoning mix was very important for the recipe. She had her favorite, but she said sometimes it could be a bit hard to find in the grocery store.

Ilean prefers to use the Sauer’s Chili Seasoning Mix, which, as I found out, was indeed sort of hard to find. You can order it online though, so don’t hesitate in picking up a packet or two in order to try the recipe. Clicking the link will take you to the Sauer’s website. (I do not receive anything from your purchase, just so you’ll know. The Sauer’s people don’t even know I exist. )

In talking with her, the one thing that I really liked about this recipe, is that it’s not HOT.

I never have understood why people like to make Chili so hot that you break out in a sweat after the first mouthful. Now, if you like your’s that way, please don’t hold it against me that I don’t enjoy mine prepared that way. Personally, I can’t handle it, and don’t care to have heartburn for the next couple of days after eating super hot stuff. It’s just me.

Ilean says she likes to serve a little hot sauce on the side, so family and guests can increase the heat to their desired taste. I like the way she thinks.

This recipe would be great for that next family get together, or for some tailgating at that next big game. You can have it ready to serve in just under an hour, so how cool is that?

If you’re ready to give this Howard Family Chili a try, then let’s get in the kitchen. In other words… Let’s Get Cooking!

Thank you Howard Family!

Howard Family Chili Recipe: You’ll need these ingredients, plus some Sauers Chili Seasoning.

Start out by chopping up the Onions. Don’t worry if you shed a few tears, it will be totally worth it once you finish. (Smile)

Place the Onions in a large sauce pot, on Medium heat on your stove top.

Add the Ground Chuck.

I like to crumble up the beef as I’m adding it into the pot. Once it starts to brown, I can break it up even more with a large spoon. Because the Ground Chuck has such a low fat content, we will not need to drain off any excess grease from it once it browns. If you substitute regular ground beef, you might want to brown the meat first, drain off most of the grease, then add the onions.

Keep a close eye on the beef and onions as they cook. You’ll need to stir this pretty often so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot and burn. The onions need to be cooked until they are translucent, and the beef until it’s browned.

Once the beef has browned sufficiently, add the Salt.

Add the Black Pepper.

Add the Chili Seasoning.

Stir the spices into the meat and onions.

Add the Tomato Sauce.

Stir this in, and let it simmer for about 10 minutes before adding the beans.

Add the Light Red Kidney Beans. Ilean’s recipe didn’t say whether to drain the liquid off the beans or not, so I just left most of it in and added that to the beef.

REDUCE the heat down a notch or two, and let the chili simmer for about 30 minutes longer, or until the beans are as tender as desired.

Serve warm and Enjoy!

Ilean serves her Chili with all the toppings on the side. She suggests diced tomatoes, sour cream, corn chips, and cheese. She also likes to leave the hot sauce on the table, so each guest can season their chili bowl to their own perfection. Did I mention that I like the way she thinks?

Follow our step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe for making this Southern Pot Roast. This is a basic recipe for one of our Southern Classics that makes a one pot meal to feed the entire family. Just a few simple ingredients are all you’ll need, and we’ll help you cook it until it’s perfectly juicy and tender. Printable recipe included.

Southern Pot Roast Recipe:

Pardon me if I have to stop and take a nap before I complete this recipe for Taste of Southern. I might be about “stuffed” following the completion of the cooking for this Pot Roast.

I had to wait about 4 hours for this to cook, and the anticipation continued to build while waiting.

Once it was completed, and the photo’s all taken, it was supper time. I just had to have a big serving.

Growing up Gordon, in my younger years while still at home, Sunday dinners were the most anticipated day of the week for me. I’ve always loved to eat, and Sunday dinner almost always turned out to be the biggest and best meal of the week. Mama was at her best cooking Sunday dinners.

I’ve mentioned it before, so forgive me for repeating myself, but we always had about 10-15 people at our house on Sundays. All the family was there, and most of the time, Mama would invite the pastor and his family home with us as well.

It turned out alright for me, as I ended up marrying one of those pastors daughters later in life.

Still, we did have this one other pastor that ate with us many times while he was in charge of the local church. We got a new pastor every year or two it seems. They were appointed to serve our area.

He lived up in Greensboro, NC which was well over an hours drive from where our church was.

It wasn’t unusual for our local pastors to not live in our town. The churches were always small, and most of the pastors couldn’t afford to give up their jobs to move here and pastor the church full time.

So, Mama would always invite them over for Sunday dinner.

They would eat with us, then go out “visiting” for a couple of hours in the afternoon, before returning to the church for the Sunday evening service. It must have been tough on them and their families, but hopefully, a little break at our house for dinner helped them along the way.

This one pastor I’m mentioning, had two young sons and one older daughter as I recall.

The two boys were younger than I was, with the youngest probably about 5 or 6 years old at the time. He was small for his age it seemed, but we played together after dinner, and after most of the church services before they headed back home.

What I remember most was that this young boy… never ate ANYTHING for Sunday dinner but BISCUITS. I never understood it.

Mama would have the large oval table loaded with all kinds of vegetables, at least one meat, if not two, and he didn’t want anything but her homemade BISCUITS.

It struck Mama as kind of strange the first time or two they came around. She worried that he didn’t like anything she had fixed, but his mother said he was just a little funny about what he ate.

A bit dismayed by it all, I’d watch as his mother would take a couple of biscuits from the serving plate and break them up onto his plate. Then, he’d use his fork and pick them up and eat them, one piece by one piece. I wondered how he could possibly pass up all the fried chicken, meatloaf, and other dishes Mama had prepared. Yet, he seemed happy with what he had, so we all just learned to accept it.

Of course, Pot Roast was one of the dishes Mama would sometimes prepare for Sunday dinner.

Even though it’s usually cooked with some vegetables, like the carrots, potatoes and onions used here, I always thought it was best when paired up with a big scoop of Mama’s mashed potatoes, then smothered in gravy.

Digging into that big old pot roast today, I was quickly transported back to that large oval table, surrounded by family and friends, and enjoying each and every bite. The conversations, laughter and stuffed bellies afterwards were all a very memorable part of my early childhood.

Below, you’ll find a fairly basic recipe for making our Southern Pot Roast. I’m using water instead of Beef Broth, but you can certainly use the broth if you have it. It will make the taste much richer for certain. But, as mentioned, I’m just sharing the basics, and you can develop your own versions from there.

This is really a great “one pot” meal, and sure to be a hit with the family if you’ll give it plenty of time to cook. Pot Roast needs to cook for a good long time to become tender, so make sure you have plenty of time to let it slowly roast in the oven prior to serving.

Ready to give it a try? Alright then, let’s get in the kitchen and start working on some Sunday dinner memories of your own. In other words… Let’s Get Cooking!

Our Classic Southern Pot Roast: You’ll need these ingredients.

Wash the potatoes and the carrots under cool running water. Let drain.

You’ll need a large roasting pan or sauce pot, depending on the size of your roast. Place this on your stove top over Medium heat and let it warm up a bit. Add the Bacon Grease.

Bacon Grease is simply the fat leftover from cooking your bacon. It’s great for seasoning all kinds of Southern dishes, so be sure to save it each time you fry up some bacon. Keep it in a closed container in your refrigerator for use as needed.

When the bacon grease has melted, place the roast in the sauce pot. We’re  going to sear it on both sides before roasting it in the oven. Let it sear on each side for about 3 minutes.

Searing will help seal in some of the juices. Sear on one side, then using some tongs, flip it over and sear on the other side. As we mentioned, this will take only about 2-3 minutes on each side.

Once it’s been seared on both sides, remove the roast and place on a plate until we get everything else ready.

Quarter the potatoes.

Depending on the size, you will need to either halve or quarter your potatoes. If you’re using small potatoes, you could also just leave them whole. It’s up to you. I prefer to leave the peeling on, but you could peel them if you desire. Again, it’s your choice.

Same goes for the carrots. Depending on the size, you’ll probably want to cut your carrots into smaller pieces. Baby carrots can go in whole of course. Be sure to trim off and discard the ends if you’re using larger carrots.

Peel the outer brown skin from your onion, then slice it in half. Slice the halves into large pieces.

Layer the onions in the bottom of your roasting pot. We’ll place the roast on top of the onions to keep it raised a bit off the bottom. That’s why we suggest you leave the onion slices a bit larger size.

Add the roast.

Place the roast on top of the sliced onions. Please note that we do not have heat turned on underneath the pot while we’re doing this.

Add water.

Add just enough water to the pot to bring the water level to about 3/4th of the way up the side of the roast.

We’re making just a basic pot roast with this recipe. You could also add Beef Broth if you’d prefer, or even some tomato sauce. There are lots of variations on making a pot roast. Start out with our basic recipe, then experiment on your own to develop something you might like even better.

Place the potatoes and carrots on top of the roast.

Drizzle the Worcestershire over the top of the vegetables.

Sprinkle the salt over the vegetables.

Sprinkle the Black Pepper over the vegetables as well.

Place the cover on top of the pot. You could also cover the pot with a sheet of aluminum foil if you don’t have a good fitting lid for your pot.

Place the roast in a oven that has been preheated to 275F degrees.

The roast will need plenty of time to cook to make it nice and tender. You should figure about an hour per pound, possibly more.

Medium-Rare: The internal temperature of the roast should be about 145F degrees after letting the roast stand for 15-20 minutes.

Medium-Done:  The internal temperature of the roast should be about 165F degrees after letting the roast stand for 15-20 minutes.

Either way, cook the meat until it’s about 5-10 degrees BELOW the desired temp. It will continue to cook and will rise another 5-10 degrees after it’s removed from the oven. Confused yet?

Bake until tender.

This Meat Thermometer says that Beef cooked to a Medium temp needs to reach about 160F degrees. I tested this BEFORE I removed the roast from the oven. The STANDING temps mentioned above would be determined once the roast was removed from the oven and been allowed to rest for 15 to 20 minutes to determine the desired degree of cooking. I like my steaks rare, but I’d prefer the pot roast be cooked to a medium-done range.

The main thing is that the roast is cooked until it’s TENDER. This is what takes the longer cooking time. Yes, it’s done after it reaches about 165F degrees, but just like pork, it needs to cook to a higher temp in order to break down the tough connective tissues in the meat.

Tender cooked pot roast will pretty much just fall apart when you try to remove it from the pot. That’s much better than it being so tough you can’t hardly chew it. Go ahead and cook it until it’s good and tender and you’ll enjoy it much better.

Enjoy!

Remove the roast to a large platter, and place the cooked vegetables around the sides to serve it.

Gravy: If desired, you can make gravy from the remaining cooking liquid in your pot. You’ll need about two cups of liquid to do this. Mix a Tablespoon of corn starch into a couple of Tablespoons of COLD water. Stir this until it’s creamy and mixed well. Heat the liquid stock just until its at the boiling point, then slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry. Continue to stir this and bring it up to a boil until it thickens. Serve this gravy over your roast, or over your roast with some mashed potatoes. Good stuff.

PS: Leftovers make a pretty good sandwich when placed between a couple of slices of white bread. Just saying.