Cowboy Chili

Last night I made one of my grandfather's oldest recipes, Cowboy Chili. This chili is one of the best I have ever had; it is a very light and soupy chili as apposed to a heavy red chili. It is so easy to make and it creates a lot of food. Another bonus to this dish is that it can be kept in the refrigerator for a long time. It is a great holiday meal but can also be turned into a year round meal as well. 

2 lbs chicken cubed. 
Sauté chicken until browned on the outside. 
Sauté one chopped onion. 
Add cut up chicken and brown. 
Add...
          32 oz chicken stock 
          5 cans great northern beans 
          2 8oz cans of diced green chillies. 
          2 tsp chopped garlic. 
          1 Tsp oregano. 
          1/2 tsp cumin and cilantro. 
Simmer until thick. 
Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with Monterey Jack Cheese.

7 Layer Bars

Today I will be sharing with you how to make one of my all time favorite desserts in the world. Adapted from the original 7 layer bars, these six layer bars are packed with heart warming ingredients that are kid friendly and adult friendly. Even people who claim they hate coconut say that these bars are one of the best things they've ever had. They always remind me of the holidays because my mom and I make them around Christmas time each year. I hope that you try them out and enjoy!

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F

In an 9x11 pan (glass or metal) sprayed with cooking spray, place...

1 cup + a little graham cracker crumbs (not too buttery)

1 stick butter

Melt butter and mix with graham cracker crumbs.  Pat evenly into bottom of pan until completely covered.  Bake for 8 minutes to set.

Layer on spreading as evenly as possible:

1 bag chocolate chips (11 oz)

1 bag butterscotch chips (11 oz)

1 bag sweetened shredded coconut (7 oz or ½ large bag 14 oz)

**1 cup chopped pecans for the 7^th layer if desired.

1 can Eagle Brand (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk  (slowly drizzled so as not to glob J)

Bake for 30 minutes until lightly brown on sides of pan.  The center can be pretty white.  If you have a convection oven, turn it on for 2-3 minutes to brown the top. 

Do not over cook – they will harden when cool.  You want them to be chewy, not dried out!

For easier release, while hot, push spatula down around the edges creating space for easier cutting later.

Amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecake is one of my all-time favorite desserts and it might be one of the worlds most diverse groups of cakes. There are so many ways to go about making a cheesecake and there are so many different flavors to choose from. If you have ever been to the Cheesecake Factory you know what I am talking about. There are over twenty different flavors of cheesecake there at all times and they switch them out constantly. However, this is not a blogpost about the cheesecake factory, this blogpost is dedicated to one of my new favorite flavors of cheesecake, Pumpkin cheesecake with salted caramel sauce. I came upon this watching the Pioneer Woman (again) and I had to try it because it looked so good. I am a true cheesecake lover and I would highly recommend this cake to anyone, cheesecake lover or not. 

Ingredients:

For the Cheesecake:

  12 ounces gingersnaps

  1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped

  6 tablespoons salted butter, melted

  Dash of kosher salt

  2 tablespoons packed brown sugar

  Three 8-ounce packages of cream cheese

  One 15-ounce can of pumpkin puree

  3 large eggs

  1/4 cup sour cream

  1 1/2 cup granulated sugar

  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

For the Caramel Sauce:

  1 cup packed brown sugar

  1/2 cup heavy cream

  1/2 stick of butter

  1 teaspoon vanilla extract

  1 teaspoon kosher salt

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

For the crust of the cheesecake: 

  In a blender, grind the gingersnaps until fine. Pour the fine gingersnaps into a bowl and    then add pecans, melted butter, brown sugar and salt and mix together. Pour mixture into a 10-inch springform pan and pack it down flat to the bottom.

For the Cheesecake:

  Beat the cream cheese until soft with a beater or stand mixer. Mix in the pumpkin puree. Add the eggs 1 at a time. Add the sour cream to the mixture. With the mixer on low, add the following ingredients: granulated sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Make sure everything is mixed together. 

  Pour the mixture into the pan and distribute it evenly and smooth out the top. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake until it is no longer soupy but still slightly jiggly; about 50 minutes. After the 50 minutes, turn off the oven and then open up the oven door and let the cheesecake sit for 15 minutes. Take out the cheesecake and let it cool for about 30 minutes. Cover it with plastic rap and then put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. 

  For the Salted Caramel Sauce:

Put the following ingredients into a saucepan over medium-low heat: brown sugar, heavy cream, butter, vanilla and salt. Whisk the ingredients gently until it starts to thicken, about 5 to 7 minutes. Take it out of the pan and let it cool.