Wendy's Copycat Chili

I entered the Chili cook-off at church this week and needed a winning recipe.   I scoured the internet for ideas - I don't personally enjoy chili, so this is a bit of a challenge.  I know lots of people who love some Wendy's chili, so in the end, I went with this copycat Wendy's chili recipe from Delish and modified it by adding some ideas from other recipes that I looked at - including bacon!

Wendy's Copycat Chili

1 T olive oil
5 slices bacon - chopped
1 onion - diced
2 garlic cloves - minced
1 green pepper - diced
2 stalks celery - diced
3 T tomato paste
3 lb hamburger
3 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
dash salt & pepper
1 can tomatoes & chiles
28 oz crushed tomatoes
2 cup beef broth
15 oz kidney beans - lightly drained
15 oz pinto beans - lightly drained

Brown hamburger, drain fat and set aside.  In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil, bacon, onion, garlic, pepper, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in tomato paste, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.  Add browned hamburger and half of the beef broth so it doesn't burn. Add chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder, and season generously with salt and pepper. Pour in crushed tomatoes, using remaining beef broth to rinse the can to catch any remaining tomato. Add beans and stir to combine. Bring chili to a boil then reduce heat to low and let simmer until flavors meld and liquid is slightly reduced, about 40 minutes.  Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Instant Pot Beef Stew

I wanted to make beef stew and make sure that Henry could have it as well as make sure it is something that mostly everyone will enjoy (once I convince the kids to try it).  I found a couple of recipes that looked good, mostly this one from Pinch of Yum, but it did not have potatoes, so I took ingredients from here and here and put it together to make a hybrid version.  Takes approximately 90 minutes start to finish.  It was a hit with everyone!

Instant Pot Beef Stew

2 LB beef chuck roast - cut into 1-2" chunks
1 onion - diced
2 stalks celery - sliced
1/2 bag baby carrots - sliced
1 LB potatoes (5 medium) - cubed
2 cloves garlic - minced
8 oz can tomato sauce
2 1/2 cup beef broth
1 tsp salt
1 tsp italian seasoning
2 T brown sugar
2 T cornstarch
1/4 cup water

Place everything except the cornstarch and water in the Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 35 minutes, then let it release naturally for 10 minutes.  Release the rest of the steam, then mix cornstarch with the water and add to the broth to thicken.  It takes about 30 minutes to come up to pressure.

Cheesy Corn Chowder

I have been on a Pioneer Woman kick lately, she is just so good!  I made another one of her soups this week and in spite of not liking corn chowder, Jer liked this!

Cheesy Corn Chowder

1/2 stick butter
1 onion - diced
10 slices ready cooked bacon - cut into 1/2" strips
1 green pepper - diced
2 can corn - drained
1/4 cup flour
3 cup chicken broth
2 cup half-and-half
1 1/2 cup (heaping) shredded colby jack cheese
4 slices pepperjack cheese

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Cook onions and peppers for a couple of minutes. Add bacon and cook for another minute or so, then add corn and cook for a minute. Sprinkle flour evenly over the top and stir to combine. Pour in broth and stir well. Allow this to thicken for 3-4 minutes, then reduce heat to low. Stir in half-and-half, then cover and allow to simmer/thicken for 15 minutes. Stir in cheeses. When cheese is melted and the soup is hot, check seasonings. Add salt and pepper as needed.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I was looking for something else on the Pioneer Woman's website and came across soups.  Since it has been slightly cold the last few days, it sounded good.  After I made this, it smelled delicious, but I was worried that I wouldn't like it since there were so many peppers and tomatoes in it, but it is really really good!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

3 chicken breasts
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
dash salt & pepper
1 onion - diced
1 green pepper - diced
28 oz diced tomatoes
1 can rotel
3 cup chicken broth
4 oz tomato paste
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed

Place the chicken in the slow cooker. Sprinkle on the chili powder, cumin, and salt & pepper. Add the onion, pepper, tomatoes, chicken broth, tomato paste, and black beans. Stir, place the lid on the slow cooker, and cook on high for 5 hours or 8 hours on low. Using 2 forks, shred the chicken, return to the soup, and stir to combine.

Chili

I wanted to make something different for a meal that I was delivering to a family at our church, and Jer had been talking about wanting to make chili again, so I thought I would search out a new recipe.  I always love whatever the Pioneer Woman comes up with, so I thought we would try this one.

Chili

2 LB hamburger
2 cloves garlic - minced
8 oz tomato sauce
2 T chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 cup masa harina
15 oz kidney beans - drained and rinsed
15 oz pinto beans - drained and rinsed
cheddar cheese
onions - diced
tortilla chips
lime wedges

Brown the hamburger and garlic in a large soup pot, drain the excess fat, and then pour in the tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and paprika. Stir together well, cover, and then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally, adding 1/2 cup water at a time as it dries out. After an hour, place the masa harina in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and stir together with a fork. Dump the masa mixture into the chili. Stir together well, and then taste and adjust the seasonings. Add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency. Add the beans and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve with shredded Cheddar, onions, tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Beef Stew

I needed an excuse to use my Dutch oven again.  I emailed my sister for recipes but before she got back to me I searched for a recipe and bought the ingredients I needed.  Her stew recipe looked good too, but I didn't have everything I needed, so I went with this one from Taste of Home.  It was good, but I think we will leave the peas out next time.  I also used oat flour instead of regular flour so that it was ok for Henry too.  It paired well with Honey Beer Bread.  Start this recipe about 2.5 hours before you want to have it ready.

Beef Stew

4 T flour (oat flour (recipe below) - wheat free)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 T vegetable oil
1 1/2 LB beef stew meat - cut into bite sized pieces
1 onion - diced
3 garlic cloves - minced
2 T flour (oat flour - wheat free)
1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 tsp dried thyme

3 cup beef broth
14.5 oz stewed tomatoes - diced
3-4 potatoes - peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 bag baby carrots - cut into thirds
1/2 cup peas (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

In a 1 gallon ziplock bag, mix 4 T flour, salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper, add the meat and toss to coat.  Heat vegetable oil in Dutch oven on medium high heat and brown meat in batches.  The meat does not need to be cooked through, just browned on the outside.  Set meat aside and add in onion to the pot.  Cook until tender, then add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Stir in 2 T flour, 1/4 tsp pepper, and thyme.  Add beef broth, tomatoes, and meat.  Cover and bake at 350 for 1 1/4 hours.  Add potatoes and carrots and bake for 1 hour.  Stir in peas and test seasonings, add salt & pepper to taste.  Let sit for a few minutes to heat up the peas, then serve.


Oat Flour

Place oatmeal in a food processor and process until it is the consistency of flour.  Measure equivalent cup for cup with regular flour.

Chicken Rice Soup

Jeremy's mom made this soup and I had to have the recipe.  It is great when you are feeling sick or need something warm!  I decided to make it today because dad is sick.  I didn't have the celery in the house or bouillon granules (they contain wheat, so I have switched to stocking chicken broth).  So today I just omitted the celery and added the end of the box of chicken broth.  It was pretty thick, but I kind of like it that way.  I also cooked a bag of chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken because I decided around noon that I wanted to make it for supper.

Chicken Rice Soup

1 chicken - cooked & cubed
1 T onion - chopped
2 carrots - chopped
1 cup celery - chopped
5 oz mrs. grass noodle soup mix
1 1/2 T chicken bouillon granules
1 cup rice - uncooked
dash salt & pepper

Place all ingredients in a large pot. Add water to desired consistency. Simmer for 1 hour.

Chicken Corn Chowder

I got this recipe from my sister Lindsey.  It is so good!  It is a wonderful soup to eat on a wintry day like today.

Chicken Corn Chowder

2 can creamed corn
1 can evaporated milk
1 can cream of potato soup
1 1/4 cup milk
2 cup chicken - cooked & cubed
dash salt & pepper
dash onion flakes

Mix together all ingredients in a pan and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Chicken & Rice Soup

As I look for allergy free recipes, soups have been a home run.  This is the third soup I have made this week.  I did a google search and came across this recipe.  I modified it a bit to my taste, what I had in the house, and the fact that I can't eat crackers.  I put in 3 times the rice, so there is very little broth left.  If you like dipping crackers, I would cut back on the rice.

Chicken & Rice Soup

1 T olive oil

1 onion - diced

2 garlic cloves - minced

2 medium carrots - cut into quarters lengthwise, then sliced

2 celery sticks - halved lengthwise, then sliced

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 tsp oregano

2 box chicken broth

3 cup rice

2-3 cups chicken

dash garlic salt

Pour olive oil into soup pot, add onion, garlic, carrots, and celery.  Cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until vegetables are cooked but not brown.  Add chicken broth, thyme, oregano, and garlic salt.  Process chicken in a food processor until chicken is shredded.  Pour chicken and rice into soup pot.  Cook over low heat for at least 30 minutes to blend flavors.

Jer's Chili

Jer loves chili, and a couple of years ago he decided to make it himself, so we found a recipe and I let him go for it.  Unfortunately he thought that a tsp was a T, and it got super super spicy.  So we dumped in a can of this and a can of that to try to cool it down.  The result tasted pretty good, so I wrote down everything we put in and now made it again.  It is still a bit on the spicy side, enough to give Jer the hiccups, so if you like it a bit milder, cut back on the spices.

Jer's Chili

2 LB hamburger
1 onion - chopped
1 stick celery - chopped
37 oz tomato sauce
44 oz kidney beans
29 oz pinto beans
1 can tomatoes and chiles - diced
4 can tomatoes - diced
1 can tomato soup
2 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 T pepper
2 T salt
1 T pepper flakes
1 T paprika

Brown hamburger with onion and celery, drain. Drain beans, then combine all ingredients in a large soup pot. Bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2-3 hours. Serve with cheese and sour cream.

Taco Soup

I got this recipe from a lady at church.  I used to put cheese and sour cream in it, but with the new food allergy restrictions that was out the window.  I also could not use the ranch dressing mix packet because it contains milk.  I looked up a ranch mix recipe and added the seasonings to the recipe instead.

Taco Soup

1 LB hamburger
1 package taco seasoning mix (allergy free recipe)
2 can diced tomatoes
2 can corn - drained
2 can black beans - drained
1 box chicken broth
1 package ranch dressing mix (see recipe below - milk free)

Brown meat and add taco seasoning and water, simmer until water evaporates.  Pour into a large soup pot, and add tomatoes, corn, beans, broth, and ranch mix.  Bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour.  Serve with tortilla chips.

Ranch Mix

3/4 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp minced onion
1/8 tsp dried dill weed