Spicy Mexican Meat Sauce

So you might be asking yourself, isn't a spicy tomato meat sauce just chili? I say that it most certainly is not. In my opinion, chili is an entirely different kind of stew made with cubed chuck shoulder and thickened with corn masa (or chips). This is a much simpler sauce, designed to be quick and easy. You could serve it on a hot dog or hamburger with cheese, or if you're feeling adventurous, put it over spaghetti (Cincinnati style).

Ingredients

• 2 lbs lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon ground dried chipotle chiles (freshly ground or from a jar)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can diced green chiles
• 1 large can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small can tomato paste
• juice of 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Cook the beef over medium heat in a stew pot or dutch oven until it loses the raw red color. Add the onion, bell pepper, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, turmeric, chipotle chile powder, and oregano. Continue to cook until the onions have softened and the bell pepper is crisp-tender. Add the garlic and green chiles and cook for one more minute. Add crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, lime juice and cilantro. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the flavors are well blended. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a hot dog in a toasted bun with shredded cheddar cheese.

Foil Dinners

Cooking in foil has a lot of advantages: very little mess to clean up, it's very moist and juicy, and it can be done outdoors without a kitchen. Since I'm going camping, I thought I'd share my recipe for a great foil dinner that makes camp cooking a snap.

Ingredients (per person)

• 8 ounces ground chuck or sirloin (do not use round - it's too dry!)
  
• 1/2 small envelope instant onion soup mix
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
  
• 1 small clove garlic, pressed/minced fine
  
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flake
• 1/2 small onion, sliced thin
  
• 1 carrot, quartered and cut into 2 inch sticks
• 1 potato, sliced thick
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons water

Directions

Mix the ground chuck, soup mix, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and chile flake in a medium bowl with your hands until combined, working it into a large loose patty about 2 inches thick (do not tightly pack the meat together). On the middle of a 18 x 24 inch piece of aluminum foil, combine the carrots and onions in a pile that is roughly the same diameter as the beef patty (if not a little bit larger). Drizzle the water onto the vegetables and sprinkle with half the salt and pepper. Place the beef patty on top of the pile. Season the potatoes with the remaining salt and pepper and place on top of the beef. Tightly wrap up the foil, making a pouch - I like to crimp together the sides over the center line of the foil and then fold over the top and bottom flaps. At this point you can either bake your pouches in the oven for 30-45 minutes or you can put it on a bed of coals in a grill or campfire for 25-35 minutes per side, or until the meat reaches 150-160 degrees. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving in the foil pouches.

I went on vaccation and didn't cook anything...

...so I have absolutely no idea what to post! My Dad grilled some wonderful tri-tip. My sister cooked a variety of awesome dishes ranging from sauteed green beans to cocoa nib cake (and I have no idea where to get those recipes). My Mom made pancakes and french toast and popcorn (with her new fancy movie theater popcorn popper). The one thing I did cook while visiting was German pancakes, which is just like Yorkshire pudding, but with butter instead of beef drippings. Anyways, I didn't want to miss posting today, but you'll have to wait till Thursday for an original recipe. Until then, try the ones I just linked to!