Simple Meaty Chili

I made this for the Super Bowl. I wanted a simple, basic chili to layer on top of Doritios, and top with all sort of crazy fixin's like sour cream, chopped onion, shredded cheese, avocado, and cilantro...and maybe more random things from the frig.


One of the ingredients is masa, which I didn't have on hand, but I always enjoy looking for new ingredients. I don't quite know what I'm going to do with the other 5 pounds of corn flour, but I'm sure I'll find something new and fun to try.

Simple, Perfect Chili
from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

2 lbs ground beef
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp ground oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
One 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tsp salt
1/4 c masa (corn flour)

Optional Ingredients
1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes (can use diced tomatoes with green chilies)
shredded cheese (for serving)
onion, chopped (for serving)

1. Place the ground beef in a large pot and throw in the garlic.

2. Cook the beef until brown and drain off the excess fat.

3. Pour in the tomato sauce, followed by the spices and salt.

4. Stir together well, cover and reduce the heat to low. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. If the mixture becomes overly dry, add in 1/2 cup water at a time as needed.

5. After an hour, place the masa in a small bowl. Add 1/2 cup of water and stir together with a fork.

6. Dump the masa mixture into the chili and stir together well. Taste, adjust the seasonings, and add more masa paste and/or water to get the chili to your preferred consistency, or add more corn flavor.

This is what my chili looked like before adding the tomatoes and beans:

Add the beans, jalapeño and tomatoes if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve topped with cheese and onions.

The verdict?
I thought the recipe name of Simple Chili was perfect. On it's own, in a bowl, it is a little on the basic side. But, as a base to add all the wonderful additions that make chili...CHILI, it is a great simple start. I did not add any cayenne powder, jalapeno pepper, or diced tomatoes with green chilies because I wanted it to be mild and easy to add to any recipe, plus toddler safe for my son.

If I didn't add the beans and tomatoes, it was a little too meaty for our preferences. Actually, it was only meat, so with the addition of the beans and tomatoes, it was perfect. I froze the leftovers, and think they will make a great topped baked potato or chili dog. Ahhhhhh...chili dogs...my nemsis!

Homemade Ranch Dressing

I hope everyone enjoyed the big game (and commercials) and ate all their favorite Super Bowl foods. I made a new recipe for Chili, and that recipe will be coming soon.

My husband wanted take-out pizza for dinner one night, and I needed something to balance out all the carby/cheesey deliciousness that is pizza you don't make yourself. I was craving a salad, a really good salad, to grab some of my attention away from the pizza.

I remembered the Homemade Ranch Dressing recipe from The Pioneer Woman cookbook. I made this with dried herbs, and that made it pretty quick and easy to whip up. Please go to her site to view the recipe, as I did not veer from her original recipe, other than halving the fresh herbs down to dried.

I also used a new product, buttermilk powder, and I'm having fun experimenting with it. I first saw it at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures, and have since used to enchance my biscuits, pancakes, and any recipe that calls for buttermilk. It worked great in this recipe.

This made over 2 cups of dressing, which was obviously more than we consumed that night, but we added it to our Super Bowl food spread with some veggies to dip. Good stuff!

Homemade Taco Sauce

I make my own Taco Sauce, mostly for the reason that I usually have a can of tomato paste on hand, but rarely have a bottle of taco sauce. I like being able to whip this up whenever I feel like it, and it makes enough that it lasts a long time.

My brother has used this recipe but canned it in small jars for later use. He said that turned out great.


I just recently used this Taco Sauce on my Copycat Casey's Taco Pizza, and it worked great. I recently started reducing the amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe when I know my son will be eating it, because he always likes to point out when things are "too spicy!" The refined palate of a 2-year old.

Taco Sauce
recipe adapted from Top Secret
Makes 3 cups (24 oz)

3 cups water
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
3 tablespoons white vinegar
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Dissolve cornstarch in water in a medium saucepan. Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and cover until cool. Keep in a covered container in the refrigerator to store.