My Award Winning Chili Recipe

My homemade chili is as comforting as comfort food can get! This recipe has won many church chili cook-offs and for the first time ever, I’m sharing this recipe with you! I hope you love this award-winning chili recipe as much as I do.

What Makes This an Easy Recipe?

What makes this award-winning chili recipe so easy is first, it’s a one-pot meal so clean-up is minimal. Second, there are a handful of seasonings and ingredients and minimal prep time. Third, you just have to stir the chili while simmering every so often, and it’s done in just over an hour. No pressure cooking dry beans!

The Ingredients

For my favorite homemade seasoning salt recipe check out my friend Holliday’s recipe. She makes her own seasoning salt blend and I love it!

My Award Winning Chili Recipe

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Award Winning Chili Recipe

This homemade chili recipe has won many chili cookoff awards. It's simple and easy to make and everyone loves it!

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword award winning chili recipe, beans, beef and beans, chili recipe, comfort food, fall recipes, homecooked, homecooking, homemade chili, homemade chili recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour 15 minutes minutes

Servings 10 people

Ingredients

• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 3 tbsp chili powder (to taste, can add more if desired)
• 2 tsp seasoning salt
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 8 cups water
• 3- 15 oz cans of any type of chili or pinto bean (I use the mild chili beans)
• 2- 15 oz cans of any type of white or navy bean
• 1- 15 oz can baked beans or pork and beans
• 2- 15 oz cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large white onion, diced into small pieces

Instructions

• In a 7 Quart or larger pot brown the hamburger and diced onions together. I use a potato masher to break up the hamburger but you can leave it in larger pieces if you like.
  
• When the ground beef and onions are fully cooked and no pink in the meat, add in the salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, and seasoning salt and stir.
  
• Then add the brown sugar and stir again.
  
• Add 8 cups of water and stir.
  
• Next, add in your canned beans. You can use any type of canned beans you like. The chili or pinto beans and any type of white bean is my favorite and I always add baked beans as the sweetness adds a nice flavor along with the brown sugar. Kidney beans and black beans are an option too. If you want to add more or less beans you can do that as well. This is just what I use and it comes out every time.
  
• Next, put the two cans of diced tomatoes in a blender and blend slightly. Dump into the pot and stir.
• Turn heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for about one hour or so. May add a little time if you simmer it slower. Make sure to stir every so often and check to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Each type of pot or pan is different so stir frequently to make sure nothing is sticking and burning on the bottom of the pot.
• The chili will start to reduce down and it may look a little runny at first but it thickens up on its own after you are done cooking it. Taste test it at about this point and if you need more salt, pepper, or chili powder you can add more here and stir.
  
• Serve in a bowl with cheddar cheese or any type of cheese you like. You can add tortilla chips which is what we typically do or you can dump it over fritos and make it into a frito pie. Whatever your preference is! I've even made Navajo tacos and nachos with this chili recipe. It keeps well in the fridge for a couple of days and it's a great leftover!

I hope you love this recipe as much as I do. The one thing that is also great about this is you can add whatever else you like. Sometimes I just use whatever canned beans I have on hand or if I have fresh tomatoes, I’ll add those too. I’ve even added a chopped green pepper. It always tastes good no matter what I’ve added. This recipe is not spicy in any way. If you want to make it spicy you could add some hot sauce or red pepper flakes. If you are a meat lover, you could add another pound of ground beef.

Happy Fall and Happy Halloween! Making this homemade chili is our tradition on Halloween. I always serve it with cornbread and my homemade honey butter.

I also love to make my homemade  Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins too! YUM!

Enjoy!

For Sources:

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This yummy macaroni and cheese recipe is comfort food at its finest and can be your main dish or a side dish. This is my go to recipe when I’ve cooked a ham and have some leftovers! Ham is optional, but I’ve always made it with the ham. This is not your traditional macaroni and cheese recipe because it actually doesn’t have macaroni or cheddar cheese in it! I use egg noodles and a delicious mix of fontina, parmesan, and mozzarella cheeses. I guess it should be called a different name, but egg noodles and cheese doesn’t quite have the same appeal.

The Ingredients

This recipe is easy to make and cooks in twenty five minutes! There are just a handful of ingredients and the mess is minimal.

The best part of this macaroni and cheese is the top layer of fontina, mozzarella, and parmsean cheeses. They melt and create a yummy crust on top.

Side note: One of my IG followers read my recipe and sent me a message saying this recipe is similar to Giada De Laurentis recipe. I don’t know the original source but there’s a good chance this is where this originated from. So, I’m crediting her since this looks almost exactly like the recipe I have! Giada’s Recipe

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The Best Macaroni and Cheese Ever

This is not your traditional mac and cheese. This recipe calls for egg noodles instead of macaroni and the cheeses are a mix of fontina, parmesan, and mozzarella. This is comfort food at its finest and you can add ham to make it a main dish or to add extra flavor.

Course Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword mac and cheese, macaroni and cheese, main dish, pasta recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter (softened)
• 12 oz egg noodles
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 2 tsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt plus more for pasta water
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups grated fontina cheese (packed)
• 3/4 cup finely grated parmesan (packed)
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella (packed)
• 4 oz cooked ham, diced (this is optional)
• 1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley (italian parsley)
• water for boiling egg noodles

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450º F
• Take the softened butter, and grease a 9 x 13 glass baking dish, and set aside.
• Cook the egg noodles as directed in a large pot of boiling water. Add about 2-3 tbsps. of salt to the water. Cook the noodles until tender but still firm to bite. Approximately 5-7 minutes.
• While the noodles are cooking, whisk together the cream, milk, flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. 
• Stir in 1 cup of the Fontina Cheese, 1/2 cup of the parmesan, and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella, ham if using, and parsley. Mix well.
• When the noodles are done, drain well but do not rinse.
• Add the noodles to the mixing bowl and toss to coat. When mixed well, dump the noodle mixture into the buttered baking dish. 
• Toss the remaining grated cheeses together in a small bowl to blend. Sprinkle the cheese mixture over the noodle mixture.
• Bake until the sauce starts to bubble and the cheese melts and begins to brown on top. About 20-25 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

I've had this recipe for years and can't remember where I got it but there was no author on it. One of my IG followers messaged me, which I appreciate, and said this looks like Giada De Laurentis Macaroni and Cheese recipe so I'm crediting her after reading hers and mine. Whoever created this recipe though, it's amazing!

You’ll be the star of the show when you make this delicious version of mac and cheese. It’s a great recipe for your leftover Easter ham or any other time you have leftover ham to use up. You can always make it without the ham too!

The sauce tends to be a bit runny so let it set up for about 10 minutes. It’s also great as leftovers!

I like to add a little more cheese on top than it calls for so feel free to add more! You can never have too much cheese! Don’t add more to the mix though as it doesn’t set up if you add too much to the mix. Save the extra for the top! Sprinkle with some italian parsley at the end if you wish.

Here are the links to the items I used:

If you love fontina cheese, my Scalloped Potato Recipe is amazing!!

Enjoy!!

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Have you ever wanted to stay home on Valentine’s Day and do something romantic for your sweetie? One of the things my husband loves is my cooking. It is the way to his heart and I know how much he loves it when I make that effort for him. This gave me the idea a few years ago to do a romantic dinner at home and create a romantic tablescape for two! It’s fun to go out to dinner somewhere fancy but it’s also fun changing it up and doing something different.

I created this romantic tablescape to inspire you to change it up a bit and celebrate at home with your sweetheart. You can keep it simple or you can go all out. It’s up to you! I’m also including some of the recipes that you can make that are not too complicated and are sure to make your significant other very happy! One of the ways I show my love to everyone in my life is to cook for them and setting a pretty table is just an extension of that. I love using pink and gold and Valentine’s Day gives me a good excuse to go all out!

This year my husband and I are celebrating Valentine’s Day early because we will be traveling on the 14th. I know all my husband’s favorite things to eat so I created a menu based on that. I know he will love it!

For the tablescape, I wanted to make it more intimate so I took this small round table that I wasn’t using and moved it into the living room right by the big windows. I rearranged the living room furniture to make room and the table fit perfectly in this space. I borrowed my dining table chairs and put these pretty pink heart-shaped pillows on the chairs.

For the dinnerware, I used pink plates with gold accents, a gold charger, and my two-toned gold and silver flatware. I didn’t want to do a centerpiece that was tall so I made a small garland in the middle of the table by layering a few stems of faux eucalyptus and then layered in some faux pink peonies on top.

I added in a few votive candle holders and two gold candlesticks with white taper candles. The menu consisted of some of my husband’s favorites. These recipes are quite simple to make and will be sure to make your spouse or partner feel the love!

The Menu

Click here for the recipes: Salad: Simple Tomato and Cucumber Salad  Main Course: Beef Tenderloin Roast Sides: Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese and Green Beans with Pancetta, Garlic, and Shallots Dessert: Mini Bundt Cherry Chip Bundt Cakes I’ve linked some of the items I used below. Some of the items I used are no longer available so I’ve tried to link similar items that will help you replicate the look.

Happy Valentine’s Day!!

XOXO

Sources or similar items linked below:

Holly at Home with Holly J

Instagram – Facebook – Pinterest

***Affiliate links are in use on this post for your convenience.***

ROMANTIC TABLESCAPE FOR TWO 

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This Roasted Beef Tenderloin is so delicious and actually so easy to make. You just need a few tools to make this successfully. Make sure to read all the way through the post for the details so you don’t miss an important step. I usually save this recipe for special occasions or the holidays but every now and then I will make it because it’s so good!  The tenderloin is the most tender cut of beef. This cut of meat is the filet mignon cut when grilling it as a steak. The tenderloin isn’t super flavorful so the garlic crust gives it a nice flavor. There are many ways to give this roast more flavor and I’ve shared one way I like to do it here. I’ve shared a simple gravy recipe below but you can also dip it in butter! That option isn’t very helpful if you’re watching your waistline but it is quite good if you have some belt loops to spare! Keep scrolling for this simple beef tenderloin recipe!

I made this for my husband for a Romantic Valentines Tablescape for Two dinner and he loved it!

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Roasted Beef Tenderloin

This Roasted Beef Tenderloin recipe is easy to make and doesn't take a lot of time. Everyone will think you're a gourmet chef when you bring this to the table. Pair this with my Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese Recipe (linked below) and you'll be the star of the show! 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Roasted Beef Tenderloin

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Resting Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef base boullion
• 1/4 cup chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp salt (to taste)
• 3 tsp pepper (to taste)
• 2 tbsp seasoning salt
• 1 tbsp onion salt
• 1/2 cup Montreal Steak Seasoning

Instructions

• Take the tenderloin out of the refrigerator about 30-45 minutes before you're going to put it in the oven. Use a cookie sheet or a large cutting board to place the meat on. Pat the beef dry with paper towels. If one end of the tenderloin is smaller than the other, tuck the thinner end underneath and tie it up with butcher's twine. This helps to cook the roast more evenly.  Heat the oven to 400ºF. Use a roasting pan with a roasting rack. You will also want to prepare the tenderloin and remove the silver skin if it's still on there. You can ask the butcher to prepare it for you. (See Holly's Hints at the bottom of the post for more info)
  
• Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil over the beef and rub it on all sides with your hands. Then, take the 1/2 cup beef base boullion (I warm it up in the microwave for 30 seconds so it's easier to spread)and rub it on all sides of the meat.
  
• Mix up the dry seasoning ingredients in a bowl and then add in the 1/4 cup chopped garlic and coat it in the seasonings. Then rub it all over the meat on both sides.
  
• Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat if you have one. This is very important! Put the tenderloin in the oven uncovered and roast at 400º degrees. The cooking time is approximately 50 minutes but can vary depending on the size of the tenderloin. Gage your cooking time with the thermometer and cook the meat according to your taste. When the meat thermometer reaches the preferred temperature, remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. (135º for medium rare, 145º for medium, 155º medium well and 165º for well done) The temperature of the meat will actually rise 5-8 degrees when it comes out of the oven. 
• Slice the beef tenderloin into slices, serve on a nice platter, and garnish with parsley or herbs of your liking.
  
• I will sometimes make a gravy out of the drippings if there are any. There is not a lot of fat on a tenderloin so there usually isn't a lot of drippings which are necessary to make gravy. 
  
• If you want to make gravy, make a simple roux from equal parts butter and equal parts flour. (1/2 cup flour to 1/2 cup butter) Cook in a saucepan until bubbling. If you have any drippings add them into the roux while it's bubbling and stir. Add 4-5 cups of water and stir often until it begins to thicken. You might need to add in more water or even a cup of milk or half and half can be added if you prefer a more creamy gravy. Add salt if needed, taste before you add any seasoning with pepper to taste, and 1-2 tbsp beef base. Stir until it's thickened and the consistency you prefer. I sometimes add in Kitchen Boquete which is a beef browning flavoring that enhances the beef flavor. It all depends on how much flavor you get from your meat drippings. The beef tenderloin has a salty, flavorful crust so you don't need the gravy but if you prefer it, go for it! I'm a gravy person so I always make it if I have drippings.

Notes

I've linked some of the seasonings I've used below.

[holly_healthful_tips]  

Holly’s Helpful Tips:

For more information on how to prepare the tenderloin for roasting, I found this post was very helpful. Read about it here: How To Trim A Whole Beef Tenderloin. You can ask the butcher to do this for you if you prefer not to. I bought mine at Costco and the tenderloin was already prepped so I didn’t have to do this step.

I served my tenderloin with my Scalloped Potatoes with Fontina Cheese and Sautéd Green Beans with Panchetta, Garlic, and Shallots.

I used a meat thermometer that goes into the oven and syncs with bluetooth to an app on your phone! Isn’t technology great! I’ve linked it below. There are a few different options so look at each of the links to determine which one is the best for you.

[/holly_healthful_tips]

Enjoy!!

Holly

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Simple beef tenderloin recipe

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Fresh Peach Dessert Recipe

Whether I am in Utah or Washington, at the end of the summer it is peach season!  Both states have a lot of peach trees! I love peaches and the yummy desserts you can make with them. Peaches remind me of summertime and this fresh peach dessert recipe makes me wish it was summertime all year long!

A few weeks back I was at a family gathering at my brother’s home in Cache Valley in Northern Utah. They had invited some friends and family over to celebrate my nephew’s return from a two-year mission for our church.  

After the church service, we went back to their home, and my brother and his wife hosted a luncheon. We were all so hungry after a long morning driving up there and attending church, so when I saw this amazing peach dessert, I knew I was going to have to try it! Everyone there was salivating over it. I shouldn’t admit it, but I dished that up first and ate that before I had anything else! Who needs to eat a sandwich first when there’s a yummy fruit-filled dessert on the table? It was so good! Fresh peaches and whipped cream, how can you go wrong?!

I tracked down the lady that made it, and she graciously shared her recipe with me. I made some tweaks to her recipe that included the addition of almond extract (at my husband’s request, he LOVES almond extract) and using real whipped cream instead of Cool Whip and this is the result.  Either way, it’s amazing and so good!

Ingredients

• Graham Crackers – used for the crust
• Butter
• Sugar
• Cream Cheese
• Milk
• Almond Extract
• Peaches – Use fresh peaches! I love to wait until they are in season and are generally cheaper.
• Lemon Juice
• Whipping Cream
• Powdered Sugar

Directions

Crush the Graham Crackers and add in the butter and sugar to create the crust. Set aside about ¼ of a cup to use to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream at the end. (Optional: 2 tsp almond extract)

Press into the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish. Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees then let cool for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine the cream cheese, milk, almond extract and sugar until blended well.

Peel and slice the peaches and drizzle with lemon juice to prevent the peaches from browning

Put the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and then top with the freshly peeled peaches.

In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and almond extract. 

Cover the top of the peaches with whipping cream. Garnish with leftover graham cracker crumbs and a few berries or peaches.  

Chill until ready to serve.

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Fresh Peach Dessert

Course Dessert

Keyword dessert, peach, whipped cream

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 10

Ingredients

• 3 cups graham crackers crushed
• 4 TBSP butter melted
• 4 TBSP sugar
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 5 TBSP milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 4 tsp almond extract
• 8 fresh peaches peeled and sliced
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Crush 3 cups graham crackers and add in 4 TBSP butter melted, and 4 TBSP sugar. Set aside about ¼ of a cup to use to sprinkle on top of the whipped cream at the end. (Optional: 2 tsp almond extract)
• Mix and press into bottom of 9 x 13 dish. 
• Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees then let cool for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
• In a mixing bowl or stand mixer, combine 16 oz cream cheese (2 packages), softened, 5 TBSP milk, 2 teaspoons of almond extract, and 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until all the ingredients are blended well.
• Peel and slice the 8 fresh peaches, drizzle with 2 TBSP lemon juice, and toss gently to coat all the peaches. This keeps the peaches from turning brown.
• Put the cream cheese mixture on top of the graham cracker crust and then top with the freshly peeled peaches.
• In a separate mixing bowl or stand mixer, whip 2 cups heavy whipping cream and add 1/2 cup powdered sugar and the remaining 2 teaspoons of almond extract.
• Cover the top of the peaches with whipping cream. Garnish with leftover graham cracker crumbs and a few berries or peaches.  
• Chill until ready to serve.

[holly_healthful_tips]  

Holly’s Helpful tips:

*Blanch the peaches first.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil and drop peaches in for 2 minutes.  Take them out and immediately immerse them into ice water to stop the cooking process.  This makes it so the skin peels off without destroying the shape of the peach and also allows you to make nice uniform slices.  This is not a requirement but I’ve found that it helps keep the peaches intact and you don’t lose as much of the peach when you peel them as you do when you don’t blanch them first.

*Lemon juice helps prevent the peaches from turning brown.  I drizzle 1-2 TBSP and toss to coat the peaches.

*When I am pressing graham cracker crumbs into the bottom of the pan, I use the bottom of a glass or measuring cup to help flatten out and press the crumbs into the bottom of the dish. 

*I sometimes add 2 tsps of almond extract to the graham cracker crust. If you’re not a huge almond extract fan, you can leave this out.

*I use a wider, taller serving dish that has higher sides on it.  See photos for reference.

*You can use cool whip instead of whipped cream if you prefer.

[/holly_healthful_tips]

We love peaches over here, so this dessert has been a real hit! If you love peach season, run and try this and let me know what you think!

Enjoy!

If you like this recipe, you’ll also like my Strawberry Cream Cheese Pie.

Or my Fresh Fruit Cobbler.

For more on details of this tablescape and recipes, click here to see my Outdoor Farm to Table Collaboration. 

Photography by: Missy Palacol

For info on Laughing Goat Flower Farm 

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