Week 18 and 19 of 52 Recipes...

For Christmas (2010) Mama, Andy's Mom, gave me Rachael Ray's newest cookbook, Look+Cook. I immediately began looking at what all I wanted to cook and I had quite a list before I knew it. I decide to take two recipes and put them together even though they weren't listed together. Both turned out really well.



First up,
Steakhouse Chili Pot
Rachael Ray

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 4 slices lean, smoky bacon, finely chopped
• 2 pounds ground sirloin, ask your butcher for coarse ground beef
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 4 tablespoons chili powder, such as Gerhardt's brand
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons hot sauce
• One can tomato sauce (14 ounces)
• 2 cups beef stock
• Sour cream, for topping
• 1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped, for topping

PREPARATION

In a large chili pot or Dutch oven, heat the EVOO, one turn of the pan, over medium-high to high heat. Add the bacon and cook until the fat renders, about 2 minutes. Add the beef and cook, stirring, until browned, 8-10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and chili powder, a little salt and lots of pepper.

In a bowl, stir together the Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce and tomato sauce. Stir into the chili. Stir in the beef stock and bring to boil, then lower the heat and cook until thickened, 6-7 minutes.

Serve shallow bowls of chili with lots of sour cream and parsley on top.

And to go with that we have,
Cheese and Bacon Biscuits
Rachael Ray

• A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
• 2 slices smoky bacon, finely chopped
• 1 small box biscuit mix, such as Jiffy brand, ormeasured mix for 8 drop biscuits
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 cup shredded sharp yellow cheddar cheese

PREPARATION

Pre-heat the oven according to the package directions for the drop biscuits.

Heat a small skillet with a drizzle of EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, about 2-3 minutes.

Put the biscuit mix in a bowl and add the bacon, 1 tablespoon of the bacon drippings and the nutmeg. Add any additional ingredients according to the package directions to form a drop biscuit. Fold in half of the cheese and arrange the drop biscuits on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of the biscuits with the remaining cheese and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

Remove the biscuits from the oven to a serving dish or bread basket and serve hot.

The only thing that I will do differently next time is to half the batch if it is just the three of us because it makes so much and my biscuits were huge! This would be great when feeding a huge crowd.