More Phi Phood!

Hello Bloggers...
Well our Slacker Monday corn dog lunch went off without a hitch! Pretty sure you don't need a recipe for that.  And we made some homemade chili for the guys last night.  The recipe is down below!  It was nice seeing all the guys and beginning to get into my old routine.  I can honestly say I had an entire month of slacking while we were on winter break, but it was sprinkled with some great highlights, such as the little Christmas Party we held in Kansas City.  It was Nicholaus, my Phi Delt right hand man, Miss Aubrey, my Chef Assistant, and Hayley, my ever wonderful darling daughter.  We braved some bitter cold to venture all the way (2 hours) to Kansas City to eat lunch at Room 39, then divine desserts at Andre's.  Room 39 is absolutely my fave! It is this quaint little urban cafe in the KU Med area, on 39th Street.  For me, it's not just the food, but the entire experience and this little place that abounds with atmosphere.  Hardwood floors, old tin ceiling, small, cozy, and espresso made the right way!  Mix that with the wonderful company of my young friends and it makes for a perfect day.  Be sure to check out http://www.rm39.com/.  They have a second location in Leawood, Kansas as well.  After filling up on fab food and coffee, we trekked across town to make our way to a special little place near The Plaza called Andre's.  I am originally from KC and spent lots of time on The Plaza, but never once went to Andre's.  "Confiserie Suisse" is Andre's. They hand make every chocolate, torte, candy, tart, etc.  Until you check out their website, nothing I can say here will do justice to the talented work done there.  http://andreschocolates.com/. By the end of our little party we were quite content having had delicious food, great coffee, amazing chocolate, and great company. 
But, back to the grindstone....
Here is our recipes for the chili and cornbread. Don't worry, we scaled them down a bit to feed about 4-6 hungry people.

Chili
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground sirloin ~ I use 90/10 so I don't need to drain the meat.  If you want to drain the meat, cook it separately first, then add it to the sauteed onions & garlic. Proceed with the recipe as directed.
2 cups corn
2 cans Rotel
2 cans petite diced tomato
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can green chile
1 can each - pinto, kidney, black beans Drained & Rinsed
2 tbsp brown sugar
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

Brown the onions & garlic in the olive oil, add the beef and cook until done. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir, and cook until bubbling.  Then reduce to low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. 
Serve with shredded cheese, tortilla chips or cracker and Corn & Green Chile Cornbread. Enjoy.

Corn & Green Chile Cornbread
Oven 400
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp chili powder
3 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 can rotel undrained
1 can green chile
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, mix egg, milk, rotel with juice, green chile, and oil.
Add liquid ingredients to dry, stir until moistened, not too much. Pour into a greased 8 inch square pan or 9 inch round pan.  Bake 20-25 minutes.While still warm, drizzle honey over the top making sure to spread over the entire surface.

Phabulous Phi Phood!

Today I went back to work, back to my home away from home....Phi Delta Theta.  This is where I get paid to spend all day looking for new recipes, experiment with new ingredients, and preparing it all for the always surprising bunch at Phi Delta Theta.  I had the great fortune of getting this opportunity just after deciding to close my cafe.  We closed the cafe due to my husband needing to travel more for work.  And when I went into it, it was always understood that family comes first.  An alumni member of PDT was one of my catering clients and he had called the cafe inquiring about catering for the fraternity.  Well, after some good discussions I wound up with a great job that allows me to have summers, spring breaks, and winter breaks off! Perfect for our big family. 

School actually begins next week, but we always go back a week prior for inventory, menu planning, ordering, and some cooking.  I have a wonderful young assistant, Miss Aubrey, who is part of the Pro Start Culinary program at Manhattan High School.  She is wise beyond her years when it comes to cooking, baking, and putting up with me.  She and I will be sharing our delicious recipes, fun pictures, and helpful cooking tips with our fabulous Brazen Bloggers all semester.  I have a few photos of great food we cooked this past semester. 

My Grandma's Snickerdoodle Recipe!

Spaghetti and Homemade Meaty Marinara!

A Frat Halloween Treat!

Meatball Subs with our fabulous homemade meatballs! Yummy!

Aubrey's AMAZING homemade sopapillas!

A close up of the ingredients in my super easy to make Roasted Tomato Sauce!

Cinnamon Rolls that will impress your Grandma!

My husband's spicy chili recipe.

Homemade potato soup.

If any of these tasty dishes interest you, make a comment and I will be happy to share the recipe.  But I intend to add them all eventually. 
Check us out tomorrow for our full menu for next week.  So many people keep telling me, that it's the menu planning that seems to paralyze them when it comes to cooking...one friend asked if I would just plan her menu so she didn't have to think! Well, friends, I am going to share my fraternity menu with you each week!  I will share the recipes and the grocery list.  Sometimes, you might want to substitute an ingredient with an pre-made item to save time. For example, we might be making homemade meatballs for subs, but if you want to buy the meatballs, go ahead...you and I both know, as busy as we are, just getting the food on the table is often the biggest challenge.  When you can, try to make your meals from scratch or as close to it as possible. You will most likely be preparing a meal that is very flavorful, colorful, delicious, nutritious and made without lots of artificial yuck! 

• Use real butter! Margarine or any fake thing is not healthy, I don't care what media says. 
• Use real sugar! Unless you are a diabetic or have a medical reason to restrict sugar, real sugar is best.  And did you know that 'raw' sugar is just sugar that has not gone through as much of the 'cleaning' process as white?  Yeah...just learned that.
• Use unbleached flour
• Low fat and sugar free foods can actually send signals to your brain that release insulin, but since your body isn't getting any fat or carbohydrate, it still feels hungry and unsatiated. 
• Fresh veggies and fruits are always best, but can be expensive, so get frozen rather than canned if you have to choose.
• The outside of the eggshell is where the 'bad bacteria' is!
• Why is it better to not eat rare hamburgers and it's okay to eat rare steaks?  Anyone? The hamburger has to go through a grinder, thus being exposed to machinery that has processed other meats and could not have been cleaned properly.  The inside of a steak hasn't been touched by anything.
• Putting eggshells down the garbage disposal sharpens the blades.  Says my Mom!

Okay, some fun tidbits to get you thinking. Stay tuned for more to come!
See you soon!