monday meal share: one pot chili mac + cheese

I'm feeling ambitious and am prepared for something unprecedented! Drum roll, please!

Seriously, give me a drum roll!

I present to you a mid-week meal share on MONDAY! Basically I couldn't wait to use my dutch oven and fired it up after I was done seasoning it. I had this recipe in my arsenal and while it really doesn't seem pertinent that it be cooked in a dutch oven I really didn't give a shit; I had one, I'm using it! While I have the dutch oven that is 400% cheaper it did the job just as well (or so I'm assuming).

Cost effective: ~$13.

Easy to concoct: measure, dump, boil.

I needed to stock up on the perishable items for this one:

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp (2 cloves) minced garlic

1 onion, diced

8 oz ground beef

4 cups chicken broth

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

¾ cup kidney beans
¾ cup great northern beans (could not locate white kidney beans)
2 tsp chili powder
1½ tsp cumin
"kosher" salt
"freshly ground" pepper
10 oz pasta
¾ cup shredded cheddar (though she totes used colby jack)
parsley, for garnish


1. First I drained and rinsed my beans and food processed my onion. And seriously, I don't understand how people just LOVE onions. I opened the lid to the processor and the tears started flowing; it was so intense I had to open the sliding door to get some fresh air. It's also why they aren't pictured on the ingredients board. Fuck.

2. In your dutch oven combine your olive oil, ground beef, onion and garlic. Cook until your ground beef is browned. If you have any excess grease you'll want to drain it. Using 85% lean 15% fat I don't normally need to drain, especially with being cooked with other things.

3. Add in everything except your pasta and cheese: broth, tomatoes, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.

4. Find Piper rummaging through the pantry where she finds some tea. Naturally Kennedy will spot it and promptly want some (for Piper, too).

5. Make some tea.

6. Add in your pasta, cover, and set your timer for about 12 minutes. Give or take a few depending on how well you were able to measure (I ended up adding a whole box because first I didn't think I added enough, and surely I put way too much) you may need to adjust the heat so your noodles don't cook too quickly. The handle to the lid got very hot which I was not expecting, but made perfect sense. I had to keep the mitt on top so I wouldn't repeat the action for a third time...

7. Turn off heat. Add cheese on top and cover for a few minutes until melted.

8. Enjoy!

Not sure that I would actually classify this as mac and cheese after making it, but trust me that little naming bit does not deter me from this dish one bit. It was so, so good. The girls both had two helpings which made me really happy. When I make this again, because it's a given, I'm going to pulverize my onion more than I did this time. I was easily able to see where they were and while the overall flavor was scrumptious I do not fancy chomping on onions bits.



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mid-week meal share: brendon's famous chili

Chili, chili, fo' rili! Yeah, super lame. I almost regret making that a permanent sentence on this old thing they call the internet.

This week we have an original recipe!* I'm sure there are a million other chili recipes just like it but this is the way Brendon has always made his chili and I can assure you that he never once thought to look up a recipe, haha. And this one, my friends, will probably be the most simple recipe posted to date. Delicious, too!

Cost effective: ~$22 (so I say yes; this is food for a week!)

Easy to concoct: abso-frickin-lutely!

Nutritious: I like to think so! You could always use ground turkey as an alternative! 

Pretty simple list of ingredients (for a large batch):

2 pounds of ground beef (or alternative)

1 can northern beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can corn

1 large can diced tomatoes

2 packets of McCormick's 'original' chili mix

1. Brown/cook ground beef (we ALWAYS cook in a sauce pan vs a skillet; one pot meal!).

2. Drain grease once meat is fully cooked.

3. Add: chili mix, northern beans (do not drain), kidney beans (do not drain), corn (drain), and tomatoes (do not drain.. really, I don't know if these could be drained).

4. Place the chili back on heat until warm/hot.

5. Enjoy with some shredded cheese (and sour cream if you are unlike me)!

Nope, no pictures of the finished product. When it was done it was chow time. Also, since I didn't cook this meal I didn't spend much time in the kitchen. 

This is seriously one of the best and most easy meals to throw together. Even if you don't have the ingredients on hand, most of the ingredients are in the same aisle so hopefully you'll be in-n-out in a flash. Unless you do your grocery shopping at Target then there is no hope for a quick trip. One thing that is so great about chili is that it can be made so many different ways. This time around we used 'original' chili mix instead of a mild or spicy because of Miss Piper (Kennedy has her days where she really likes spicy foods but she is also a spicy party pooper). Once toddlers can eat the same food as you it's a blessing and a curse. You now have to share evvveerrrrrything with them which means it's not always in their best interest to ramp up the spice but there is so more planning separate meals for them!

Chili Chili Bang Bang, we love you!

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