30-minute Chili and Mini Cornbread Puddings

I hate missing dinner.  It is one of my favorite meals of the day.  I am surrounded by my family for a few precious moments out of the day.  I can listen to them chew their food and the sounds they make. “MMMMMMM Mom great job” or “Mom, can I have some more?” or “Mom, I don’t want this, I want bologna again.”  I hear that last one way too often.  

So today, I decided to do something nice.  I had to work this afternoon and late into the evening and I wanted my family to have a warm nice meal that came from home.  Not from a pizza box or a cardboard chicken bucket.  Gabe and I went to the farmer’s market this morning and bought some beautiful dahlias and the ingredients to make a quick, fast, and simple chili.  Not fancy chili, easy chili. 

Today’s recipes come from “Everyday Food”, by Martha Stewart Living Publications.  I have 70 of these little cookbooks.  They have quick, easy recipes that you can throw together in a pinch.  The magazine also has handy dandy shopping list to check off and it lists all nutrition information too.  30-minute Chili and Mini Cornbread Puddings were a snap to pull off and I didn’t have to worry about what my family was eating!  Oh, and the mini-cornbreads are addicting. 

30-minute Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

3 medium onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and pepper

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 tablespoons chopped canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce

½ tsp ground cinnamon

3 pounds ground beef chuck.  (I substituted ground turkey)

3 cans (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice

1 bottle (12 ounces) mild lager beer.  I used Oberon

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)

1. In a Dutch oven or large (5 quart) heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. 
2. Add onions and garlic.
3. Season with salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste, chili powder, chipotles, and cinnamon.
5. Cook, stirring until mixture has begun to brown, 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Add beef, or turkey, and cook, breaking it up with a spoon until no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  This step was a bit hard because all of the spices turned the turkey red, so I kind of had to guess when it was done.
7. Add tomatoes with their juice, beer, and beans.
8. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a rapid simmer. 
9. Cook over medium heat until chili has slightly thickened and beans are tender.  
10. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.
11. Serve with Mini Cornbread Puddings!!!!!

Mini Cornbread Puddings

Butter or nonstick spray to grease a 24 mini muffin pan

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

1 large egg

1 ½ cups sour cream

1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels, thawed and patted dry

1. Preheat oven to 425 with rack in upper third.
2. Butter or spray pan and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
4. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture.
5. In well, whisk together egg, sour cream and corn.
6. Mix with flour mixture until just incorporated. (Don’t over mix)
7. Divide evenly, spoon batter into prepared muffin tin.
8. Bake until tops have browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of the muffin comes out clean.  About 10 to 15 minutes.
9. Enjoy!