Winter Snow Storms in the South - Alise's Snowday Chili and Jumbo Mexican Cornbread!

Today I sit here anticipating snow! In the deep south as in parts of Texas...snow is infrequent and in our household highly anticipated!  WE LOVE SNOW!  Tomorrow we are likely to get between 3 - 6 inches of the wet snow that makes for great snowmen and super sledding down our huge hill in our cattle pasture!  We can't wait! 

I remember in my youth how much fun we always had in our neighborhoods on the hilliest roads and then later on my Grandfather's ranch behind our house!  My mom would make a huge pot of chili and I would make my mayonnaise chocolate cake!  It was one of the first things I could make on my own.  And was much better than the cake where I added a cup of salt instead of a cup of sugar.  I was learning! 

Today I want to share with you my easy chili recipe...because you can't mess up chili!  Once I did though - so if you do put too much salt in it...just throw in a potato or two to 'sop' up the extra salt!

I am anticipating the kids being out of school on Monday...and as a teacher I would also not mind a nice, long weekend!

Alise's Snowday Chili!

6 lbs of hamburger, browned and drained
2 - 3 onions, chopped/diced
6 tablespoons of chili powder
2 cans of tomatoes with green chilies
1 can of Mexican tomato sauce or regular is fine
1 - 2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper
2 tsp. garlic powder or fresh chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cumin
4 can water - 24 ounces
1/4 cup masa or cornstarch
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper - optional

Brown ground beef with onion and drain.  Add to this all tomatoes in can and tomato sauce.  Add to this all seasonings that have been blended first in a pan by a whisk.  Add water.  Bring to a boil and turn fire down and allow chili to cook on a low simmering fire.  Cook for 15 minutes and then add masa or cornstarch mixed with 1 8 ounce cup of water to thicken chili.  Add red pepper last if you want it hot.  But be careful not to put too much red pepper or some big kids (adults) or little ones may beg off your chili! 
Serve with cracker, grated cheddar cheese, or Mexican Cornbread! 


Gilmer FFA's Favorite Mexican Cornbread!

6 packaged of sweet yellow cornbread mix
3 cups milk or 2 cups canned evaporated milk & one 1/2 can of water
8 eggs, beaten
2 onions, chopped/diced
2 can of cream of corn or 2 cans of corn, drained
1 can green chili's or fresh chopped in food processor
2 tablespoons of Cajun spice or all seasoning spice
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
4 tsp. of red hot sauce
3 cups grated cheddar cheese to go in cornbread mixture
2 cups grated cheddar cheese for top of cornbread

Grease two large 9 x 13 inch glass dishes with oil.  Mix all ingredients together in the order above.  Cook at 400 degrees for 23 - 30 minutes.  Add 2 cups of cheddar cheese in the last 3 minutes!  Refrigerate after eating as this will spoil if left out. I sprinkle paprika on top for a nice red color and presentation!

I hope it snow where you live this winter....if not!  Go somewhere and enjoy your own white wonderland!

Get cooking!   
Alise

National Hereford Queen Bethany's Magic Cookie Bars

Sometimes good news comes in bunches...and this month we were thrilled to have our Bethany crowned as the new National Hereford Queen!  It has been a really fast month trying to purchase white suits when white is not the in color this season.  With much goggling we found what we needed and dad's credit card is a little heavier!  National Hereford Queen means that Bethany will serve a calendar year promoting Hereford cattle, their beef - Certified Hereford Beef, and their associations (AHA - American Hereford Association, NHW National Hereford Women, and NJHA National Jr. Hereford Associations).  It will be a busy, fun, well traveled year with lots of pictures I am sure to come! 

That same week we learned that she had also been accepted to Texas A&M University!  We were to extremely happy for and excited for her as it was the ONLY school she would even consider applying for!  We now have two Aggies!  And our little one says she 'thinks' she will go there as well....we'll have to apply a little pressure and brainwashing - but that's not hard to do in Aggieland!

We were also tickled maroon that A&M completed their football season with a three way tie for the conference title and won a bid to the Cotton Bowl in Dallas!  Tickets are sky high, but I think we just have to go....so hint, hint dad...get 'em while they are hot!

Bethany attended her first show as Queen in Louisville, Kentucky with her dad in tow assisting nervously with hair pins....as soon as he found out he had to help with hair...he said..have you seen her hair...I can't do that!  Too funny...you'll see a picture above of a back shot and the hair do.  I nervously stayed at home teaching and doing my duty here....but wanted to be there so badly!

Today I am including a Magic Cookie Bar recipe I think I got off the back of a package of Graham Crackers once...these are what some people call Dolly Madison's after one of our First Ladies from over a century or so ago!  Queen Bethany makes these often to give as gifts.  They are scrumptious and pitifully easy to make...just throw some flour on your face and act like you worked hard in the kitchen!  Promise, you will make these time and time again!

Magic Cookie Bars

3 cups graham crackers, crushed finely
1 stick margarine or butter, melted
1 tablespoon of sugar
1 16 ounce package of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 large can of sweetened condensed milk
1 - 2 cups shredded coconut

Melt margarine/butter in microwave for less than one minute.  Spray 9 x 13 inch pan with oil.  Add melted margarine/butter to the pan.  Add graham cracker mixture that has had sugar mixed in it.  Blend graham crackers with margarine until blended well and press to the glass dish to form a crust.  Pour in long flowing strands the sweetened condensed milk on top of the graham cracker crust.  Sprinkle semi-sweet chocolate chips on top of this.  Sprinkle coconut on top of chocolate.  Cook in oven for 25 minutes at 350 degrees or until coconut begins to toast slightly. 

Allow these to cool and then cut with a knife in diamond shapes or traditional squares. 

You may also add nuts and peanut butter morsel chips for a variation.  My girls just aren't that wild about nuts!

Here are some pics of Bethany and her dad!  Notice the hair!  Dad's can be great helpers!!
Enjoy!  Do make these....easy, easy, easy..and so darn delicious!

Get cooking!

Alise

What I love about fall in Texas!

Fall in Texas is a special time.  For our family it is full of football games (cheerleading), cattle shows, FFA, 4H, and of course our annual Yamboree and Texas A&M football games!  I love when the leaves start to turn and the air is cooler...humidity is a constant where we live..and any sign of cool air is like being able to breath again! 

In a week we will have our annual Yamboree Barndance party at our ranch.  Each year since my husband and I were in our 20's we have had our friends and families out to celebrate and eat before the town's barndance concert in our old school gymnasium.  It is like a slice of Americana to go to this barndance in the middle of our old town gymnasium.  And it's become a tradition for us to have a large crowd over the eat a little Texas style BBQ.  My husband enjoys smoking brisket and ribs, while I cook a huge vat of beans and roasted potatoes.  Friends and family help by bringing all the sides to go a long with the meal and it we are lucky we have a friend with a guitar to play a little music.

This year I am especially excited as my oldest daugther will be bringing in her sorority sisters from college at A&M.  We are a little sad however because my middle daughter won't be there as she has been selected to be a voting delegate at the National FFA Convention.  :o(  But our littliest daughter gets to show all her pigs at this our county festival..and her first time to ever show a market hog.  We hope all the hogs make 'sale'...because if they don't we have to pretend the pork chop on the table came from somewhere elese all winter.

Yamboree is a homecoming or sorts.  It's always a treat to get to see old high school buddies and walk the square eating a corny dog.  My tradition is to always eat one corn dog, one candied apple, and a slice of Yam pie before midnight on Saturday night!  Sometimes I treat myself on Sunday morning to my yam pie. 

So enjoy your fall...go to a county festival near you...eat the candied apple or corndog and think how it still taste as good as when you were little.  Hope you enjoy the Yam Pie recipe below as I love her recipe.....I am actually in this episode...so look for the dark haired woman at the Yam Decorating Contest....it was a really fun!

Rememer - life is meant to be enjoyed!  Happy Yamboree & Fall!

Sweet Potato (Yam) Pie

Recipe courtesy Mary Beth Johnson courtesy of The Food Network

Show: All-American FestivalsEpisode: East Texas Yamboree

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked pie crust, recipe follows*
• 1 1/2 cups cooked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup milk (canned, half and half, cream or whole milk)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons margarine, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll out 1 pie crust and place it in a pie plate. Mix all of the remaining ingredients together and pour into the unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until pie is firm. Allow to cool completely.
*Note: This filling is for 1 pie crust. The remaining 3 crusts can be used for other pies or frozen.

Pie Crust (recipe for 4 pie crusts):
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups shortening (butter flavored)
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Mix flour, shortening, salt and sugar together with a pastry blender until well blended. Slightly beat egg, water and vinegar together with a whisk and pour over the well blended flour mixture. Mix all ingredients together with a fork. Divide crust into 4 equal parts. Roll each with a rolling pin and place into 4 pie pans. Flute edges of crust.
Yield: 4 pie crusts

Get cooking!

Alise
                                                                                                                               

Ann's Jezebel Sauce

Today I am going to give a 'shout out' to my good friend Ann G.  She is a great cook and email companion.  She is a mom, teacher, and grandmother who finds time to cook and gave me this recipe for one of my favorite sauces/spreads to put over cream cheese.  It's just a little fattening....but sometimes you have to throw all sense of sensibility to the winds and just enjoy life!  I think I could sit down and eat an entire block of this - it's that good. 

In the fall as the weather turn colder here in Texas, this is always a hit!  I personally like crackers with this, but melba toast would be great as well.

Serve it on a pretty fall plate or crystal dish.  Place crackers around it or in a basket as they will get soggy if the crackers lay on the Jazebel Sauce. 

Enjoy and get cooking! 

Ann's Jezebel Sauce

2 16 oz jars pineapple jelly

1 16 oz jar apple jelly

1 4 oz jar creamy horseradish

1 tablespoon of dry mustard - (spice)

Mix together and keeps a LONG time in refrigerator - but always use good judgement :o) .  Serve over cream cheese with crackers.  Can use 2 of apple and 1 of pineapple if like. 

Great as a hostess gift or teacher gift at the holidays!

From Ann G. 

Hair and Makeup!

In the Nolan household it's show season again! It's our first year for the youngest of our girls to show her cattle in the ring as a full fledged junior here in our Jr. Hereford Association and Jr. FFA program.  She is as excited as the rest of us!


Hair and makeup is what my husband has always called getting the cattle ready for show...that means bathed...yes we wash our cows...combed...we comb, blow their hair out with large super strenght blow house like those you would use at the car wash except these blow out hair...and them we throw on a little hair spray or oil to puff their hair out like your favorite teddy bear!  So with three girls and one older mom at our house...my husband is always out voted...and he understands all too well the hair and make up of not only our cattle but the girls.  I tell everyone that I am the 'puff and fluff' of our outfit...I make sure everyone is fed, clothes are clean, and we are ready to show by looking our best.


Enclosed is a picture of our littliest one showing her heifer Angel.  We call her the 'showmanship hiefer' as she is not the most likely to win a show...but by far the most gentle and Audrey's favorite...she may never go out to pasture and just stay in our barn! 

If you have never watched a cow show....it is a different kind of fun!  We love it.  It has helped make our girls into what they have become and we couldn't be prouder! 

Alise