Continuing on with our chili theme, Elisabeth and I decided to fix some chili dogs for dinner. Quick and easy, this is a fantastic weekday recipe.

All you need is some reheated chili, shredded cheese, hot dogs and some good buns and you are set. We were definitely in a goofy mood for this one. Must have been the excitement for the dogs.

Be sure to check out our chili episode to see us make the chili used in this episode here.

Have a recipe you would like to see us try, send us an e-mail at recipes@cuisinemadequick.com or hit us up on twitter at cphadley, ebear6 or cuisinemq.

After much delay and anticipation, the chili recipe has surfaced. This is a recipe we obtained online about a year ago and have been tweaking ever since.  This time around we have it just about perfect for our taste preference and we are pleased this is the one we get to share with all of you.  Since chili is such an incredibly flexible recipe, feel free to experiment and change things up.

Also, we would love to hear from you if you do make some changes so we can try them out as well.  Send us an e-mail at recipes@cuisinemadequick.com or hit us up on twitter at cphadley, ebear6 or cuisinemq.  We would love to do a follow-up episode making your recipe.

Preparation:

Brown 1 pound of lean ground beef and drain grease.  Dice 1/2 of a sweet onion and 1/2 of a sweet bell pepper. Also, mince 1 clove of garlic.

Start heating a large pot over medium heat.

For drop 1, have the following ready:

• 1 pound lean ground beef browned
• 1/2 diced sweet onion
• 1/2 diced bell pepper
• 2 cups beef broth (you can just dissolve 2 beef bouillon cubes)
• 8 oz unsalted tomato sauce/paste
• 1 Serrano chili
• 2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 can beans (your preference here)
• 1 clove minced garlic

For drop 2, have the following ready:

• 2 to 2 1/2 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1 chicken bouillon cube
• 1 tbsp. brown sugar
• 6 to 8 oz cola
• 1 cup salsa of choice (we used Salsa Verde)
• Dash of hot sauce

For drop 3, have the following ready:

• 1 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 4 or 5 chocolate chips

Cooking directions:

Add ground beef to pot over medium heat and add tomato sauce, beans, Serrano chili, garlic, beef broth, onions and peppers.  Allow mixture to come to a mild simmer. Then add other dry ingredients from drop 1.

Turn up heat until mix reaches a boil.  Then drop heat to medium to medium-low.  Cover and allow to simmer for one hour.

After one hour add drop 2 and stir.  Be sure to remove your Serrano chili and use a spoon to squeeze the juices from the pepper into the chili.  For a hotter chili, allow some of the seeds to drop in as well.  Recover pot and allow to simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Finally, add drop 3 and mix in allowing enough time for the chocolate chips to melt.  At this point taste and add anything you feel you may need.  If chili seems to thin, add in about 1 or 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter to thicken mixture.  Leave pot uncovered and allow to simmer for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Turn off heat and grade your cheese of choice.  You may also use this time to prepare some fresh tortilla chips or open up a bag.  Use a ladle to add chili to bowl and add cheese if you desire.  Once cheese is melted, dip in a chip and enjoy!

You can move remaining chili into resealable containers and store in the freezer for months.  Simply allow thawing in fridge for about 6 to 8 hour and reheat in a pot for quick chili preparation.

In an effort to make at least one healthy dish, we take on some chicken tacos with a surprising result. In only about 15 to 20 minutes, we were rewarded with some very tasty tacos that look good and are good for you. This is definitely a recipe to give a try for those days when you don’t want a heavy meal but you want a tasty treat.

Ingredients:

• 6 corn tortillas
• 1/2 boneless skinless chicken breasts trimmed of fat and cubed
• 1/8 tsp. salt (to taste)
• 1 tsp. canola oil (to coat pan)
• 1/2 large sweet onion
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 jalapeno pepper (seeded and sliced)
• 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup salsa
• 1/8 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Other condiments to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake until heated through for 10 to 15 minutes.

Season chicken with salt and heat oil in large heavy skillet over high heat until very hot. Add chicken and cook, stirring until browned on all sides. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl.

Reduce heat to medium and add remaining oil to skillet. Add onion, stirring often, until they start to brown. After about 3 to 5 minutes, add bell pepper, garlic, jalapeno and cumin. Cook, stirring, until peppers are bright green but still crisp.

Stir in salsa and chicken. Cook for a few more minutes stirring often until chicken is reheated. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Spoon into warmed tortillas with garnish and serve.

In a more relaxed Cuisine Made Quick, Elisabeth and I decided to make some burgers on the grill during one of the many warm evenings we have had lately. There isn’t much to learn here but we had fun and thought we would share.

It’s Thursday night in the middle of a very busy work week and I look at the clock. The time is after 9 PM and I realize I have not eaten dinner. This seems to be a regular occurrence for me lately and I soon realized groceries were in short supply. I was going to eat some cereal but then came to the realization I didn’t have any milk. What I did have was corn tortillas, eggs, cheese and salsa.

Not wanting to make the full egg tortilla casserole again, I decided to make up some quick breakfast tacos given they only take about 10 minutes to make. These are even better when you have more fresh ingredients available for topping. I was a bit limited.

Ingredients and Directions:

• Put a small amount of cooking oil in a pan and heat to medium.
• While oil heats up, shred about 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese or whatever kind of cheese you prefer on your tacos.
• Crack two eggs and beat so they are ready to scramble.
• Mix in chili powder, black pepper, cumin, seasoned salt, red pepper and hot sauce.
• Once oil is hot, fry up two or three corn tortillas by placing in grease for about 15 to 30 seconds until hard but still a bit chewy.
• Let shells cool for about 2 minutes and then place eggs, cheese, hot sauce and salsa in shell and fold.
• Enjoy!

After much delay and a day outside of being part of National Pancake Week, Elisabeth and I finally got around to making some fresh blueberry and chocolate chip pancakes. Inspired by National Pancake Week, we thought now would be a good time to break away from the Bisquick and bust out the 1970s Joy of Cooking. To quote Elisabeth, “The results – magic.”

Ingredients:

Pancakes

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 Tbsp sugar
• 1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
• 2 eggs
• 3 Tbsp melted butter
• 1 to 1 1/4 cups milk
• In our case, blueberries and chocolate chips
• 1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Eggs & bacon

• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese
• Splash milk
• Thick cut bacon

Directions:

Pancakes

• Sift flour and combine with other dry ingredients. Sift again.
• Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl.
• Quickly mix liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
• Using a 1/3 cup measuring cup, spoon batter onto hot griddle or pan.
• Flip pancakes once you see bubbles forming along the top and sides.
• Test with toothpick or fork for doneness. No batter should stick if cooked thoroughly.

Eggs & bacon

• Break four eggs into mixing bowl and whisk.
• Add in any seasonings that you desire and add a splash of milk.
• Scramble in pan over medium heat and add cheese once eggs are cooked and cover pan so cheese melts.
• For bacon, place strips on griddle set to 350 degrees or medium high heat pan. Cook flipping occasionally until starting to brown.
• Place bacon on paper towel to remove any excess grease.

Take tortillas, eggs, salsa and cheese and before I even see a recipe, I know I’m in for a treat. Today’s dish is a perfect example of this wonderful combination of tasty ingredients. Some may argue this is not really a casserole but I tend to think of a casserole as a meal that ends up in one dish and that can be eaten directly from the pot or pan without the need for a side dish. Under my personal definition, this dish definitely fits the bill.

In what may be the easiest recipe (besides the Pizza Rolls) yet on Cuisine Made Quick, I fly solo in fixing one of my favorite Mexican breakfast feasts. In about fifteen minutes you can have yourself a hearty and spicy breakfast, lunch or dinner.

Elisabeth was home visiting family during the taping of this episode but she is not without appearance. The episode before this was supposed to be a recipe for a prosciutto and melon burger with sweet potato fries. Needless to say, things did not go as planned for that recipe. Some of the highlights of that failure can be seen in this episode.

As always, if you have a favorite recipe you would like to see us attempt, or if you have video preparing your favorite dish, please leave a comment or send an e-mail to recipes@cuisinemadequick.com.

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Ingredients:

• 3 or 4 eggs
• 5 corn tortillas
• 1 cup shredded cheese (your preference – I prefer sharp cheddar)
• 1 cup salsa
• Sprinkle of garlic powder
• Sprinkle of seasoned salt
• Multiple dashes of hot sauce (less if you prefer mild)
• 1 or 2 tsp. ground black pepper
• Enough olive oil to coat bottom of pot

Directions:

• Pour enough olive oil into the bottom of pot and place over medium high heat until oil is at roughly 350 to 400 degrees.

• While oil heats, break eggs into bowl and whisk with a fork. Add in the garlic powder, seasoned salt, black pepper and hot sauce.

• Cut about 5 corn tortillas into smaller wedges and place in pot covering bottom. You should have enough tortilla to soak up the cooking oil as they brown.

• While browning tortillas, bring a pan to medium to medium high heat and start to scramble your eggs. While they are still a bit undercooked take off heat.

• After a few minutes the tortillas should just be starting to get crispy. At that point add in the eggs and cover pot for 1 – 2 minutes.

• Add salsa and mix into the eggs and tortillas. Finally, move ingredients into a mound and top with shredded cheese. Cover pot for about 1 – 2 minutes or until the cheese has melted.

• Remove mix into large bowl and add any additional condiments (I like Tabasco Sauce).

Taking a break from the main course, in this episode Elisabeth and I make some pie.  With the possible exception of the sweet fried chicken recipe, I was more excited to taste the end result with this recipe than any other.  Elisabeth was schooling me in this episode from start to finish as I have never made a pie.  I have watched my mother make many delicious pies of endless variety but it always seemed like too much trouble to try myself (plus my mother lives a few miles away so there is always a pie opportunity should I need one).

Elisabeth, on the other hand, apparently took a bit more initiative growing up and actually paid attention to her mother’s recipe.  In my first pie making experience, Elisabeth walks me though the fundamentals of a good pie.  With apples in hand, Elisabeth helped walk me though my very first preparation of apple pie.

Ingredients for crust (you will need two crusts):

• 1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup shortening
• Pinch of salt
• 5 Tbsp cold water

Ingredients for filling:

• Apples – amount will vary depending on type and size
• 1/2 cup sugar
• Tbsp flour
• Pinch salt
• Pinch cinnamon
• Tbsp butter broken up

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450 F. This crust recipe is for one crust. To make a pie with a crust top, you will have to make two. Do not make them at the same time. For one crust, mix flour, shortening, and salt with spoon. Add water and mix it in with a fork.

Put some flour on waxed paper and knead dough with hands. Roll out dough with rolling pin. Place dough in pie tin. Now is the time to make the second crust.

Peel and slice apples. Place in pie tin, mixing with flour and making sure that the mound is higher than the level of the tin. Sprinkle salt, cinnamon and sugar on top. Cut up butter and sprinkle that on top.

Place second crust on top of apples, pinching in at edges. Trim away excess crust. Cut air holes into top.

Bake pie at 450 F for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 F and bake for 30 minutes.

I must admit, I can think of no better way to start a weekend morning than a nice big breakfast or brunch. Elisabeth and I have made a habit out of enjoying a satisfying breakfast at least once a week. This past weekend we went all out with one of our favorite breakfast indulgences – loaded biscuits and gravy.

There are quite a few steps involved in this one so be prepared as the video and recipe directions are a bit longer than usual. The good news is once you get the recipe down, you can whip it together in less than 30 minutes. Also, many items in this recipe are up for substitution. The biscuits are essentially the base for whatever creation you desire. Keep that in mind as you watch and be creative.

Finally, if you have a breakfast favorite you would like to see us attempt, or if you have video preparing your favorite dish, please leave a comment or send an e-mail to recipes@cuisinemadequick.com.

Ingredients:

Biscuits (or as Elisabeth’s recipe notes read – Wonder Biscuits)

• 2 cups flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/3 cup shortening
• 3/4 to 1 cup milk (2% or whole for best results)

The rest

• 4 eggs
• About 1 cup shredded cheese
• Pre-packaged gravy mix and boiling water (alternatively, you can slowly mix in flour and milk to the sausage after cooked in pan adding pepper as needed)
• 1/4 section of sausage “log” or about 4 patties worth
• 2 cups frozen hash browns
• 3 Tbsp cooking oil if hash browns are fried

Directions:

Wonder Biscuits

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• Mix dry ingredients together and cut in shortening. Once integrated add milk.

• Spread one handful of flour on wax paper and place dough on flour and pat down. Flatten out being careful not to over kneed the dough. Cut out biscuits using a cutter or drinking glass.

• Place in ungreased pie tin and bake for about 15 minutes.

The rest

• Coat bottom of high edged pot with about 3 Tbsp cooking oil and bring to medium high heat for fried preparation of hash browns.

• Break 4 eggs into bowl and whip together adding milk, garlic powder, onion powder, hot sauce or whatever else you like. This one is totally up to you. You may also fry eggs so the yoke is runny but we do not recommend eating undercooked food so we scrambled.

• Pour in 2 cups hash browns, cover and let sit for about 6 minutes before turning. Alternatively, you can spread out hash browns on greased cooking sheet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes at 450 degrees (same a biscuits) turning half way through and checking often.

• Follow directions on package for preparing gravy and put on burner set to warm once ready.

• Heat pan to medium high heat and cook sausage breaking into smaller pieces as it cooks. Remove when sausage has browned and strain to remove grease. Place on plate and set aside.

• Rinse pan and reduce heat to medium. Scramble your eggs.

• Mix sausage into gravy.

• Split biscuits in half and plate two biscuits per person. Dress biscuits with eggs, hash browns, cheese and sausage gravy. Place in 350-degree oven (if you shut off after biscuits finished cooking you should be at the right temperature) for about 1 minute.

• Remove plates to hot pads if placing on laminate countertop or wood table. Serve adding desired condiments.

It’s Wednesday night and you don’t feel like cooking a big meal but you also don’t feel like takeout. You start to give in to just having a bowl of cereal and then it hits you. Sweet fried chicken!

Perhaps one of my favorite chicken recipes out there – sweet fried chicken is easy, takes very few ingredients and is simply the best fried chicken I have ever tasted. However, just chicken fingers is hardly a meal and Elisabeth stepped up to fix some quick mac n’ cheese. So quick, in fact, she prepared it while the chicken was cooking.

I have to add that my good pal Greg over at Freezer Burns pointed out that technically my mac n’ cheese was really bow-tie/farfelle n’ cheese.  Who am I to question the Frozen Food Master and thus the title has been amended. 

Ingredients:

• 8 strips of boneless, skinless chicken
• 2 cups sweetened cereal (Cap’n Crunch used)
• ½ to 1 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1 Tbsp onion powder
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups pasta
• 2 slices American cheese
• ¼ to 1/3 cup shredded cheeses of your choice
• 1/8 cup or so skim milk
• Enough vegetable or canola oil to fill pan 1-2 inches
• Mustard of choice (I used honey Dijon)
• Mayo or Miracle Whip

Directions:

Plate 8 strips of boneless, skinless chicken on a plate and set aside.

Finely crush cereal in bag and empty onto plate and set aide. Mix flour, pepper, onion and garlic powder together in bowl. In separate bowl mix 1 cup milk and a large egg for your egg wash.

Dip chicken strips into wash, then move to flour mix and finally cover with cereal. Repeat for all 8 strips.

Heat oil to 325 degrees and fry 3 or 4 strips at a time for 3 to 5 minutes or until brown on outside and cooked thoroughly. Place on paper towel or drip tray to remove excess grease.

For mac n’ cheese, boil water and cook noodles. In separate bowl break up cheese slices and add shredded cheese mix. Microwave cheese for about 2 minutes or until cheese melts.

Strain pasta and add to bowl with melted cheese. Mix well until cheese covers all the noodles. Serve immediately.

For dipping sauce, mix one part mustard with one part mayo or Miracle Whip.