Chipotle Chili

Chilis are great because they are easy to make and hard to mess up. You can easily adjust the spice level to your liking or just add a dollop of sour cream and you’re good to go. Chili is solid camping food. Pair it with chips and/or a cornbread and you have a great meal.

The chipotle chili and adobo sauce in this chili brings a nice mellow heat, strong enough to taste and warm your belly, but not so hot that it lights your nose hairs on fire.

It has three kinds of beans, giving each bite a slightly different flavor. However, if you’re partial to a particular bean, you could use all the same beans and this chili would still taste great.

Start to finish, this takes about 90 minutes to get this chili on the table, which means plenty of time to make a cornbread to go with it.

Equipment
6 quart (12-inch) Dutch oven or pot

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, diced (1 cup)
1 red bell pepper, diced (1 cup)
2 carrots, diced (1/2 cup)
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 pound extra-lean ground beef
1 can (28 ounces) crushed or diced tomatoes
2 cups water
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced
2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the jar of chipotles
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15.5 ounces) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15.5 ounces) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Prep
Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, bell pepper and carrots, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the ground beef; raise the heat and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is no longer pink. Stir in the tomatoes, water, chipotle and adobo sauce, oregano and salt and pepper. Simmer, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and cook, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Season to taste, with salt and pepper.

Serves 8 (1 1/4 cup servings)

This post has been shared at Homestead Bloggers Network. If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!

Celebrating 2016

We now have 117 posts, more than 1,400 followers, and nearly 22,000 page views. Wow!

I want to thank all my guinea pigs, I mean, family, friends, and scouts who taste tested every recipe I blogged about, and for all your comments and suggestions for blog ideas.

Let’s celebrate 2016 and look back at the 10 posts you gave the most “hits” to this year.

10. Best Ever Meatloaf

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Ugh! Meatloaf! Really?! I have to admit, I’ve had some really lousy meatloaves over the years. I have an aunt, who shall remain nameless, who frequently made meatloaf when we came to visit and, I swear, it was like eating sawdust! But have no fear, meatloaf phobes, this meatloaf recipe is a winner! It even won over my meatloaf-hating hubby many years ago. Read the post.

9. Scalloped Potatoes are the Mother of All Comfort Foods

Scalloped potatoes are one of my family’s favorite winter comfort foods. They pair very nicely with my meatloaf. They both cook at the same temperature. The potatoes go into the oven first because they cook 90 minutes and then I assemble the meatloaf and it goes into the oven for an hour. I time it so they are done at the same time. I serve them together with either a green vegetable or a salad. It’s heaven on a plate! Read the post.

8. Apple Raisin Monkey Bread

I think this just became my new favorite monkey bread! A couple weeks ago, we were going to a potluck brunch with friends and we wanted to make monkey bread. On a lark, we decided to add a diced apple and it was amazing! We loved it! Read the post.

7. Meatball Sub Pull-Aparts

Let me just say right up front, this is crazy good! Okay, now that we have that out of the way, we can continue. This is a warm, hearty meal that tastes amazing. From the rich and flavorful Italian meatballs and marinara sauce to the velvety, gooey mozzarella cheese to the fluffy and crunchy bits of French bread, this was so yummy! Serve it with a fresh green Italian or Caesar salad and you have a winner dinner. Everyone loved this. Read the post.

6. Chicken Mini Pies

This has to be one of our family’s top 10 favorite things to eat. We don’t make them very often because they are a bit labor intensive, but they are well worth the effort. In fact, they taste so yummy that we nearly devour them as soon as they come out of the oven, piping hot and scalding our mouths in the process. But we just can’t stop ourselves. They are that yummy. Read the post.

5. White Bean Chicken Chili

I have to admit that I was a little concerned at first when I saw and smelled the amount of cilantro that goes in because I’m not a big cilantro fan. But after simmering 30 minutes, the cilantro really mellows out and provides the signature flavor of this dish. I’m not sure what it is about white beans, but for me, they are a comfort food. This is such a satisfying soup but it is also light so it’s perfect for a cold winter or warm summer night. When I made this a couple weekends later, I served it with my cornbread. Read the post.

4. DIY: How to Build a Box Oven

A box oven is a cheap and easy way to add an oven to your outdoor cooking gear. They are simple to make and you can build as many as you want. If a Dutch oven is out of your budget, a box oven is definitely in your budget and they are so simple to make a Brownie or Cub Scout could build one. Even if you have one or more Dutch ovens, one or two box ovens can add that much more oven power to your camp kitchen. Here’s all you need to build a box oven: a cardboard box, heavy duty aluminum foil, 4 empty cans, and duct tape. Read the post.

3. Best Banana Bread

In honor of National Banana Bread Day, here’s a simple banana bread recipe. You could make this in camp and bake it in a Dutch oven or in a box oven or you could make it at home and bring it to camp for a healthy snack. It works well as either muffins or a loaf. If you make a loaf, you could also slice it up and use it to make French toast for breakfast! Read the post.

2. Best Buttermilk Biscuits

This is the best buttermilk biscuit I’ve ever tasted. It’s light and fluffy and buttery. It tastes great with gravy on it or honey or jam or just plain butter or nothing at all. Making these biscuits have become a weekend tradition. My family has declared them to be better than the ones made by the Golden Arches or the Colonel. Read the post.

And the most-popular post of 2016 was …

1. Beef Stroganoff on a Camp Stove

This beef stroganoff recipe is a nod to my grandmother’s eastern European roots. This is one of my son’s favorite dishes and was the first recipe he asked me to teach him how to make. It is fast and easy, and I can usually have it on the table in less than 30 minutes. This would make a great Friday night dinner after rolling into camp because it is so quick. Read the post.

Keep those comments and suggestions coming! Now, let’s make 2017 even better and let’s get outside and get cooking!

If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!

Vegetarian Three-Bean Chili

A couple weeks ago, my daughter and I taught outdoor cooking to some amazing Girl Scout adult volunteers and teens. This vegetarian three-bean chili is one of the things we made. I promised them I would get it posted to the blog and here it is! We also made Cookie’s Cornbread and Granny Apple Crisp.

This is a hearty chili that brings some nice welcomed heat on a cold, rainy day. We played it safe and used a mild salsa; however, you could up the heat by using a medium or hot salsa. You could also switch out one of the green bell peppers for some jalapenos or spicier chilies. So, if you like it hot, this chili could be easily modified to a 5-alarm fire chili! And, if it ends up being too hot for some, they can always cool it down with a little sour cream. Serve it with a good cornbread (I highly recommend mine!) and/or a nice salad with some cooling Ranch dressing. And, don’t forget the tortilla chips!

It occurs to me that if you wanted more of a creamier chili, you could also add a can or two of vegetarian refried beans. We may have to try that the next time we make this.

Equipment
6-quart stock pot or 12-inch Dutch oven

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small white onion, diced
2 large green bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon cumin
2 cloves garlic, minced
15 oz can diced tomatoes
2½ cups vegetable stock
1 cup mild to hot red salsa
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ salt
½ teaspoon pepper
30 oz kidney beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz black beans, rinsed and drained
15 oz pinto beans (vegetarian), rinsed and drained
1½ cups corn kernels

Prep
In a 6-quart stock pot or 12-inch Dutch oven, heat oil. Add the onion and bell pepper, cover and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add the cumin and garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes, vegetable stock, salsa, and remaining spices. Simmer, partially covered, stirring from time to time, for 30 minutes. Stir in the beans and corn, and cook, partially covered, 20 minutes longer. Adjust your seasoning as desired.

At home, you could also make this in a 5-quart slow cooker. Add everything to the slow cooker and stir gently to combine. Cook for 3-4 hours on high or 7 on low.

Ladle into bowls and top with green onion, cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Serves about 6.

This post has been shared at Homestead Bloggers Network. If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!

 

 

 

White Bean Chicken Chili

Last month, our Boy Scout troop was camping on the White River and one of my soon-to-be-eagle scouts made this soup for his patrol, the Screamin’ Eagles. The weekend was all about camping and working on the Cooking Merit Badge so our dinner Saturday night was served potluck style, which meant everyone got to try every dish. This soup was such a hit. I blinked and it was gone. I was grateful for the small cup I managed to get before it disappeared. And the scout, being the humble guy that he is, gave all the credit to his mom’s recipe. I reminded him; however, that he was the one who executed the recipe and he did a fantastic job.

I have to admit that I was a little concerned at first when I saw and smelled the amount of cilantro that goes in because I’m not a big cilantro fan. But after simmering 30 minutes, the cilantro really mellows out and provides the signature flavor of this dish. I’m not sure what it is about white beans, but for me, they are a comfort food. This is such a satisfying soup but it is also light so it’s perfect for a cold winter or warm summer night. When I made this a couple weekends later, I served it with my cornbread.

For the cornbread recipe, please see my blog post: “Cookie’s Killer Cornbread.”

It took me about 20 minutes to get everything prepped and then it was everyone into the pool. Bring it up to a boil and then turn the heat down and let it simmer for 30 minutes. It is that simple to make. Serve with cornbread, quesadillas, a cheese scone or biscuit, and a salad and you’ll have a great meal.

Equipment
4 quart Dutch oven or stockpot, strainer, cutting board, knife, stirring spoon and/or ladle, measuring spoons and cups.

Ingredients
2-2½ cups of chicken, cooked, fresh or 2 (13oz) cans (drained), diced or shredded
3 (14.5 oz) cans of white beans, drained and rinsed
2 (14.5 oz) cans of chicken broth
½ cup carrots, finely chopped
½ cup celery, finely chopped
½ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
½ cup onion, finely chopped
¼ cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Prep
Prep all your ingredients. It took me about 20 minutes. Combine all the ingredients in the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Makes about 8 1-cup servings

This post has been shared at Homestead Bloggers Network. If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!

Chili Quick and Simple

Yesterday was National Chili Day! We love chili and this chili goes together fast and easy. It would be a great meal for a Friday night after you’ve rolled into your site and set up camp. It’s also a hot, slightly spicy, hearty meal. You can get this on the picnic table in about 30 minutes, which should leave plenty of time to eat, clean up, and get started on the evening campfire.

It has nice, fresh tomato flavor with just a little kick from the green chiles and chili powder. I prefer to use petite diced tomatoes. Our protein of choice was ground beef and we chose to use kidney and black beans. We used a can of tomato sauce, but if you prefer a thicker chili, you could use tomato paste instead.

If you’re home, you could also make this in a slow cooker. Brown the meat on the stove top before adding it and the other ingredients to the slow cooker. Cook the chili on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.

In camp, if you have a little more time, this would be great to start a little earlier and let it simmer for an hour or two. We made my awesome cornbread to go with it. If I wasn’t crunched for time, I would probably start the chili and then make the cornbread, which bakes for an hour, and let the chili simmer while the cornbread bakes.

For the cornbread recipe, please see my blog post: “Cookie’s Cornbread.”

For a fully loaded, awesome, rich flavor, 4-bean, slow-cook chili, please see my blog post: “Cookie’s 4 Bean Chili Con Carne.”

But if you’re looking for a tasty and fast to the picnic table meal, this one is a winner.

Equipment
4-quart pot or 10-inch Dutch oven, cutting board, knife, colander, tablespoon, stirring/serving spoon.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef (or protein of choice)
2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans beans, drained and rinsed (black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, or a combination)
1 small white onion, diced
2 tablespoons chili powder

Prep
In a large stockpot or Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, sauté the onions in a little bit of butter and then brown the ground beef, stirring frequently. Drain any excess grease. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the onion is cooked and softened to your liking. Serve with shredded cheese, chopped green onions, sour cream, cilantro, etc. Serves 4-6.

This post has been shared at Homestead Bloggers Network. If you like this blog and don’t want to miss a single post, subscribe to Chuck Wagoneer by clicking on the Follow Us button in the upper right corner and follow us on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest updates and more stuff!

Cookie’s Cornbread

We simply love this cornbread recipe. It is so yummy. It has a rich and buttery flavor, and the bits of corn provide a little texture. You can smother pieces of it in butter and honey but you don’t have to. You can eat it straight out of the pan and we have done that many times. It pairs perfectly with chili and stew, and compliments any meal with a Southern, Southwest or Tex-Mex style. In the picture above, it was paired with an amazing turkey chili, which was made by my new friend Jackie, another great camp chef! Maybe Jackie will share her chili recipe for a future blog post.

I like to serve this with my 4 Bean Chili Con Carne. For the recipe, see my blog post “Cookie’s 4 Bean Chili Con Carne.”

I have made this cornbread for family, friends, scouts (boys and girls) and adult scouters many times and it has always been devoured.

When I’m camping, I double this recipe and bake it in my 16-inch Dutch oven. It’s easy to make. I pre-mix all my dry ingredients at home so all I’m taking to camp is a bag of pre-measured sugar, a bag of pre-measured, mixed dry ingredients, butter, eggs or egg beaters, and canned creamed corn. If you foil line your Dutch oven, when the cornbread is done baking, you can grab the edges of the foil and lift the cornbread out of the oven for easier serving. Or you can just eat it out of the oven, like we do!

Equipment

10-inch Dutch oven or 8×12 pan (for a double batch, use a 16-inch Dutch oven). You’ll also need a mixing bowl, pastry cutter or mixing spoon, a rubber spatula and measuring cups and spoons.

 

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 pound can creamed corn

1 cup flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

 

Prep

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and creamed corn. Add dry ingredients. Pour into a foil lined, lightly greased, 10-inch Dutch oven or a lightly greased 8×12 baking dish. Bake in a 350°F oven, using 14 coals on the top and 7 coals underneath, for 1 hour or until the top is dry and golden brown. Serves 4-6.

For a double batch in a 16-inch Dutch oven, use 24 coals on the lid and 12 underneath.

Every 15 minutes, remember to give the oven a quarter turn in one direction and the lid a quarter turn in the opposite direction to help prevent hot spots.

Serve with butter, honey, and/or jam.

Cookie’s 4 Bean Chili Con Carne

This is one of those recipes that includes everything but the kitchen sink. It’s a recipe of my own creation. I started with Granny’s old-fashioned bean bake and, 20 years later, it now it looks nothing like the original recipe, but I think Granny would be proud. I love all the flavors. I could eat this all day and there have been days where I did just that because after an hour or two in the slow cooker, I couldn’t stand it any longer and had to dive in.

I’ve made this at Boy Scout camp and it has gotten rave reviews from scouts and Scoutmasters. It even took 1st place in a Dutch oven chili cook-off! I usually serve this with my world-famous cornbread; it’s a killer combination. For my killer cornbread recipe, see my blog post “Cookie’s Cornbread.”

 

Equipment

12-inch deep Dutch oven

Stirring spoon

Ladle

Can opener

Knife

Cutting board

Measuring spoons and cups

 

Ingredients                                                                                            

8 slices bacon cooked & diced

2 lbs ground beef, browned

1 diced onion

1 diced red pepper

1 (4 oz.) can diced jalapeños

2 (15 oz.) cans pork and beans with the fat chunks removed

1 (15 oz.) can butter beans, not drained

1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans, not drained

1 (15 oz.) can black beans, not drained

1 (4 oz.) can diced green chilies

3/4 cup brown sugar

1-4 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons mustard

1/3 cup ketchup

1/2 cup BBQ sauce

1 teaspoon vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

 

Prep

Cook the bacon and ground beef (this could be done in camp or at home before you leave; if you do this in camp, have a plan for disposing of the bacon grease). Sauté the onion and red pepper. Add everything else to the pot. I pre-mix my sauce and spices and bring them to camp in a container in my cooler. I bring extra chili powder so I can season to taste in camp.

On a stove, bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes. In a 12-inch deep Dutch oven, bake 1 hour, using 21 coals on the lid and 11 coals under the oven. In a slow cooker, cook 8 hours on low, but I strongly discourage this one because you have to smell it all day and it will drive you mad. Serves 16-20.

Winner, Winner, Chicken Chili Dinner!

For a weekend camp out, typically we roll into camp on Friday night. The vehicles barf out the gear and we commence setting up tents, camp kitchens, rain flies (here in the Northwest that’s standard-operating-procedure), and all our other little creature comforts. Dinner needs to be fast and easy because we don’t want to be eating and cleaning up at midnight. I, for one, will turn into a pumpkin if I stay up that late!

Here is a super easy, hot dinner that you can have on the picnic table in 20 minutes! It serves 4-6 so multiply it up if you’re feeding a larger group.

For home, if you keep these ingredients in your pantry, this can be a quick, simple dinner on those nights everyone is running in different directions and you need a fast, hot, hearty dinner.

Equipment

One pot and something to stir and serve with.

Ingredients

2 cups (16 oz) of your favorite salsa. You could also use 2 prepared packages of Backpackers Pantry Salsa.

28 oz of canned chicken (draining is optional depending on how much liquid you want). The amount is approximate depending on the size of your cans. You could also poach a couple of chicken breasts at home, shred them, and bring them in your cooler.

1 can (15 oz) pinto or black beans, drained. I like to use black beans because they go so well with chicken and I like the contrasting color they add to the soup. I can’t help myself; I’m a visual person.

1 teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon chili powder

¼ teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon pepper

salt to taste (I did not use any salt at all and I thought it didn’t need it, but depending on the type of salsa and chicken you use, and your taste buds, you may decide to add some salt.)

Prep

Combine salsa, chicken, beans, and spices in a pot or Dutch oven. Cook over medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes, until ingredients are thoroughly heated through and you’ve shredded all the chicken. Have a taste-test along the way and add more spices to your liking.

Serve with chips, tortillas, shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole or whatever else you like.

Spicy Taco Cobbler

Last night, we made a taco cobbler in the Dutch oven. The preparation was simple: Heat the Dutch oven, brown the burger, add the enchilada sauce and rice, lay down a layer of cheese, lay down a layer of Bisquick cheese topping and bake for 30 minutes. Bazinga!

The topping turned a beautiful golden brown and was just thick enough. It was cooked all the way through and not gooey at all.

If you’re going to pre-cook your burger at home and then foil line your Dutch oven, I recommend spraying the foil with some cooking spray as the burger rice mixture might stick.

The flavors were great; not too spicy. The Spanish rice and enchilada sauce brought just a little heat. I think kids would like it; mine did. It was hot and hearty. The Bisquick cheese topping provided just a little crunch.

Depending on your taste buds, it would be very easy to add more heat to this recipe with some diced peppers and/or diced green chilies. A little fresh chopped onion might also be nice. You could also bulk up this dish by adding some pinto or kidney beans. A can of corn would also be a nice addition.

We loved the simple prep (dinner was on the table in just under an hour), great flavors, and heartiness of the dish. Our tummies stayed warm long after the meal was over. We also loved all the different ways we could dress up this dish and how we could make it a little different each time.

 

Equipment

12-inch Dutch oven, medium-size mixing bowl, measuring cups, rubber spatula.

Ingredients

2 (8.8 oz.) packages Uncle Ben’s Spanish Style Ready Rice

2 pounds ground beef

2 (10 oz.) cans green enchilada sauce

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 cup Bisquick baking mix

8 ounces (2 cups) cheese, shredded

 

Prep

Brown the ground beef in the Dutch oven on a propane stove or on a bed of hot coals. Add rice and enchilada sauce. In a medium-size bowl, mix milk, eggs, Bisquick, and ½ cup cheese. Sprinkle remaining cheese over meat and rice mixture. Slowly pour or spoon out the Bisquick mixture evenly on top of the cheese. Do not pour too fast and do not mix the ingredients once they are in the oven. Bake in 400°F oven, using 19 coals on the lid and 10 coals under the oven, for 30 minutes or until top is golden. Serve with salsa and sour cream. Serves 10-12.