Chili-Cheese Horseshoe Sandwich

My In-Laws were here for a visit last weekend from Springfield, IL.  Good times were had by all, especially my Step-Son, who cleaned up on the birthday presents.  He's the only grandchild on this side so yeah, he gets a lot of attention and yeah, lots of stuff too.  He's a good kid despite this.

This brings me to the Horseshoe sandwich.  It's a famous local sandwich that originated in Springfield, IL.  To be honest, I'd never heard of it until I got married but once I did, I was fascinated by the idea.

Now the original sandwich came from the Leland Hotel in 1928.  It started out as a open-face sandwich consisting of two slices of toast, topped with a slice of ham, a large serving of French fries, and then smothered in what appears to be a rarebit cheese sauce.

Over the years, the recipe has been played with and modified.  Seems the most popular version now consists of hamburger patties but there are even breakfast Horseshoes.  They all look delicious.

Hubs requested hamburgers & chili-cheese fries for dinner last night and this set my mind in motion.  Fries...hamburgers...chili-cheese sauce.  Hmmmm...how about a Horseshoe!?   This is what I came up with.  Have to say, it was absolutely delicious!  I'll definitely make it again but not too soon.  It's a fat bomb but ohhh so worth it! 

Chili-Cheese Horseshoe Sandwich
1-1/2 lbs. Ground Beef
Garlic Powder
Salt
Pepper
1/2 small can Green Chilies
1 can No Bean Chili
1/4 package Velveeta
2 Tbls Wilson Chili Seasoning
Onion, chopped
French Fries (fried or baked, your choice)
Your favorite hamburger condiments (ketchup, mustard, etc.)

Season beef with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste. 

Add green chilies. I only did 2 patties with the chilies as my Hubs doesn't care for them. 

Portion out 1/4 pound balls and form into patties on parchment or wax paper.  Set aside.

Pour chili into microwavable dish.

Add Velveeta and microwave for 1 minute.  Stir. 

Continue for 1 minute until cheese is mostly melted.

Add chili seasoning, stir, then microwave until all cheese is melted.  Keep warm.

Fry hamburger patties in skillet over medium heat and cook French Fries.  Keep warm.

To assemble:

Place a small amount of chili-cheese on plate.
Top with warmed bun.
Place hamburger patties on bun.

Cover with more chili-cheese.

Top this with a serving of French fries.

Sprinkle with chopped onions and green chilies.

Add your favorite condiments.  Ketchup was my choice. 
Devour! 

Crispy Rice Fritters

Hubs got ambitious the other day and made a big batch of rice.  When I say big, I mean B-I-G!  We ate it with our Sweet-n-Sour chicken the other night and it's just been sitting in the fridge ever since. 

I knew I didn't want to do the obvious (fried rice) so I went on a hunt.  I can up with rice fritters.  I found a few recipes and this is what I came up with. 

Honestly, you could throw just about anything in them and I think they'd be great.  I used some leftover bacon bits & parmesan cheese.  I think it would be good with minced onions, mushrooms or leftover veggies too.  Just use whatever you happen to have hanging around your fridge.  Any cheese would work  and if you don't do dairy, just leave it out. 

Forgot to take the line up pic.  Oops!

Rice Fritters
2 cups leftover Rice (mine was white but use brown if you have it)
2 Eggs
1/4 cup Bacon Bits
1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
2 Tbl. Garlic Powder
2 Tbl. dried Parsley
1 Tbl. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Pepper
2-3 Tbl. Butter/Bacon Grease/Olive Oil/or Veggie Oil (your personal favorite oil will do)

Mix ingredients.  Let sit for a few minutes if your rice is cold so the eggs can plump it up a little bit.

Use about 1/4 cup of the rice mix and form small balls.  Sit on wax paper or parchment until you fry them.

In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Add a few patties.

Flatten and cook until browned (about 5 minutes).

Oops!  Be careful. Don't burn them.  I got impatient and this is what happened.

Add extra oil if needed and flip patties to brown on the other side.

Continue until all patties are cooked. 
Keep warm in the oven and then serve.

Of course you can top with any type of sauce that would compliment the flavors you came up with.  I left mine plain as they were seasoned well and gooey with cheese. 

Grandmom Finley's Chocolate Sauce

My Grandmom Finley was a fantastic cook.  She made the worlds best chocolate and pecan pies, fudge and date nut candy.  They were staples for all gatherings and when she passed away, we grandkids scrambled to find her coveted recipes. 

One favorite of the entire family was her homemade chocolate sauce.  In the hot summers of Tennessee, the family would gather and make ice cream.  This was a chore because it was before the fancy-schmancy electric ice cream makers.  Everyone had to take a turn with the crank.  It was worth the effort, though.  We covered the fresh ice cream with her dark chocolate sauce and licked up every single bite! 

I knew my Mom made some for a get together recently and my cousin said it was just like Grandma's, so I called her this morning to get the recipe.  Like most of Grandmom's recipes, there really was no recipe.  I got a list of ingredients and a lot of 'you know how it's supposed to look' and 'you remember what it tastes like'.  So, after a brief discussion, this is what I ended up with. 

The sauce turned out delicious and just like I remembered.  Hubs loved it too!

PS.  Only got two pics.  Sorry about that.  Trust me when I tell you it turned out well. 

Grandmom Finley's Chocolate Sauce
1 cup white Sugar
4 Tbl. dark Cocoa Powder
1/2 can Evaporated Milk (do not use sweetened condensed milk)
2 Tbl. Corn Syrup
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 Tbl. Butter

In a saucepan, mix together the sugar and cocoa.

Add evaporated milk, pouring in slowly and mix well. 
Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer. 
Let syrup thicken to the consistency of corn syrup.  It takes about 5-10 minutes.  Keep stirring so it doesn't scorch.
Take off heat and add corn syrup, vanilla and butter.
It will thicken slightly as it cools but the corn syrup will keep it from getting hard.
Store in fridge.

Easy Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream

I am the proud owner of a industrial Kitchenaid mixer.  My Mom bought it for us for a housewarming gift.  Let me tell you, it's been used a lot.  I use it to make pizza dough, bread, cookies, whipping cream, you name it, I make it.  It has become a staple in my kitchen.

Last Mother's Day, my sweet Hubs got me the ice cream attachment.  I promptly washed the parts and they have been taking up space in my freezer ever since.  For some reason, I just never got around to making ice cream.  Until today. 

Our AC has been kind of wimpy for the past few days.  Of course this had to happen during the one hot spell we've had all summer.  Fortunately, we have a ceiling fan in ever room and the nights are cooler so we've been comfortable.  It's a little warmer than our normal (OK, a lot warmer. I keep it COLD) but tolerable.  I have been yearning for cool drinks and treats though.  I was pulling some ice out of the freezer and had a 'duh' moment.  Ice cream! 

I used milk with a bit of cream. Next time, I will use 100% cream.  Although the taste was spot on, both Hubs and I would have like creamier ice cream.  This was ice milk so it wasn't quite as smooth.

I started searching for recipes that would work in my Kitchenaid.  This is one I found.  I modified it slightly.  

Vanilla Ice Cream
1 can Sweetened Evaporated Milk
4 cups Milk/Half & Half/or Cream (I used 1/2 cup cream and 3-1/2 cups milk)
2 tsp. quality Vanilla

Mix sweet milk, milk/half & half/cream, and vanilla in a large bowl.  Cool in fridge.

Attach Ice Cream maker bowl and attachments to mixer.
Turn on #1 setting and pour milk mixture into cold bowl.
Process on #1 setting for 20 minutes.

Pour into container and put in fridge for 2 or more hours to harden.

How easy is that?  I did a taste test straight out of the maker and it was yummy.  The finished ice cream was sweet and intensely vanilla.  Just perfect for some of Grandma's Chocolate Sauce.  If you don't want to go through the trouble, just use some Hershey's. 

Fall Planning

I'm now in full-fledged planning for my spring garden.  Yup, it's still in the upper 90s here in Oklahoma but I know fall is right around the corner and winter won't be far behind, which means, spring will be here before I know it.  It always happens so quickly and this year, I am going to be prepared!

This fall, I have a few things to accomplish.  First and foremost is building my raised garden beds.  I've got a lovely spot in the backyard earmarked for a large garden.  It gets the perfect amount of sunlight and my sprinkler system can be utilized to water it.  Unfortunately, my soil isn't really garden material.  It's mostly good ole Oklahoma clay.  That's the reason for the raised beds. 

I've taken a lot of inspiration from this garden.  I love how neat, efficient and organized it is.  No weeding and it looks beautiful.  I especially love the idea of the zinnias.  My mother always had them in her gardens too but to be honest, it was more for looks than bringing in the bees.  They are just so colorful and perky and they love the hot weather.   I will, however, paint my wood apple green (and maybe hot pink) to match my other containers and trim. 

The other project on my list is to finish the front yard.  As I showed you before, much to our neighbors chagrin, we've been killing the grass in our front yard for awhile.  This fall, I think they will finally approve of the change.  With the help of our yard man, Memo, and my friend Patti (she's a master gardener), we will be building several new large planters to match the ones already there.  These will be home to some new perennial bushes and flowers.  Under all those oak trees will be spring bulbs and some shade-loving plants.  Then, all that scraggly grass will be covered with layers of beautiful mulch.  I haven't quite decided exactly what it's going to be yet but I know it's going to look lovely.  To finish, we will be adding a nice border along the street and I will be painting my lamp post either hot pink or apple green to match the rest of the house.  I know, weird colors but it's really pretty with all the dark green we have going on.  It's going to be a lot of work but once it's finished, I think it's going to really add a lot of curb appeal.  It's also going to go a long way at building community aka, the neighbors won't be grumbling every time they walk outside. 

I'll take tons of photos and give plenty of updates so you can see our progress. 

Easy Way to Chop an Onion

I never thought about showing someone an easy way to chop an onion until I met my husband.  He is 'culinarily' challenged.  He tries and I have to admit, he's come a long way in the five years we've been together.  He now knows the difference between cilantro and parsley, and can rattle off the flavors in any number of cuisines.  I'm very proud. 

He did not, however, know how to cut up an onion in an efficient manner.  First off, he just doesn't like onions.  I love onions so when he's making meals, he is so sweet and will chop onions for me.  Most of the time, they were 'artisanal' aka roughly cut and none the same size.  So, I finally gave him a class on how to do it. 

I figured there may be others out there who aren't real sure how to do it either so here is a step-by-step guide.  I promise I won't tell.  It's our little secret. ;)

How To Chop an Onion
Onion
Sharp Knife

 

Grab an onion.  Take off all the outside but leave and trim the root end but do not cut off.

Cut onion in half and place cut side down on cutting board.

Turn on side and make 1 or 2 slices down to root, again, being care not to cut through.  If it's a large onion, make 2 cuts. If it's small, you'll only need one.

Turn back so cut side is resting on cutting board.  Now, make several small cuts through the onion, trying to keep them about the same size.  This will make your chopped onions uniform in size.

Slice from the top down, again, keeping your cuts as uniform as possible.
Repeat same with the other half of the onion.

Now you have a beautiful pile of onion pieces, all about the same size.

Leftover Chicken Tostadas

I didn't get a chance to do my normal grocery shopping this weekend so Hubs to the rescue!  He got a wonderful broasted chicken, a loaf of hot French bread and a salad and we had dinner.  Unfortunately, he didn't plan and forgot that we didn't have anything for dinner tonight.  Lucky for him, I always have a back-up plan and a full pantry. 

I always have refried beans (or pintos to make my own), rice and some sort of tortillas in the fridge.  I also keep different types of salsas, chilies and sauces.  So tonight, it's Chicken Tostadas, Mexican rice, and refried beans.  Olé!

Sorry, no ingredient line up.  Forgot to take a pic.  Here is what I used.

Chicken Tostadas
Leftover cooked Chicken, shredded (roughly 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 package Taco Seasoning (William's Chipotle is really tasty)
1Tbl. ground Cumen
1/2 cup Water
Corn Tortillas
Oil
Toppings: Use what you have on hand.
Refried Beans
Shredded Cheese (Sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack are good)
Chopped Onion
Cilantro
Shredded Lettuce
Chopped tomato
Taco Sauce
Salsa
Sour Cream
Chopped Black Olives
Lime

Take chicken off the bone and chop. 

In a skillet, combine chicken, seasoning and water.  Let simmer until warmed and thickened.

While chicken is simmering, fill a small skillet with about 1 inch of oil.  Heat over medium heat.
To test oil, take a small strip of tortilla and put in oil.  It should sizzle and start to get golden brown fairly quickly.

Take one tortilla and place in hot oil for about 15-20 seconds, then flip and continue to fry for another 15-20econds until it is golden brown and crispy. Be careful not to burn.

 Drain on a paper towel.  Continue to cook as many tortillas as you desire.



To make a tostada, lay one crispy tortilla on plate, add a spoon of refried beans, then layer on chicken, onions, salsa, and other toppings of your choice.  You can eat them with your hands or use a fork like I do.  Muy Bueno!