Tailgating Chili

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 3 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon bacon bits
• 4 cubes beef bouillon
• ½ cup beer
• ¼ cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

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Chicken Taco Soup

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 (16 ounce) can chili beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans
• 1 (15 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
• 1 (1.25 ounce) package taco seasoning
• 3 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts
• shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
• sour cream (optional)
• crushed tortilla chips (optional)

Instructions

1. Place the onion, chili beans, black beans, corn, tomato sauce, beer, and diced tomatoes in a slow cooker. Add taco seasoning, and stir to blend. Lay chicken breasts on top of the mixture, pressing down slightly until just covered by the other ingredients. Set slow cooker for low heat, cover, and cook for 5 hours.
2. Remove chicken breasts from the soup, and allow to cool long enough to be handled. Stir the shredded chicken back into the soup, and continue cooking for 2 hours. Serve topped with shredded Cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and crushed tortilla chips, if desired.

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Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana Soup

Ingredients:
 
1 pound spicy Italian sausage
 
1/2 pound bacon, chopped
 
7 cups water

3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed clean and cubed

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cups chopped kale

1 cup heavy whipping cream

salt and pepper, to taste


Directions:
 
In a dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown sausage, breaking into small pieces as you fry it; drain, set aside.

In the same dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat, brown bacon; remove and set aside. 

Leave two tablespoons of rendered bacon fat in the skillet.

Saute the potatoes, onion, and garlic in the rendered bacon fat over medium or low-medium heat. 

Saute until the onion begins to be translucent and the potatoes have are still a little firm, but are beginning to soften.

Add the sausage, bacon, 7 cups water, and 3 chicken bouillon cubes to the pot. Simmer until the potatoes are tender.

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Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

• 4 slices bacon, crisply cooked and crumbled 
• 1 c. onion, chopped 
• 1 c. green pepper, chopped 
• 1 c. celery, chopped 
• 1 clove garlic, minced 
• 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
• 4 14-1/2 oz. cans chicken broth 
• 2 t. salt 
• 1/4 t. pepper 
• 15-oz. can tomato and herb sauce 
• 16-oz. pkg. frozen, sliced okra 

Directions

Place bacon, onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in a Dutch oven; sauté for 3 minutes. Add chicken, chicken broth, salt and pepper; simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and okra; simmer until okra is tender, about 30 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Patch, Gooseberry (2002-09-15). Soups Cookbook (Classic Cookbooklets) (p. 11). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition. 

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Cowboy Stew

Ingredients

• 5 to 6 potatoes, peeled and cubed 
• 2 carrots, peeled and sliced 
• 1 lb. ground beef 
• 1 T. all-purpose flour 
• 8-oz. can tomato sauce 

Directions

Boil potatoes and carrots in a saucepan until tender, about 30 minutes; set aside. Shape beef into one-inch meatballs; brown in a skillet and drain. Pour meatballs into undrained vegetable mixture; heat for 5 minutes and set aside. Whisk flour with 1/2 cup water; add tomato sauce. Stir into beef mixture; cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Serves 4.



Patch, Gooseberry (2002-09-15). Soups Cookbook (Classic Cookbooklets) (p. 9). Perseus Books Group. Kindle Edition. 

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