2 Easy Recipes For A Hearty And Comforting Dinner

Holiday food traditions have always been a part of my life, both when I was growing up and after I started my own family. It’s a simple way to make lasting memories, and it makes the holiday feel just a little more special. On Christmas Eve we have meatballs to honor our Scandinavian heritage, on Easter we have “funeral potatoes,” but on Halloween we dig into a huge pot of chili soup.

Chili soup is hard to describe, because it’s not really chili and it’s not really soup. It’s just a delicious and comforting concoction of beef, beans, and veggies that warms you up from the inside out. It’s definitely more filling than most soups, which is great if you’re providing fuel for some eager trick-or-treaters. :-)

And what’s a good bowl of chili (or chili soup) without a piece of cornbread to go with it? I’m not devoted to any one cornbread recipe in particular, but one of my personal favorites is Paula Deen’s corn spoon bread. A warm bowl of chili soup and a piece of corn spoon bread is the perfect way to kick off an evening of spooky fun.

Jillee’s Chili Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs. ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 green bell peppers, diced
• 1 (15oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15oz) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (15oz) can chili beans
• 2 (15oz) cans sweet corn, drained
• 2 (28oz) cans crushed tomatoes
• 3-1/2 cups water
• 2 – 4 tbsp chili powder
• 1 – 2 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste

A Note About the Size of this Recipe: The way the recipe is listed above is actual a double batch. It makes a large pot of soup. If you aren’t feeding a crowd (or a couple of very hungry boys) you can half the amounts and take out the cans of pinto and chili beans.

Directions:

Brown the ground beef, drain, and set aside.

In large pot, cook the onion and bell pepper in a little bit of oil until they become soft and translucent.

Add the remaining ingredients into the pot, as well as the hamburger.

Stir and let simmer on low heat for roughly an hour.

Mmm, it feels like Halloween already! But let’s not forget about that cornbread…

Corn Spoon Bread

from FoodNetwork.com

Ingredients:

• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 cup shredded cheddar, divided
• 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
• 1/2 cup chopped green onions
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 Tbsp butter, cut in small pieces
• 1/8 tsp ground red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, cornmeal, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until mixture has thickened, about 5 minutes.

Stir in 1/2 cup of the cheese, the corn, and the green onion.

Temper the eggs by slowly whisking some of the hot milk mixture into the beaten eggs. Stir the tempered eggs into the milk mixture.

Pour the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan. Top with pieces of butter and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is set and cheese is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Do you have a traditional Halloween meal?