Fix-It and Forget-It Christmas Cookbook (26 page)

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 lb. ground beef

oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped green bell peppers

28-oz. can tomatoes, broken up

14-oz. can tomato sauce

2 14-oz. cans kidney beans, undrained

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

1 Tbsp. hot sauce

1. Brown beef in skillet in oil if needed. Stir frequently, breaking up clumps of meat. When meat is no longer pink, transfer meat to slow cooker. Reserve drippings

2. Sauté onions, celery, and green peppers in drippings until just wilted. Drain and transfer to slow cooker.

3. Stir in remaining ingredients.

4. Cover. Cook on High 4-5 hours or on Low 8-10 hours.

Have everyone bring a dish of food, plus its printed recipe to share.

Nancy Wagner Graves, Manhattan, KS

Slowly Cooked Chili

Beatrice Martin

Goshen, IN

Makes 6-8 servings

Prep. Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 5-12 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 4-qt.

2 lbs. ground beef,
or
turkey

oil

15½-oz. can kidney beans, undrained

3 cups tomato juice

3 Tbsp. chili powder

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 envelope dry onion soup mix

½-1 tsp. salt, according to taste

¼ tsp. pepper

1. Brown ground beef or turkey in skillet in oil if needed. Stir frequently, breaking up clumps of meat. When meat is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

2. Place browned meat in cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients with meat.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 10-12 hours or on High 5-6 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve in soup bowls with
crackers
, or over
rice
.

Tip:

This chili freezes well.

Three-Bean Chili

Chris Kaczynski

Schenectady, NY

Makes 8-10 servings

Prep. Time: 25 minutes

Cooking Time: 8-10 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 6-qt. or 2 4- to 5-qt.

2 lbs. ground beef

2 medium onions, diced

oil

16-oz. jar medium salsa

2 envelopes dry chili seasoning

2 16-oz. cans red kidney beans, drained

2 16-oz. cans black beans, drained

2 16-oz. cans white kidney,
or
garbanzo, beans drained

28-oz. can crushed tomatoes

16-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 tsp. sugar

1. Brown beef and onions in skillet in oil if needed. Stir frequently, breaking up clumps of meat. When beef is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

2. Spoon beef into slow cooker. Add all remaining ingredients to beef.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 8-10 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
chopped raw onion
and/or
shredded cheddar cheese
as toppings.

Tip:

This recipe can be cut in half without injuring its flavor if you don’t have a single cooker, or multiple cookers, large enough to handle the full amount.

Hearty Chili

Joylynn Keener

Lancaster, PA

Makes 8 servings

Prep. Time: 20-25 minutes

Cooking Time: 8 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 5-qt.

1 onion, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

1 lb. ground beef

oil

2 14-oz. cans kidney beans, undrained

14-oz. can pinto beans, undrained

14-oz. can diced tomatoes

2 14-oz. cans tomato sauce

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 Tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 Tbsp. chili powder,
or
to taste

1. Brown onion, celery, and beef in skillet in oil if needed. Stir frequently to break up clumps of meat. When meat is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

2. Spoon meat into slow cooker. Stir in all remaining ingredients, mixing well.

3. Cover. Cook on Low 8 hours.

So Easy Chili

Sue Graber

Eureka, IL

Makes 4 servings

Prep. Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 4-6 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

1 lb. ground beef

1 onion, chopped

oil

15-oz. can chili, with
or
without beans

14½-oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies,
or
with basil, garlic, and oregano

1 cup tomato juice

chopped onion

grated cheddar cheese

1. Brown ground beef and onion in skillet in oil, if needed. Stir frequently to break up clumps of meat. When meat is no longer pink, drain off drippings.

2. Spoon meat into slow cooker.

3. Stir in chili, diced tomatoes, and tomato juice.

4. Cover. Cook on Low 4-6 hours.

Serving suggestion: Serve with
onions
and
cheese
as toppings for individual servings.

Tips:

1. This chili is a good consistency for serving over rice.

2. For a thicker chili, add 4-6 oz. tomato paste 20 minutes before end of cooking time.

The Chili Connection

Anne Townsend

Albuquerque, NM

Makes 6 servings

Prep. Time: 15-20 minutes

Cooking Time: 3-5 hours

Ideal slow cooker size: 3½-qt.

1½ lbs. ground beef

1 cup chopped onions

oil

28-oz. can tomatoes, chopped

15-oz. can kidney beans, undrained

1 Tbsp. brown,
or
granulated, sugar

2-4 tsp. chili powder, according to your taste preference

1 tsp. salt