Family Recipes

[HawkeyeLinus]

Looks like what I grew up with. Do you serve yours with cinnamon rolls too?

We don't, but . . . our school system when I was in elementary school always served cinnamon rolls with chili when it was on for lunch - had a friend who didn't like cinnamon rolls and his were pledged to me every time we had chili!

Man that take me back, thanks!

 

[Marie]

Kimchi Fried Rice.

This one is mine. I've tried to duplicate Kimchi Fried Rice from one of Seoul's restaurants from 70s that our family used to frequent. Usually the dinner starts with pan grilled beef. Then the kimchi fried rice is cooked in the same pan.

Half cup of kimchi
Two cup of cooked rice
Half tablespoon of Korean spicy bean paste (Go Choo Jang)
Two tablespoons of sesame oil
One small chunk of butter
Tiny pinch of salt
Quarter teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper
One egg.

Heat the sesame oil in a frying pan along with butter in high heat. Don't burn the oil/butter. Add kimchi and stir fry it till slightly tender. Push the kimchi to the edge of the pan and add the rice in the center. Add salt and pepper to the rice. Add the spicy bean paste to rice and mix well in the center of pan, leave the kimchi at the edge until the rice is well mixed. You can leave the rice for a bit to get a nice bark. Mix the kimchi with rice mixture. Serve immediately with one fried egg on top. Can be served with miso soup.

I am SO on a korean BBQ kick still! I tried my hand at making winter kimchi a few times (the red spicy kind). It turned out great...however not without a never-to-be-forgotten incident where I accidentally dropped the jar of fermented salted shrimp. Between that and the smell of fermenting kimchi on the counter, I was forever banned from making this beloved banchan inclusion again. Such a travesty. I just wanted to be able to make it myself. However now I go to the korean market and grab a good-sized jar. Although I do make sure it lists fermented shrimp in the ingredients. One of my favorite online go-tos for korean recipes is Cooking Korean food with Maangchi - https://www.maangchi.com/

 

[Marie]

Ok, I'll bite...since it is Summertime here, I'll offer an easy berry treat I like to make every time strawberry season comes around...

Macerated Strawberries with Whipped Cream

Rinse strawberries, cut off green tops, slice in half, place in a bowl. Spoon sugar over strawberries and gently toss. For one pint of strawberries I usually use 1-2 tablespoons. Pop the bowl in the fridge for 30min or until strawberries begin to soften. *If you are lucky enough to get your hands on really ripe strawberries, less sugar is needed, or omit sugar all together. The goal is to encourage the strawberries to release some of their juices and soften a bit if needed.

For the whipped cream. I like to make from scratch. In a bowl add 1 pint heavy whipping cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 2-3 tablespoons of sugar (2tbs is less sweet). Beat with hand mixer or whisk until soft to firm peaks form depending on your preference.

In a serving dish, alternate a few layers of strawberries and whipped cream, or just go for a single scoop of each!

 

[Fuelman]

The basics of this recipe came from my Mom's nursing school roommate and lifelong friend. I love chili and make various kinds (and not going to argue about "real" chili and all of that - enjoy whatever variations you like) and honestly don't necessarily make even any particular kind the same way every time, I just start making it.

This is what I'd call chili for midwesterners who grew up thinking something like this is chili and therefore it is chili and I love it! It's not quite hers these days, but the revelation when I was a kid was the tomato soup and ketchup, lol.

Dice up a large yellow onion pretty fine and sauté gently with a little salt, pepper and chili powder, throw in some sliced jalapeños (from a jar so you get some of the juice - adds a little sweetness). Set aside.

Brown 2 lbs. ground chuck, seasoned with salt, pepper, chili powder (I use some a little more spicy but don't over do it, can always add later), cayenne, cumin (I like it in the chili but smells like people's butts in the jar, IMO). Mix a little bit of flour in with the beef when almost done and let that cook in well.

I think it's essential to cook in the seasonings with the onions and the beef instead of just dumping in later with the stock. More may be necessary when you taste it, but usually not once it all simmers together.

Toss the onion in. Add one can (no water) of Campbell's tomato soup concentrate. Add about 8 oz. ketchup (also adds a little sweetness). Sounds heretical but that's how she made it. Add a small can of black beans and a small can of chili beans (drain and rinse so as not to get the can juices but it's okay that the chili beans' sauce carries a little flavor), so the equivalent of one of those big fat cans, but I like the two different kinds of beans. If it doesn't look like enough beans, add another small can.

(If I want it a little smokier I'll toss one of those tiny little cans of Chipotle peppers with the adobo sauce in when the onions are pretty much cooked, but if I do that I'll add a little brown sugar, and won't add jalapeños).

Then enough no salt beef stock to cover it all and then simmer for a time and may add more beef stock depending on the consistency I want.

My wife isn't big on a lot of heat and my idea of heat to taste is a lot more than most I encounter so it's a compromise on the spiciness and I kind of know it when I see it as it all gets done. But no point losing flavors in the name of "spicy".

It is a little sweeter than a lot of chili recipes, but a nice mix of a little bit of sweet and spice.

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I have a sister in law that will eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with her bowl of chili. Actually it isn’t bad.