Tamale Pie

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This is a what to do with left-over chili recipe. Now I'm not one to use pre-made mixes except this one. It is pretty much as if you made it from scratch. But if you don't want to use the mix just use a half recipe for corn bread.

left-over chili
1 box of Jiffy corn muffin mix
shredded cheddar cheese


Preheat oven to about 350 degrees.
In an appropriately sized casserole dish or pie plate put the chili. At this point you could warm the chili up a bit in the microwave. That helps in the cooking.
Mix up the Jiffy cornbread and spread it over the chili.
Top with a bunch of shredded cheddar cheese.
Bake for about 20-25 minutes.
Just be careful not to burn it.
Can be topped with sour cream and salsa.

Molly's Chili

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This is cooked in a large pot like a Dutch oven.

1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 - 1 large onion, chopped or diced
2-4 cloves garlic, chopped or minced
1 pound ground beef

1 tablespoon more or less of chili powder (not all chili powders are the same, so go for the amount of heat you want)
salt and pepper
a dash of cayenne pepper if more heat is desired
1 - 1 1/2 cup(s) red wine, any kind you like or have
2 - 6 tablespoons brown sugar (sugar cuts heat if you find you made it too spicy)
3 - 5 tablespoons dried basil
1 can of diced tomatoes
1/2 can of tomato puree (if you put it all in add some water)
1 large can of red kidney beans, drained somewhat
1 can of black beans, drained somewhat
1 cup frozen or canned corn.

Fry up the onions in the olive oil until nice and soft. Add the garlic and the beef and cook.
Add salt and pepper and chili powder and cook a minute of two.
Add the wine and cook maybe five minutes. Until the strong wine smell is gone and the mixture is brownish.
Add the remaining ingredients and cook for a while, being very careful not to burn the beans.

I serve this over rice, topped with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream and salsa if desired.

Left-over chili can be turned into a lovely chili soup using tomatoes pulverized in the blender and anything else you like.

Baked Beans

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Baked beans are a significant thing in my family. My grandmother was a Morrill, which is the Morrill in the B & M baked beans, and she came from Boston. She always made baked beans on Saturday. Now I haven't carried on that tradition, but we all like baked beans a lot.

3 big cans of beans of your choice
(1 must be B&M baked beans)
1 onions, chopped
1/2 - 1 pound sausage meat (optional)
or bacon diced, cooked, drained.
1 spoonful mustard, any kind you like
1 tablespoon Worchestershire sauce
2 - 4 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Cook the onions, then add the sausage and cook well and remove excess fat. Add the rest of the ingredients. Taste. You may need to add more pepper, or more mustard, or a dash of Tabasco sauce, or whatever. When it tastes great put into a bean pot and cook in a slow (250-325) oven for about 2 hours. This is great when made a day ahead. On the day you eat it put back in the oven to reheat.

The proportions for this recipe are entirely optional. You can make it as big or as little as you like, and you can make the seasoning more or less intense. But if you don't use mustard and Worchestershire sauce it's not the same.