Our Award-Winning Chili

We just entered this delicious chili recipe into our ward's Chili Cook-off and we got first place! The recipe is Anthony's mom's. Super simple and yummy!

1/2 to 1 lb ground beef
Salt
Pepper
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-1/2 to 3 TB chili powder
1 can kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 24 oz jar spaghetti sauce

1. Brown meat, add salt and pepper to season.
2. Add green pepper and onion, cook until soft and tender.
3. Add garlic, sautee.
4. Drain and rinse beans.
5. Coat the top of the meat mixture with chili powder, and stir together.
6. Add beans, tomatoes, and spaghetti sauce.
7. Simmer 20 minutes.
8. Add more chili powder, salt, and/or pepper to taste.

Apple Adventures

We had an awesome harvest of apples from our little tree.  I was very diligent with spraying the apples this year, but I don't know what to do for wasps that eat the apples.  Any tips?  So far this week I have canned 36 pints of applesauce, 7 quarts of apple slices, dried three trays of apple fruit leather and 4 trays of apple slices.  Apparently it has been a while since I've canned, because on my last batch of applesauce we caught Paige a moment too late.  Yes, she was having a ball tapping the lids on the jars I had just removed from the boiling water bath to see if any of them had different sounds.  So today I have started into the using up of the last 1/2 box of apples (as well as the 9 pints of tapped applesauce) in baked goods.  I started with breakfast.

I found a recipe for Applesauce Pancakes, I think on allrecipes.com, and made the Buttermilk Caramel Syrup from Our Best Bites (see their websites for better directions and/or pictures if you want or need).  I doubled the pancake recipe and it was a good idea that I did.  Maybe it's just that I haven't fixed breakfast in a long time, but my three oldest kids and Bryce couldn't seem to stop eating.  Bryn even said, as she was leaving to catch the bus, "I want another pancake."  Logan asked if I could make these "waffle" pancakes all the time now (for some reason he had a hard time remembering ("applesauce").  Bryn thought the syrup was awesome.  I thought it would also taste good on a yummy apple cake with some whipped topping.  

Applesauce Pancakes

2 cups pancake mix ( I used Krusteaz Buttermilk Pancake mix since I have so much of it.  I purchased a case at Ridley's case lot sale last week.)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
1 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup milk

Combine the pancake mix and cinnamon.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and put the rest of ingredients in it.  Stir with a fork or whisk until smooth.  Pour by 1/4 cup-fulls onto heated griddle.  Cook like you cook a pancake. :)

Buttermilk Caramel Syrup

3/4 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place first 5 ingredients in a large pot.  (This stuff bubbles and foams like crazy so you need room for it to grow).  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, but keep it bubbling good.  Stir often and cook for 8 to 9 minutes or until it is a nice caramel color.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  You can just stir down the foamy layer.