HALLOWEEN SUPPER - Chili, Cornbread, Apple Salad

Halloween is a super fun night in our neighborhood.  Lots of sweet (and not so sweet) Trick or Treaters, of course.  We relaxed and caught up with the friends that live next door or around the corner.  Twenty of our pals joined us for a Halloween supper that was just right to counteract all that sugar (thank you Jennifer, Jody, Sheli, and Christine). Although, I still had a sugar hangover the next morning.....

Menu:
Spicy Beef Chili and Cornbread; Wild Rice and Chicken Soup (see previous post); Mini Shredded Pork Sandwiches; and Apple Salad.

Texas Chili

Serves 6 to 8.   Published November 28, 2006.  

Chuck-eye roasts are notoriously fatty, so don’t be surprised if you trim off 1 to 1 1/2 pounds of fat. Avoid precut beef labeled “beef for stew”it could be beef round or boneless shoulder roast, which will turn out dry and tough. For a milder chili, use the lower amount of chipotle; for a spicy chili, use the upper amount of chipotle. Serve with chopped fresh cilantro, minced onion, diced avocado, shredded cheddar or jack cheese, and sour cream.

Ingredients

2	tablespoons vegetable oil
3	medium onions , minced
8	medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 8 teaspoons)
1/4	cup chili powder
1/4	cup tomato paste
2	tablespoons ground cumin
	Salt
	1 can (28 ounces) tomato puree
5	pound chuck-eye roast , trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2	(15.5 ounces each) cans pinto beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2	cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4	cup Minute Tapioca
2-4	tablespoons minced chipotle chile in adobo
3	tablespoons soy sauce
2	tablespoons dark brown sugar , plus more to taste
1	tablespoon minced fresh oregano leaves , or 1 teaspoon dried
	Ground black pepper

Instructions

1. 1. Heat the oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onions, garlic, chili powder, tomato paste, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt, and cook until the onions are softened and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the tomato puree, scraping up any browned bits.
2. 2. Transfer the onion and tomato mixture to the slow cooker insert, and stir in the beef, beans, broth, tapioca, chipotles, soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the sugar, and oregano until evenly combined. Cover and cook on low until the meat is tender, 9 to 11 hours. (Alternatively, cover and cook on high for 5 to 7 hours.)
3. 3. Gently tilt the slow cooker insert and degrease as much fat as possible off the surface of the chili using a large, flat spoon. Season with salt, pepper, and brown sugar to taste, and serve.

Jennifer’s Favorite Corn Bread

(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Cookbook ©1996)

1 cup milk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 large egg

¼ c. unsweetened applesauce*

¼ c. light sour cream*

1 ¼ cups yellow, white or blue cornmeal (I use yellow)

1 c. all-purpose flour

¼ cup sugar**

1 T. baking powder

1 t. baking soda*

½ t. salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9” round or 8” square pan.

In large bowl, beat egg until frothy. Mix in milk and butter, and then fold in applesauce and sour cream. In another bowl, add cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt; mix with wire whisk to combine. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir just until four is moistened (batter will still be lumpy). Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 20 – 25 minutes or until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. (I spread a little softened butter over the top immediately after removing from oven to keep it moist but still crunchy.)

NOTE: Items with a single asterisk are my adds; **I reduce the sugar by half from the original recipe. Also, when I double this for a 9x13 pan, I use three eggs (vs. two) and 2 ¼ cups cornmeal (vs. 2 ½).

Jody's Western Waldorf (adapted from Sunset Magazine recipe)

Ingredients

• 1/4  cup  unfiltered apple juice
• 1  teaspoon  roasted walnut or almond oil, or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8  teaspoon  kosher salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 2  Pink Lady apples (or another sweet-tart variety such as Jonathan or Piñata)
• 1/2  cup  toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
• 2  large tangerines, peeled and sections cut in half
• 1  cup  seedless red or green grapes, halved

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, whisk apple juice, oil, salt, cinnamon, and pepper until blended.

2. Core apples, cut into thin wedges, and cut wedges in half crosswise. In a salad bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Pour dressing over fruit and nuts and mix gently to coat.