Easy chili

When Reggie and I were first married, I did a lot of experimenting with my cooking. I tried a lot of easy recipes, too.

One of those easy recipes came from a Campbell’s Soup cookbook that I received here at work as the food editor. The recipe offered variations on a chili or soup, where you chose which type of meat, canned soup and vegetables to put in your pot.

I have probably shared this recipe at some point over my years writing this column, although I couldn’t find it in our archives, but I wanted to publish it again because it is so quick and easy and perfect for a cold night.

The thing I like best about this recipe, however, is that all four of us like it! I can’t say that about many things I cook.

Anyway, this chili starts with a pound of ground beef browned with an onion. Mix in two cans of tomato soup, a can of mixed vegetables and some seasoning, and you’re done, except for the simmering.

Here’s the part that appeals to my kids (and their parents) and makes it so special: You top the chili with Cheddar cheese, which melts and forms the perfect complement to the tomato soup-based chili, and you eat it with corn chips! In fact, we sometimes forgo the spoon and just eat with the Fritos Scoops.

I made this chili many times in the early years of our marriage and then forgot about it for maybe 10 years. I started making it again a few years ago, and I have already made it twice this fall. I think it’s fair to say this recipe has withstood the test of time in my family.


Campbell's Chili Soup

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 cans (10 ozs. each) condensed tomato soup (not reduced-sodium/reduced-fat)
• 1 can (about 15 ozs.) mixed vegetables (do not drain)
• Chili powder to taste (I only use about 1/8 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• Cheddar cheese
• Fritos and Tostitos

In Dutch oven or large skillet, brown beef with onion until done. Drain fat and rinse. Stir in soup, vegetables with liquid, chili powder and vinegar. Heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered, 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Ladle into bowls. While chili soup is hot, sprinkle with cheese. Serve with corn chips or tortilla chips.

Adapted from Campbell's

We've got the pumpkin spice pudding!

*** The pudding gave out early afternoon. Thanks so much for stopping by. Sorry we didn't have enough for everyone. ***

It all started innocently enough, and I had the best of intentions. I promise!

I was walking through WalMart either the end of August or the first of September and spotted a box of pumpkin spice instant pudding mix by Jell-O. I picked up a box and immediately started thinking of how I could use this product for a food column recipe. The first thing that came to mind was to use it as I would a vanilla pudding mix when I add it to a yellow cake mix. The more I thought about it over the new few weeks, I decided I’d also add apples and pecans to the cake batter and top the finished product with cream cheese frosting with some cinnamon mixed in.

I finally made the cake, and it was a big hit at my house, so I shared it in my food column on Sept. 26. First, however, I did search the Internet for the pudding, and discovered it wasn’t anything obscure. Everything seemed okay. It’s a seasonal product by Jell-O. I figured it would be everywhere, just like Oreos with holiday frosting or holiday cake mixes.

Boy, was I wrong.

The emails and phone calls started the next day, both at work and at home. My dear and faithful readers were having a hard time finding pumpkin spice pudding mix in Wilson. They told me stories of how they had been to three or four grocery stores but couldn’t find it in stock there, and WalMart quickly sold out.

The calls and emails continued for the next few weeks, and people stopped me when I was out in public to ask where I bought the pudding mix. On one Saturday morning shopping trip at WalMart, three people asked me about the pudding.

I even had the staff at two Wilson stores approach me (they recognized me from my column photo) to say how many people had been in the stores looking for that pudding mix!

Some cooks came up with their own version of the cake. One reader told me she was going to use vanilla pudding mix and add in some pumpkin spice. I’ve had several people tell me they tried that as well and that the cake was very good. Another woman made the cake with a spice cake mix when she couldn’t find the pudding mix. And a few found the pudding mix when they were shopping at a WalMart out of town!

I have felt bad about this because I don’t want to disappoint my readers. So I got in contact with someone at Kraft, and she graciously arranged for 96 boxes of pudding mix to be delivered. It arrived on Friday, and if you want a box, come by and get it at the customer service desk. I’m guessing it will go quickly.

I am very grateful to Kraft for helping out with this, and I hope everyone who wants a box can get one. I apologize in advance if it runs out before you get here.

This whole experience has been humbling for me. I appreciate my readers more than you can imagine, and I hope you keep reading my food column and trying recipes. I love our little community of cooks!

Giveaway Today Come by The Wilson Times customer service office at 2001 Downing St. today to pick up a box of pumpkin spice pudding mix. Business hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. One box per family, please. Supplies are limited, so we do not know how long the giveaway will last.

Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake

• 1 box yellow cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 oz.) Jell-O pumpkin spice instant pudding mix
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 apple, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Frosting:

• 1 tub cream cheese frosting
• Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all cake ingredients and mix for 2 minutes with an electric mixer.

Pour into 13X9-inch baking dish that has been prepared with baking spray and cook for 26-30 minutes. (Can use other pan size options; refer to back of cake box for cooking instructions.) Sprinkle some cinnamon into frosting and stir to combine. Once cake has cooled, spread frosting.

Pretty pumpkin pretzels

If you have a little time between now and Halloween, pick up just a few ingredients to make this quick and easy Halloween treat.

My daughter saw these sweet pretzel treats on Pinterest and suggested we make them for the food column.

She made Pretzel Pumpkins one afternoon while I worked on another food column recipe. In no time, she had a small army of little pretzels covered with orange-tinted melted chocolate that looked very much like jack-o-lanterns.

The process is simple. You just melt the white chocolate chips with a tablespoon of shortening and stir in food coloring to make them the shade of orange you desire. Next, dip the mini pretzels into the melted chocolate, place on wax paper and add a green M&M for the stem. The chocolate sinks into the recesses of the pretzel and leaves an appearance of spooky eyes and a mouth.

Let the chocolate harden, and you have a lot of sweet treats for very little effort.


Pretzel Pumpkins

• 1 bag mini pretzels (You won’t use the whole bag)
• 1 bag M&Ms candy, needing only the green ones (We used M&M minis)
• Orange food coloring (We used liquid food coloring)
• 1 12-oz. bag white chocolate chips
• 1 tablespoon shortening

Place chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute; stir until all chips are incorporated. If they don’t melt completely as you stir, microwave in 10-second intervals. Mix in food coloring. Dip pretzels into melted chocolate to cover and place on wax paper or parchment paper. Add a green M&M mini at the top of the prezel for the stem.

Adapted from Butter with a Side of Bread Blog