Chocolate-y Crockpot Chili

Happy Valentine's Day!

One of my favorite things about winter is a good, hot bowl of chili. My husband and I eat chili pretty much once a week all winter long, but we are always trying to alter the recipe (what am I talking about, we don't really use a recipe for this!) to give it some new pizazz! I thought I'd share one of my favorite chili creations today, and since its still Valentine's Day, of course it has to have chocolate in it! Another awesome thing about this recipe - the crockpot. Oh yes. My favorite kitchen appliance!

Chocolate-y Crockpot Chili

Shopping List:

2 lb Lean Ground Beef

16oz Kidney Beans

16oz Black Beans

28oz Tomato Puree

1/4 C Diced Onion

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Paprika

McCormick 30% less sodium Chili Mix

1 tbsp Cinnamon

1/4 C Hershey's Chocolate Syrup

(Any chocolate sauce will do, but having grown up just outside 

of Hershey, PA and led Young Life at Hershey High School for 4 years, I have a very strong 

allegiance to Hershey's. I even have  a Hershey's syrup Christmas ornament 

on my Christmas tree!)

Toppings:

Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Diced Green Onions

Sour Cream

Tostito's Scoops (optional)

1. In crockpot, combine ground beef, kidney beans (drained), black beans (drained), diced onion, tomato puree, chili mix, cinnamon, and chocolate sauce.

2. Cook 4 hours on high or 8 hours on low.

3. Add toppings and enjoy!!

Happy Valentine's Day from my Valentine and me to you and yours! 

Use this opportunity to remind the special people 

in your life, how much you love them!

Red Velvet Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

One thing you should know about me is that I love, Love, LOVE holidays! And so on the day before Valentine's Day, I couldn't resist posting a Valentine's Day recipe. Aren't we looking for something sweet and at least a little chocolate-y on V-Day?  (Can I get an 'Amen') So today we are making:

Red Velvet Chocolate Cupcakes with Peppermint Frosting

Shopping List:

Duncan Hines Signature Red Velvet Cake Mix

(If you thought this chef-in-the-making was going 

to post only recipes made from scratch, you came

 to the wrong blog. As much as I love baking, sometimes its about 

fast and easy. Life is a little bit crazy. Right?)

1 1/4 C Water

1/3 C Vegetable Oil

3 Large Eggs

1 C Chocolate Chips

Frosting:

Duncan Hines Creamy Homestyle Cream Cheese Frosting (14oz)

(Once again, don't judge me...)

Duncan Hines Frosting Creations Peppermint Frosting Mix

Decorations:

Fun Cupcake Papers

Valentine's Day Sprinkles
(I found these in the dollar bins at Target)

Any other decorations you wish to use...

1. Preheat oven to 350 (or 325 for dark or nonstick pans). Place cupcake papers in cupcake baking tins.

2. Prepare cupcakes according to box instructions: Blend cake mix, water, oil and eggs in a large bowl at low speed until moistened (about 30 seconds). Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

3. Fold in chocolate chips.

4. Dish cupcake mix into cupcake papers.

5. Bake according to box instructions: Bake 19-22 mins. (Add 3-5 minutes to bake time for dark or coated pans.) Cake is done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

6. Mix peppermint frosting mix into cream cheese frosting. Frost cupcakes, add sprinkles and decorations.

7. Enjoy! 

Today is also Ash Wednesday. I'm not big into giving things up for 

Lent - although I recognize it is meaningful for many people. 

What are some other ways you prepare your heart and mind over

 this 40 day season for the death and resurrection of our Savior on 

Easter Sunday? I am looking for suggestions!

Happy Baking!

Meat & Veggie Strombolis

Welcome to the Teach Me How to Cookie Blog! I am by no means a great chef (hence the blog title!), but this is my journey learn. Most of the recipes I try, I find online and so I feel I should contribute my own ventures as well. And quite honestly, I have enjoyed reading MixandMatchMama's blog during this season of The Bachelor. Please feel free to make comments about how recipes worked for you, suggestions to improve my blog, or just drop a line to say "hello."

There's no better time to start then now, so tonight I made:

Meat & Veggie Strombolis

Shopping List:

2 Thin Crust Pillbury Pizza Crusts

4 C Shredded Mozzarella 

Olive Oil for Brushing

For Meat Stromboli:

1 pkg Pepperonis

3/4 lb Ground Italian Sausage

1/2 C Pizza Sauce

For Veggie Stromboli:

1/4 C Diced Onions

1/3 C Diced Tomatoes

1/4 C Diced Black Olives

1/2 C Chopped Spinach (frozen)

A pinch of Salt & Pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease 2 cookie sheets.
2. Brown Italian Sausage.

2. Roll out Pillsbury Thin Crusts, one on each cookie sheet.

4. On one cookie sheet, add pepperoni, italian sausage, and pizza sauce. Placement should be down the middle of the dough and leaving the outsides empty (imagine dividing the rolled out dough into three columns. Fill the middle column with ingredients, and leave the outer two columns blank.)

5. Add 2 C shredded mozzarella.

6. On the other cookie sheet, add onion, tomatoes, black olives, spinach, salt, and pepper. Placement should be the same as the first cookie sheet - down the middle column of the rolled out dough.

7. Add remaining 2 C shredded mozzarella.

8. On each stromboli, make 2 inch slices from the middle column, out to the edge of the dough, both sides, from top to bottom. Here is a diagram to show what I mean:

9. Fold dough slices in over the stromboli contents so that they overlap one another (again, see diagram above.
10. Brush both strombolis with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 mins (until they just start to brown). Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then serve!

We had a group of Young Life leaders over for dinner tonight,

 and this recipe was a HUGE hit! In fact, next time I know to double the recipe!
But then again, who can go wrong with strombolis? Happy Cooking!!

Also, I need to mention that 
my favorite sister Hannah (Face) 
gave me the original stromboli recipe. 
I just altered the ingredients.