Fire Roasted Crock-Pot Chipotle Chili Recipe

If you are like me, you're always experimenting with your chili recipe. While I love my original recipe, by adding fire roasted tomatoes and some chipotle plus fresh salsa, you give your chili a fresh Tex-Mex kick! Try it and see what you think. Smoky and full of flavor, this Crock-Pot chili recipe will be your new go-to chili recipe for tailgating, game day or any day! To make serving easy, I like to serve in individual Frito bags... tastes just like the Chili Pie that my mom used to make! Set up a condiment bar with toppings so guests can customize to their taste.

Fire Roasted Chipotle ChiliMARTIE'S FIRE ROASTED CHIPOTLE CHILI

 2 pounds ground beef

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 bottle of your favorite beer

2 28 ounce cans fire-roasted tomatoes, crushed (or whir them in the food processor)

2 15 ounce cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 small can sliced Jalapeno peppers, drained and diced very fine (be careful to wash your hands!)

2 cups fresh tomato salsa (find it at most stores or make your own recipe)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder (find it in the spice aisle; add a bit more if you like that smoky heat)

1 teaspoon black pepper

Serve in individual Frito bags for easy serve, easy clean up for tailgating!1 tablespoon Kosher salt

Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet until the beef is brown and the onions are softened. Draiin off the liquid. Return to the heat and pour the beer over the mixture to deglaze the pan. Pour that mixture into your crock-pot. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on the lowest setting for 4 hours.

Serve with condiments: Sour cream, grated cheese, sliced jalapenos, green onion, hot sauce, or any of your favorite chili toppings.

FOLLOW MARTIE ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE RECIPES, COCKTAILS, PARTY IDEAS, & FUN!

Easy Tailgating and Game Day Ideas: New Recipes, Tips and Serving Suggestions!

IT'S FOOTBALL SEASON! What I usually hear this time of year is: “I’m tired of our same old game day plan” and “I don’t want to grill- I want to relax and enjoy my friends” So, here are some ideas for your game day that will keep everyone happy and let you have some fun, too. Big thanks to Dandy RVfor the use of the awesome RV for our tailgate party!

VARIATIONS ON A THEME: MIX IT UP…one week Mexican with hats and decor, the next week you can take it to New Orleans with a Mardi Gras menu, the following week make it a Lowcountry crab boil, Italian, Pirate Party, Chili cook-off, beach party, etc. You don't have to go with BBQ or typical tailgate food every weekend.

MULTI-PURPOSE FOOD: For example, chili works for a variety of different foods... chili pie, tacos, hot dogs, nachos, and more. You can host a chili throwdown where everyone brings a Crock-Pot with their favorite recipe. Add a condiment and hot sauce bar so everyone can add their favorite toppings.

Serve chili in a Fritos bag! Instant chili pie!Serve chili in individual Fritos or Doritos bags.... yes, serving right in the bag makes yummy Frito chili pie or nachos! This is so good and makes clean up a breeze. Best of all, no dirty dishes to take home! 

MARTIE KNOWS PARTIES TAILGATE TIPS

1. When it is still hot outside, make sure to take an extra cooler filled with ice so you can keep drinks and food items cold and have plenty of clean ice for drinks.

2. Use multi-purpose glasses like the insulated glasses from Tervis Tumblers – they keep hot drinks hot and cold drinks cold. LOVE THEM... especially when I have a party inside. No condensation rings and no broken glass. Plus they go right in the dishwasher.

3. A great way to keep hot food hot is to wrap and store them in a cheap Styrofoam cooler and pack it with newspaper. This will keep it hot until you are ready to serve.

4. Do most of the prep at home so you just have simple assembly or grilling when you get to the stadium.

Make a toss-away beverage coolerRe-use a drink holder for dipsUse the 6-pack carrier for condiments5. If you don’t want to take a cooler- get a case of your favorite drinks, empty it and line with a white or clear garbage bag and put the drinks back and fill with ice. Afterwards, put the whole thing in the trash. I always double the bag so I don't have any leaks. You can also use a beer carton as a condiment holder. Works great! Save the carton from your next 6-pack!

6. Another use for a cardboard drink carrier- is to use it for a condiment carrier or a dip holder!

7. Pre-cook what you can. You can even pre-cook ribs and finish them on the grill. Just make sure to keep them well chilled.

8. Get in on the Crock-Pot craze…. Plug it in before you go to bed the night before and you’ve got a good start on lunch when you get there.

9. One of the most frustrating things about going to the game is not being able to find your friends or their tailgate! Use a cluster of helium balloons and fly them way over the top of your tent so your friends can spot you from a distance! I got huge balloons and wrote on them with a marker to define our tailgate and help friends locate us easily!

Make a game day table runner from a rug, placemat or tablecloth with white electrical tape and stick on numbers10. You don’t have to buy special football items or tableware- you can easily make a football field runner from placemats or some other item. I used a green chenille kitchen rug I got on sale for $4 at Target and lined it with white plastic electrician's tape. I got the numbers at Wal-Mart in the mailbox section but you can get stick-on numbers where you get scrapbook supplies also.

11. Bring items in a large plastic tub. When you are ready to pack up, line the tub with a garbage bag and then put your dirty dishes inside. Makes for super easy clean up when you get home!

Make giant sandwiches like a Muffaletta and just slice to serve. No more making lots of small sandwiches!12. Make giant sandwiches instead of lots of small sandwiches. Just take a large loaf of bread and make one large sandwich. Slice it up and you are good to go! If you make hot sandwiches, make sure to double the foil on the bottom so you do not burn the bread. Open up the top of the foil for the last few minutes to get the bread toasty. Add a little cheese on top for some extra yum!

 NEED MORE GAME DAY IDEAS? CHECK OUT THESE RECIPES AND TIPS FROM MARTIE KNOWS PARTIES:

Argentine Asado & Chimichurri

Host a Chili Cookoff for Game Day!

Game Day Grub: Steakhouse Steaks with Herb Butter

Make a Bloody Mary Bar for Game Day

FOLLOW MARTIE ON FACEBOOK FOR MORE RECIPES, IDEAS, AND FUN!

Weekend Cocktail: The Perfect Bloody Mary

Something about football screams Bloody..... Mary:)

I'm not sure where it started, but no tailgate worth it's ribs would be complete without a Bloody Mary. And just like ribs, potato salad, and gumbo, everyone has a recipe (most very closely guarded secrets) for the world's best Bloody Mary. I've researched. I've asked my friends. I've taste-tested, mixed, and poured. Now, I'd like to offer my own entry into the Bloody Mary Hall of Fame. Try one this weekend and let me know what you think!

MARTIE'S CLASSIC BLOODY MARY

Makes about a quart of mix; enough for 6-8 drinks

In a blender add:

3 cups tomato juice

4 T. fresh lemon juice

1 T. fresh lime juice

1 1/4 T. Horseradish (find it in a jar, ususally by the dairy)

2 T. Worcestershire Sauce

1/2 t. minced garlic

1/2 t. Tabasco

1/4 t. celery salt (plus more for rimming the glasses)

1/3 t. Kosher salt

1/2 t. black pepper

Whir everything together until smooth, transfer to a glass pitcher and chill. Before serving, assemble your mix-ins, garnishes, and rim mix.

Rim mix: Pour 1/4 t. celery salt, 1/4 t. Kosher salt, 1/4 t. black pepper onto a saucer. To rim glasses, use a lemon or lime wedge to mositen the rim of the glass. Dip the rim into the mix.

To serve: Add one ounce good quality vodka (I often use Absolut Peppar for a spicy kick) to each glass. Fill with ice. Pour Bloody Mary mix over ice. Let guests garnish at will. 

Garnish and mix-in options:

Limes, cut into wedges

Lemons, cut into wedges

Celery stalks with the leafy green tops

Pickled green beans

Pickled okra

Green onion stalks

Tabasco

Additonal Horseradish

SOUPer Bowl Showdown: Jackie's Tuscana Soup Recipe

Our Facebook friend Jackie H. sent in her favorite soup recipe for our SOUPer BOWL SHOWDOWN! It's a simple, rustic Tuscana Soup. I tried it myself and may not have gotten it just right.... but it sure was good! Thank you Jackie!!

JACKIE'S TUSCANA SOUP

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups spicy Italian sausage (cooked and crumbled)
2 cups potatoes, diced small
2 handfuls of fresh kale leaves, remove the stems and tear into small pieces
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 medium white onion, diced

1 T. olive oil
2 bay leaves

3 cups heavy cream
3 cups chicken broth (reduced sodium)

First, brown the Italian sausage. Remove the sausage from the casing if it is in one. Remove the browned sausage to a paper towel to drain. (Do not be tempted, as I was, to sauté the onions in the drippings. It makes for a very greasy soup.)

In a large pan or pot, saute garlic and onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add all ingredients plus a few drops of Tobasco sauce, if desired. (Note: My Italian sausage was so spicy, no additional heat was necessary and I also reduced the cream by half because I was out!! Still very good!)

Simmer on low, stirring frequently, until until the kale is cooked. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with a hearty, crusty bread like Focaccia or Ciabatta (typical in Tuscany- a good choice). I got a wonderful rosemary Ciabatta and it was just perfect; toast with a little garlic butter.

Soup Showdown Recipe: Vickie's Golden Cheese Chowder

For our Souper Bowl Showdown for Super Bowl Sunday, try this Golden Cheese Chowder recipe from Vickie, one of our Facebook friends! I tried it and thought it was really good. I used 1/2 white cheddar and 1/2 sharp cheddar for the cheese and added a little goat cheese (I had some in the fridge so I used it up) but I think any cheese combination would taste pretty good. Try it and let us know what you think!

VICKIE'S GOLDEN CHEESE CHOWDER

3/4 Cup Butter or Margarine

1/2 Cup all purpose flour

4 cups Milk (warm)

4 Cups (1 lb) shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

3 Cups Water

4 Medium Potatoes, peeled and diced

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onion

3/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups diced, cooked ham

Hot Sauce (to taste)

Melt butter in heavy 2 quart saucepan over low heat and add flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute; Stir constantly. Gradually stir in warm milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick and bubbly. Add cheese, stirring until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and set aside.

Combine water, vegetables, salt and pepper in a 5 quart Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in all other ingredients. Cook over low heat until thoroughly heated (DO NOT BOIL). Makes 12 to 14 servings.

Vickie's note: The better quality cheese you use, the better the soup will be. Sometimes I substitute beer for some of the water and bacon for ham.