Now that it’s WINTER I’m kind of in a fight with the world.  Well maybe not somewhere like Australia where it’s warm right now, but I’m DEFINITELY in a fight with Utah!  Anyone who even remotely knows me knows that I hate winter…I hate the cold and I hate hate HATE the snow!  So to try to ease my pain just a bit I try to make soup and chili once in a while.

My husband and I had a Halloween party at our house and I made chili for it.  A few of the girls asked me for the recipe, so I thought I’d just post it on here for everyone.  I think everyone needs a good homemade chili recipe.  It’s so comforting on a cold day, and it’s so versatile!  Try eating it with sour cream or cheese on top, or have the leftovers over rice or cornbread.  Here’s my recipe for you (got it from my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook a few years ago and I’ve refused to make any other chili recipe since), if you don’t already have one this is a good simple recipe that everyone likes.  Oh, and my cookbook says that it’s low-fat which is kind of hard to find with a good hearty winter recipe like this one.

Chili

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 c. chopped onion (1 large)
• 1/2 c. chopped green sweet pepper
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (14 oz) can tomatoes, cut up (undrained)
• 1 (15 oz) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained
• 1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
• 2-3 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp dried basil, crushed
• 1/4 tsp pepper

1. In a large saucepan cook ground beef, onion, sweet pepper & garlic till meat is brown & onion is tender.  Drain fat.
2. Stir in undrained tomatoes, kidney beans, tomato sauce, and seasonings.
3. Bring to boiling; reduce heat.  Cover & simmer 20 minutes.
4. Makes 4 servings.

**To make in crockpot:

1. Follow step one as above.
2. Mix all ingredients in crockpot & cook on low for 8-10 hours or high for 4-5.

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So anyone who lives in or knows anyone who lives in Utah has probably eaten at Cafe Rio or Costa Vida about a million times. And you definitely know what I’m talking about with the long lines!…and the screaming kids all around you (half the time your own)…and the fact that it’s almost impossible to find a table! And if you’re brown like me, the fact that the workers there INSIST in speaking Spanish to you every time you go there and making you feel like an idiot when you have no clue what they’re talking about, but it’s not your fault you’re half black and you look Hispanic. But maybe I’m the only one with that issue.

Anyway, now you can have Cafe Rio without dealing with all of that! My cousin gave me this recipe a few years ago, and anytime I make it for company they have all told me that they actually prefer it over the original (mostly cause it tastes more fresh)! So, if you’re a fan of the very popular (almost famous?) and oh-so-delcious Cafe Rio pork salads, you’re gonna be a fan of this recipe! And if you haven’t heard of Cafe Rio, you’re totally missing out, and please remind me to take you there the next time you come to visit me. But still try this recipe anyway, it’ll be one of your new favorites I’m sure!

Cafe Rio Pork Salad

• Pork (see below)
• pico de gallo (see below)
• green chili rice (see below)
• dressing (see below)
• fresh tortillas (see below)*
• black beans
• shredded cheese
• romaine lettuce, chopped
• tortillas (optional)

• Pork:
• 1 pork shoulder (no bone preferably)
• 2 liter bottle of Coke
• bottle of barbecue sauce

1. Put pork, barbecue sauce, & coke in a crockpot on low overnight.
2. About an hour before serving, shred the pork & return to crockpot

• Pico de Gallo: (this is a really fresh salsa)
• 4 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded & finely chopped
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 c. cilantro leaves, chopped (or more to taste!)
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded & finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• salt

1. Combine all ingredients; cover & refrigerate for at least an hour.

• Rice:
• 1/2 bunch cilantro
• 1 can green chilies
• 1/2 onion
• 3 c. water (or more if needed)
• 4 tsp chicken bouillon
• 4 tsp garlic, minced
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 3 c. rice (uncooked)

1. Blend cilantro, green chilies & onion together in food processor/blender.
2. Boil water; add all ingredients.
3. Simmer covered 20-30 minutes or until rice is cooked…just watch near the end and add more water if it’s starting to look dry.

• Dressing:
• 1 c. buttermilk
• 1 c. mayonnaise
• 1 pkg Hidden Valley Buttermilk Ranch Dressing (the dry packet)
• 2 tomatillos*
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 bunch cilantro
• 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 1 small jalapeno pepper

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender.

• Fresh tortillas:*

1. These are pretty easy to make, just follow the package instructions. All you do is cook these in a large pan sprayed with pam on medium-high heat for a couple minutes on each side until golden brown.
2. (Just slap down the bubbles when they form with a spatula, this will help them cook more evenly).

1. Process:
2. The night before, start cooking the pork.
3. About an hour before eating, make pico de gallo & put in fridge.
4. Make rice.
5. Meanwhile, make dressing. Put in fridge till ready to use.
6. Right before eating, cook tortillas.
7. To Serve:
8. Put a cooked tortilla on a plate.
9. Top with romaine lettuce, then rice, then pork, then cheese, beans, pico de gallo, & tortillas chips.
10. Top everything with the dressing.
11. ENJOY!

**Recomendations:

• Tomatillos: In case you don’t know what these are (I didn’t before I started making this!), they are those things that look like little green tomatoes with a thin paperlike skin on them. you can find these at any grocery store by the “ethnic” ingredients: jalapenos, etc. You just peel them, rinse them off, and cut them just like normal tomatoes. Don’t substitute tomatoes for these, they have a completely different taste! But don’t be scared of them, I promise they’re not as weird as they look!
• Fresh Tortillas: Just make sure you get the fresh tortillas, not the already cooked ones that you probably normally buy. You can find the fresh tortillas in most grocery stores, kind of in the same area as the fresh pasta or shredded cheese.

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