Memorial Day Chicken and Pork Chili

A tasty treat for Memorial Day ... and its real easy to do!

Chicken and Pork Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Chicken
1 pound Pork (cut into cubes)
1 can (15oz) Navy Beans

1 can (15oz) Pinto Beans
1 can (15oz) Black Beans

1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)

3 cloves Garlic (diced)
1 large Anaheim pepper (diced)
3 medium Sweet peppers

1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)

1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them OR can also use Green Salsa)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.
Add the Pinto Beans undrained.

Drain and rinse the Black Beans then add them too.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.

NOTE: You can add more Jalapino Peppers or use none at all ... its up to you!

I always easy go on the heat myself - but you can do what you want ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili

Tito Jorge's Southwest Style Rotini Pasta

This Pasta is real easy to do and tastes GREAT!

Southwest Style Rotini Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Beef
1 can (29oz) Tomato Sauce
1 can (15oz) Chili (NO BEANS)
1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
1 large Bell pepper (diced) (Any color you like!)
1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)
3 sticks Celery (sliced)
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms (sliced)
1 Package (16 oz) Rotini Pasta




14" Wok

The amounts in this recipe are perfect for a 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can also use a Dutch oven or any large pot ...

Brown the meat and season to taste - I just use cracked black pepper. You can use anything you want. Dont be afraid to experiment - Then add Onion and Garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the rest of the fresh ingredients and give a good stir.
Cover and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes

Add all the canned ingredients, give another good stir and let simmer on low heat another 10 minutes.

Now while the sauce mixture is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil and drop several drops of Olive oil in it.

Add the Rotini to the boiling water and let cook for 5 minutes. You dont want the pasta fully cooked but just soften it up a bit ...

Drain the pasta in a colandar then add the pasta to the sauce mixture.
Give it another good stir mixing the pasta in real well and cook on low for 15 minutes ...

NOTE: The Jalapino is optional ... use more, less or none at all at your own discretion. I find one pepper with the seeds removed and diced into small bits works real good for me. You could also substitute a Tablespoon of Green Salsa instead of the Jalapino ...

I hope you enjoy this Pasta ... it's one of my favorites!

Five Spice Powder

Five Spice Powder

Recently I've been reading about something called "Five Spice Powder" also known as "Asian Five Spice" or "Chinese Five Spice"  ...

I wanted to try cooking with it , but I had a devil of a time finding it in any local grocery stores ...

I finally found some in a local Korean grocery store, and tried it in my Chicken Chili this weekend ...

I just sprinkled it on the Chicken a few minutes before tossing it in to cook.

WOW! It really gave the Chili a fantastic flavor!  And what a great smell!  I'm going to be trying this in some other recipes soon!

It comes in several different brands, but may be difficult to find.
Ingredients in Five Spice Powder include Cinnamon, Star Anise, Fennel, Ginger and Cloves. There are several variations and different brands may have a slightly different set of ingredients.

If all else fails you can find it at Amazon.com ... search for "Five Spice" ...

Tito Jorge's Chicken Chili

This Chili is healthy and easy to prepare ... Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Chicken (can substitute groundTurkey)
1 pound Boneless / Skinless Chicken Thighs or Breasts (cut into cubes)
2 cans (15oz) Navy Beans
1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
3 large Anaheim peppers (diced)
1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)
1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them OR can also use Green Salsa)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

The amounts in this recipe are perfect for a 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.
Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - Just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.


Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for an hour or two - or until it just "looks right"...

This is the same basic recipe as my Chili Verde with some small adjustments.
You can substitute any kind of meat you like or tweak the ingredients as much as you want but this works pretty good ...

         Remember ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili!

Hawaiian Pizza Tito Jorge Style!

Quick'n Eazy Week Night Dinner - Hawaiian Pizza Tito Jorge Style!

Hawaiian Pizza

Tossed together a pizza for dinner tonight ... and its real easy to do ...

Grab a Pillsbury "Pop'n Fresh" Pizza Crust from your Grocer's refridgerator section ... OR you can use any other pre-made Pizza crust ... OR if you are feeling adventurous and have some time ... make your own Pizza dough ...

Me ... Im not that adventurous ... I like Pillsbury just fine ...

Pre-heat your oven to 425 (or just follow the directions for your particular Pizza crust) ...

Place your Pizza crust on a Cast Iron Griddle OR Pizza pan OR Cookie sheet ...

Assemble your Pizza with the following:

Canadian Bacon ... Pineapple ... Mushrooms ... Jalapinos ... Red Sweet Peppers ... Mozzarella Cheese ... and Tito Jorge's Magic Twist ... Mild Taco Sauce ...

Toss it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust nice and golden brown ...

Not bad for a quick'n eazy week night dinner ...

Of course you can use any toppings that you like ... Remember ...

                        You're the Boss of your own Pizza!

Tito Jorge's Chili Verde

This Chili is easy to prepare and oh so good! ... Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Beef
1 pound Pork (cut into cubes)
1 can (15oz) Navy Beans
1 can (15oz) Black Beans

1 Onion (diced)

3 cloves Garlic (diced)
3 large Anaheim peppers (diced)

1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)

1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.

Drain and rinse the Black Beans then add them too.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.

NOTE: You can add more Jalapino Peppers or use none at all ... its up to you!

I'd go easy on the heat myself - but thats just me.

You're the Boss of your own Chili.

About my cooking

What do I know about cooking?    Not much! But I know what I like ...

Broiled Ribeye

I never really was taught how to cook. For most of my childhood I lived with my Grandmother and while she never really tried to teach me, I learned most of what I know about cooking by watching her cook.

Later on I had a strong interest in watching cooking shows on TV. I remember watching Graham Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet) on TV back in 1969. These days I enjoy many of the cooking channels on You Tube. I also enjoy current TV shows such as Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" ... "Bizarre Foods" with Andrew Zimmern and Adam Richman's "Man v. Food" ... Other shows I enjoy include popular PBS series "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" with Rick Bayless  and Steven Raichlen's shows "Barbecue University" and  "Primal Grill" ...

Yes, it has been a closely guarded secret ... but now you know ... I'm a Food Show Junkie ...

When I cook, like my Grandmother, I dont really follow a recipe. Instead I cook by "what looks right" ... so if I share a recipe here ... please remember that all amounts are negotiable ... add any ingredient only in an amount that looks right to you ... and suits your own taste or preference ...

My Grandmother used to make the best Spaghetti in the whole world! She has been gone for quite some time now and unfortunately there is no written recipe. However, my little brother claims to be able to cook something that closely resembles Grandmothers Spaghetti, so I may get some hints from him and try to produce my own version of Grandmothers Spaghetti. If I am successful I'll share that recipe here ...

My love of Chili comes from my Grandfather. He used to make up a pot of Chili and bake some Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet. That is one of my greatest childhood memories ... Again there is no written recipe and I've never been able to make Chili exactly like my Grandfather, but I sure do enjoy trying!

And I think thats what its all about ... enjoying good cooking!

Getting Started

Here are a couple things I've cooked recently ...

Chili Verde ... with Black Beans and Navy Beans ...

And the old Standby ...
New York Steak with Cucumber and Tomato salad ...

Both of these dishes were done in Cast Iron ... the Steak in a Cast Iron Grill Pan ... and the Chili in a Cast Iron Wok ...

Here are a few pieces from my Cast Iron collection ... Wok, Grill Pan, Griddle and small Skillet ...



I'm not completely sure yet exactly what I'll share in this blog, but I think maybe I'll post some pictures from time to time and maybe a recipe here and there ...

Stay tuned!

My First Blog

Okay ...

So now I have a Blog ... what to do with that?

Grilled Swordfish

Well, in the past two years I've become more interested in cooking. I had a little setback last year with a Heart attack followed closely by a Stroke ... but here I am 1 year after that ... still alive and kickin' and starting to get back in the kitchen again ...

I'm thinking about this interest in cooking and maybe turning it into a Hobby ... it may help in my recovery from the Stroke ... it will be a challenge as I am still weak and struggle with my motor skills ... it is frustrating when my hands and fingers dont do exactly what I'm telling them to do and something ends up on the floor ... but I believe in time persistance will get me where I need to go ... at the very least it will be fun for me ... and I've never really had any kind of a Hobby before ... so maybe its about time ...

Beef and Mushroom Stir fry

What kind of cooking? ... good question ... of course I like Outdoor Grilling and BBQ ... I also like Asian Style Stirfry ... and I have a Monster Love of Chili ... especially Chili Verde ... YUM!

Recently I have developed an interest in Cast Iron Cooking ...


So I think that gives me a variety of things to explore ...

We'll see how things delvelop from here ...

Thanks for Reading!