Time to fire up crockpot

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Jan 15, 2003 by Capital-Journal

With Super Bowl Sunday approaching, I thought we had better get busy with the put-it-in-the-crockpot and watch the game dishes.

OK, some of us will be getting our refills while the teams are on the field so we can be in our seats for the commercials.

The first recipe comes from June Rice, of Topeka, Her husband, Eldon, was a Cook of the Week a few years ago, and they are regular fixtures at the Red, Hot and Wild barbecue competition each May.

The dish is called chowder, maybe because it has corn in it, but it has nothing in common with clam chowder.

Mexican

Chicken Chowder

1 1/2 cups chicken, cooked and chopped 1/2 cup chopped onion 2 cloves garlic 3 tablespoons butter 2 cups chicken broth 1/2 teaspoon cumin 2 cups Half and Half 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese 1 can creamed corn 1 4-ounce can green chilies, undrained 1 can Ro-Tel tomatoes 1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Brown chicken, onion and garlic in butter. Add chicken broth and cumin and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add Half and Half, cheese, creamed corn, chilies, Ro-Tel and pepper sauce. Cook until cheese is melted.

June uses the hottest version of Ro-Tel and throws in a cup of cheddar for good measure. I asked her if the recipe would freeze, but she never has any leftovers, so she didn't know. (We decided that with the cream and cheese, freezing probably isn't a good idea.)

The next recipe came from one of my neighbors, Rae Anne Davis, of Topeka. She won first prize in the neighborhood association's chili cookoff. It was the first time we had tried such a event, and I'm already looking forward to the second annual one.

Rae Anne had to work a bit to write an actual recipe. She has been perfecting this dish over the years.

Chili

1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic 1 pound ground beef 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons, chili powder 2 teaspoons cumin, divided 3 or 4 cans beans (choose from kidney, red and black beans) 3 cans diced tomatoes, with juice Dash cinnamon Dash ground cloves Dash nutmeg 2 or 3 fresh chili peppers Saute onion and garlic cloves in a teaspoon of olive oil. Add ground beef and brown. While that is cooking, add 2 teaspoons chili powder and 1 teaspoon cumin to the beef.

In a crockpot, combine beans and their liquid (Rae Anne used one each of dark red kidneys, light red kidneys, red beans and black beans). Add diced tomatoes (and their juice) and the meat to the beans in the crockpot.

Add another tablespoon chili powder and another teaspoon of cumin. Then add a very slight dash of cinnamon, ground cloves and nutmeg. Add chili peppers.

Cook in the crockpot for four or five hours, stirring occasionally.

Send requests or recipes to be shared to: Lisa Sandmeyer, Recipe Exchange, The Topeka Capital-Journal, 616 S.E. Jefferson, Topeka, Kan., 66607-1194 or lsandmeyer@cjonline.com.