Ruth’s Chili

Brown 1 lb ground beef and 1 pkg stew meat with 5 cloves of garlic and onions.
add to the crockpot on high with the following

2 cans of each makes a big batch– modify for your group I do 2 of some and not of others based on the mood
kidney beans
black beans
corn
rotel
diced stewed tomatoes
tomato sauce
ranch style beans

add the following ingredients to taste
salt
pepper
chili powder
ancho chili powder
cilantro
cumin
Sazon–found in the Spanish foods aisle 3 packets usually
dried onions
a little bit of sugar
a little cinnamon

About 30 minutes before you serve add
some finely diced chocolate
not crazy it really adds to the flavor

Enjoy!!!!

Serves 4-6

1 yellow onion, chopped
1 rib of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 large butternut squash, chopped in half with seeds removed
1 tart green apple peeled, cored and chopped
3 cups chicken broth
pinches of nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and pepper

Cook squash by steaming in pan, steamer or microwave until soft. Peel and chop. Combine butter, onion, celery, and carrot in large saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes. Add squash, apple, and broth. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Purre in a blender or food processor. Add spices to taste.

Serves 8

4 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium yellow onions, chopped
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
3-15 oz cans of pure pumpkin (don’t use pumpkin pie mix because it has pie spices in it) Or you can use 6 cups of peeled, chopped roasted pumpkin
5 cups chicken broth
2 cups of milk
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, until they are softened. Add spices and stir for a minute more.

Add pumpkin and 5 cups of chicken broth and mix well. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Put soup in small batches in a blender or food processor. Cover tightly and blend until smooth. Return the blended soup to a pan.

With the soup on low heat, add the brown sugar and mix. Slowly add the milk while stir until it is well mixed. Add cream. Adjust the seasonings to taste. If it is too spicy add a little more cream to col it down. You might want to add some salt.

I love this soup and freeze it in individual servings since Rick doesn’t care for pureed soup. It is especially simple if you use canned pumpkin.