STEAK & SHAKE CHILI

Hey Kids, welcome back to 'Let's Cook'.

Today we are going to take a stab at knocking off the famous Steak & Shake Chili.

I have been researching 'Smashed Burgers' for an upcoming episode of 'Let's Cook'. In our research we came across the Steak and Shake Burger, as well as their Chili.

Penny LOVES their Chili and I grew up in Indiana. That's the birthplace of Steak and Shake.

So we decided to give it a try. (Don't worry, the Smashed Burgers are still a work in progress)

There are TONS of copycat recipes out there in cyber land. And most of them are different. This is the one that we chose. Stay tuned at the end, when we reveal how close we came.

Let's get 'er done.

Ingredients

2 lbs GROUND CHUCK

3 Cans Light Kidney Beans (Drained)

16 OZ can of Cola (NOT DIET)

1 TBL Cocoa

3 TBL Chili Powder

2 Cans French Onion Soup

I am NOT a fan of canned soups, but in this case you may not have a choice, UNLESS you made the French Onion Soup recipe we posted a while back. If you put some in your freezer, you are good to go.

That's what we used.

¼ tsp Allspice

¼ tsp Turmeric

2 tsp Cornstarch

15 Oz Can Tomato Sauce

1 TBL Black Pepper

2 tsp Pink Salt

1 TBL Cuman

1 tsp Hungarian Paprika

¼ Cayenne Pepper

1 TBL Garlic Powder

1 TBL Onion Powder

Sprinkle of Cinnamon

Now that we have our ingredients together, it's time for some assembly.

That joke never gets old

Blend the Onion soup in your blender

Put about 1 TBL of oil in a pot then place the beef into the Pot

Add the spices (NOT the Corn Starch)

Cook on Medium High for 3-4 minutes, stir

Add all the Liquids, stir

The onion Soup

Tomato Sauce

Cola (Penny would not let me use Beer)

Cook for 2 hours NO LID !!!  I know it looks more like SOUP than Chili, but BE PATIENT - It will thicken.

Now you can have that adult beverage and pet the canine.

P.O.T.U.S. 22 & 24 Grover Cleveland

After a couple of hours, you may skim some of the fat from the surface

Now you can add the beans and the Corn Starch

(Put the Cornstarch in a little fat and stir well before adding to the Chili)

Cook for another two hours (NO LID) until nice and thick.

Add Salt if needed

Goes well with a nice Grilled Cheese Samwitch

OK, so how did we do ???

Like the U.S. Senate we are divided 50-50. I loved it and thought it tasted 'close' to Steak & Shake.

Penny liked it but wasn't sure how 'close' it was to the original.

That being said, it was worth the effort. It made for a great HOMEMADE meal, and I will make it again.

Although I have some other Steak & Shake Chili recipes I found.

Looks like we are going to eat a lot of Chili.

And I don't have a problem with that.

That's it for this episode, and I hope you enjoyed it.

Get out in the kitchen and give it a try. It's fun, and it's NOT eating out !!

Live Long and Prosper !!!

See you next time. 

PIZZA DOUGH THE EASY WAY

     Hello Kids, and welcome back to "LET'S COOK" I know it's been awhile, but other things have gotten in the way of blogging. (I have a life) 

    But I have been busy cooking and have a few recipes to share with you.

     Those of you that have been following this quest KNOWS how much I love PIZZA. We have made many of them here in search of the BEST dough and the BEST Toppings..

     We have also been doing our best to try to duplicate the Indiana Pizza that I grew up enjoying.

     With that goal in mind, here is our latest endeavor.

     EASY PIZZA DOUGH

     We have been playing around with a few store bought doughs, and yeah, store bought is OK. BUT, we strive to be BETTER.

     So this week we are going to teach you kids how to make a GREAT dough, then next time we will make it into one of the best Pizza's ever to come out of Casa de Freshwater. So STAY TUNED.

     And you can make this dough and FREEZE it for later.

     Let's get started.

     Here is what you will need

     548 Grams – (4 Cups) BREAD FLOUR

     1 TBL – White Sugar

     ¾ tsp – Yeast

    1 ½ Cups – Water (65 degrees)

    2 tsp – Kosher Salt

I suggest you WEIGH the Flour. Depending on the flour, 4 CUPS may NOT equal 548 grams. OR it might be TOO MUCH

Water should be 65 degrees !!!

Place Flour in Mixer equipped with a dough hook

Add the Sugar & Yeast

Mix on 'LOW' for 15 seconds

SLOWLY add the water w/mixer running

Mix for 5 minutes

Remove from dough hook

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes

20 minutes. What can we do for 20 minutes????

or, play with the puppy.

Actually, this is Grover Cleveland's cousin from another mother. (and father) Say hi to 'GOO'.  So damn cute.

After 20 minutes, remove the plastic and sprinkle the salt over the dough

Mix on 'LOW' for 5-7 minutes. Do not let the dough 'climb' the hook

MIST the inside of 4 plastic bags (QUART size) with Veg. Spray

Flour your work service

Remove the dough hook from the mixer.

Flour your hands and reach in and get the dough

Place the dough on the table

Flatten and cut into 4 equal pieces

Roll each on into a ball

Helpful Hint 101 : I weighed the dough, divided by 4, and made sure each ball was the same weight.

I know: MATH

Place into the 4 bags and refrigerate for 24-72 hours.

There you have it. FOUR balls of dough that will make the best Pizza Crust E V E R !!! Trust me on this. You can thank me later.

You can keep these in the cold box for a day or so. Or you can throw them in the freezer for use later.

We put two of them in the freezer, and kept two to make PIZZA.

That's next time on  LET'S COOK.

Don't forget to be safe, and stay at home. Except to go for beer.

Seriously, stay home if you can.

Live Long & Prosper