Arby’s Eating Dirty

While doing a roadtrip halfway across the country  during covid to visit my Sister-In-Law on the East coast, we got to talking about places to drive thru for options, and trying to find something different, as we got away from our Urban options who would have things like Chik-Fila, Jimmy Johns, Jersey Mikes…. And I questioned “Would an Arby’s beef sandwich be gluten free if served not on a bun?” My husband asked “Would you eat it like that, or on your own bun?” 

So we set off to the grocery store, found some BFree Pita’s and went to Arby’s and ordered a Double Beef and Cheddar in a bowl. We found a cute spot to park near a river by a park and pulled out our car trays and proceeded to have lunch. I built my beef and cheddar into the pita pocket while we laughed and had one of the best ‘dirty food’ meals I’d had in a long time. At the time they still did a side salad as an option so that and my beef and cheddar hit the spot and we cracked up that it took us 10 years to think of this as an idea! At the time Arby's still had a side salad option, which made a nice touch to the meal. Now they no longer have the salad sadly, but I'll survive.

Since than we've stopped at Arbys on more than a few occasions, for something different to eat.  I always make sure to have a bread option with me, or we just take it home to eat. It's such a simple concept, that is quite tasty too.

Toasted Meatball Sandwiches

Toasted Meatball Sandwiches - In the air fryer.

Ingredients:
Meatballs
Tomato Sauce
Italian Cheese Blend
Buns

Every now and then I get a hankering for things I honestly really never ate before. But I think it’s cause I can’t eat it, that I want it. So scrolling thru Pinterest I saw a recipe for Toasted Meatball Sub Sandwiches, and they sounded tasty. I got meatballs, Udi’s Buns (Most common in our area), Sauce and Cheese. I decided to try the meatballs in my Air Fryer, to see if it helped reduce the greasiness of the meatballs. (It did!)

I got the Carando Meatballs, they’re in the butcher section of the grocery store. They’re fresh, not frozen so it helps expedite making dinner too. I’ve heard some people say they have issue with them, but I’ve not experienced any issues, they are labeled Gluten Free on the back. I will say, having made them in a pan, they’re greasy. Which can cause me stomach discomfort cause of my poor gall bladder. I was happy I found a smaller jar of spaghetti sauce, since I don’t like drowning my food in sauce, it was the right size for 3 meatball sandwiches!

I put them in the air fryer at 370 degrees for 16 minutes. With about 5 minutes left I took them out, cut them in half and put them back in for 10 minutes. They came out nicely cooked, and there was a pool of grease in the bottom of the air fryer.

I placed 3 Udi’s buns in a corning-ware dish, and put some sauce in the bottom of the buns, a pinch of mozzarella cheese and then placed the meatballs in the buns, covered with more sauce and a slice of cheese.

I baked for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.

I could have baked longer to make the bread crispier, but they turned out so tasty!

Canyon Bakehouse Bagels

Some days you need to just savor the little things in life. I keep hearing how great Canyon Bakehouse Bagels are, and finding them near me is IMPOSSIBLE. I could buy directly from Canyon Bakehouse, but our tiny refrigerator, in our rented townhouse doesn't hold much for frozen food, and honestly it takes us a long time to use bread. I pretty much cut bread out after going gluten free. So ordering 1 pack of bagels and paying $11.00 in shipping is not logical to me. So when I went Halloween shopping with my brother and while walking up and down, aimlessly in Walmart and found Canyon Bakehouse Bagels on a random endcap, in the back of the store, I freaked out. 

After obsessing for 15 minutes how I wanted a bagel with cream cheese, I was told to go get the darn bagels and buy them, NOW! I kept trying to decide if 4 bagels were worth it for the cost, since gluten free is not cheap. But I decided to give in and do it, you only live once, right?? The next two days I toasted a bagel and took it to work and added cream cheese. It was heavenly. You forget how easy it is to miss something this simple. 

Saturday I decided to make Bacon, Bagel, Egg & Cheese breakfast sandwiches. They were delicious. Even though I kinda burnt the bagels they were really good. I didn't believe my non-gf hubby how good they were until Sunday morning when he asked "Can we have more breakfast bagels this morning?" I told him No, we ate all the bagels! I'd have to go to Walmart and hope they have more! So what am I doing tonight? Going to Walmart to find Canyon Bakehouse Bagels so we can have more bagel, egg, bacon & cheese sandwiches this weekend! 

You don't realize how the littlest, simplest things are the easiest to take for granted. Fingers crossed I might find the Canyon Bakehouse English muffins too! Though I do enjoy the Glutino ones when I need a burger bun, or I have an English muffin craving. 

Getting Ready for the Holidays!

Holidays are stressful, there is no doubt about that. Trying to get everyone together and have a nice family meal isn't easy! Especially if you're blending families or traditions, people get passionate about grandma's recipe, or their tried and true way to make something. 
But the moment you introduce a food allergy it changes things - and not everyone is willing to work with that change. It's easier for those of us who cook gluten free every day to adapt, but not always easy for those who love us but don't cook gluten free to adapt or fully understand. 
Try to keep calm, address the situation early and let the host know that it might be easier for you to bring your own food, so don't be offended if I don't try your great grandmother's tried and true amazing stuffing, I can't. 

Another thing to keep in mind is people may sneak flour into dishes you traditionally wouldn't, so always double check! Growing up we always made gravy with cornstarch, so my mom was befuddled to know that people use flour now a days! Her mom only ever used cornstarch, so it never crossed her mind that traditional gravy would be off limits for me now. 

Here are some products to help streamline shopping and finding what you need to make your holiday a success! - Check their site for shipping or store availability in your area. Amazon and Gluten Free Mall may also be useful so you're not driving around for hours trying to find a store that carries these products. 

Gluten Free stuffing Brands –

Aleia’s - https://www.aleias.com/product/aleias-gluten-free-savory-stuffing/

Three Bakers - https://threebakers.com/product/stuffing-mix-2/

Mrs. Crimbles - https://www.mrscrimbles.com/products/product/sage-and-onion-stuffing-mix/

William Sonoma - https://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/mariposa-baking-co-gluten-free-stuffing/

Green Giant Riced Cauliflower Stuffing - https://www.greengiant.com/products/detail/green-giant-riced-cauliflower-stuffing/

Trader Joe’s – Check local store for details.

Aldi’s – Check local store for details.

Gluten Free French Onions –

Funyuns - https://www.fritolay.com/snacks/product-page/funyuns/funyuns-onion-flavored-rings

Aldi’s – Check local store for details.

Sprouts & Wild Harvest – Check local stores for details.

Gluten Turkey Brands –

Keep in mind - Stuffing the bird with glutenFULL stuffing will contaminate the turkey! So if your family insists on stuffing the bird, bring some gluten free stuffing to do so! 

For all of these if you have questions reach out to the manufacturer - (The earlier the better) for questions on processing or anything else. 

Butterball - https://www.butterball.com/how-to/gluten-free-holiday-dinner 

Norbest - https://www.norbest.com/marketing-support/faq 

Jennie-O - Do not use the gravy that comes with it. - https://www.jennieo.com/products/collection/3-gluten-free 

Honeysuckle White - https://www.honeysucklewhite.com/products/frozen-whole-turkey/ 

Since some of you probably also want some gravy for your turkey and heck probably for the stuffing too: 

Gluten Free Gravy - 

McCormick's - https://www.mccormick.com/spices-and-flavors/recipe-mixes/gluten-free/gluten-free-turkey-gravy-mix 

William Sonoma - https://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/gluten-free-brown-gravy.html

Mayacama's - https://www.mayacamasfinefoods.com/product-list--info.html 

Pioneer Brand - http://pioneerbrand.com/gluten-free/ 

Swanson's Turkey Gravy - Does not list gluten - But is not labeled gluten free, due to processing and potential for Cross Contamination. - https://www.campbells.com/connect/faq/ 

Any gravy made from scratch can be adapted using corn starch in place of flour, or a gluten free flour, though some work better than others. 

Gluten Free Pie Crusts - 

Midel (Graham cracker crust) - https://midelcookies.com/category/products/gluten-free/

Wholly Wholesome - https://www.whollywholesome.com/ourproducts-gluten-free.php

Whole Foods Bakeshop - Check local store for details.

Pie Crust Mixes:

Bob's Redmill - https://www.bobsredmill.com/gluten-free-pie-crust-mix.html

King Arthuer - https://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/gluten-free-pie-crust-mix

Glutino - http://www.glutino.com/products/baking-mixes/perfect-pie-crust/

Hopefully some of these will help make your holiday meal prep easier and less stressful, so you can sit back and relax and enjoy some time outside the kitchen. 

Air Fryer Taquitos

I have to start by saying I LOVE Anything with Buffalo Sauce, so I had to make these with buffalo sauce. 
These were quicker and easier than I expected, and super tasty. Now only if my Air Fryer fit more than 5 of these at one time. Before starting spray the basket with cooking spray, before you place the tortilla rolls in.

As with any recipe, be sure to double check all ingredients for gluten. Most commercial blue cheese is gluten free, but be sure to check. Taquito's usually use flour tortillas, I used White Corn tortillas instead.

Ingredients: 
1 - 10oz can of Chicken
1/3rd Cup - Buffalo Sauce
1/4th Cup - Blue Cheese Crumbles
1 - 8oz Package Cream Cheese
1 - Package Corn Tortillas

Directions:

• Make sure the cream cheese is room temperature.
• Make sure the chicken is more finely chopped, as well as the blue cheese crumbles.
• Mix the Chicken, Buffalo Sauce, Blue Cheese, and Cream Cheese in a bowl until well combined and set aside.
• Scoop a heaping spoon of the mix on one end of the tortilla and spread it the length of the tortilla.
• Roll the tortilla and place seam down in the air fryer, and give a touch of oil on the top
• Cook at 370 degrees for 12 minutes. 

Totally Awesome - Really wish my air fryer made more at once, though it not making more is probably better for my waist line! So good, and quick snack option.

Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan French Fries!

I'll admit this is the first time I made French Fries from scratch. My mandolin only does hash browns so I had to manually chop the potatoes for this, which wasn't that difficult.

Ingredients:
2 Baking Potatoes
2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 Tablespoon Garlic seasoning
1/4th Cup Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:  
Peel the potatoes and chop in half width wise. Chop each half into smaller "French Fry size" pieces and toss in a medium size bowl. You will sprinkle with the oil and mix the potatoes well. Coat potatoes with seasoning and cheese, and toss into the air fryer basket. 

I cooked these at 370 degrees in the air fryer for 15 minutes, shake up the basket and set for another 15 minutes. I checked after 8 minutes, shook the basket again and let it finish up the other 7 minutes.

They turned out really good. It was only after this I was reading the cookbook that came with my Air Fryer. (I was to excited to use it I forgot to read the cookbook) I saw that they recommend you soak the potatoes in water for 30 minutes before cooking. I felt like you could skip this step, especially if you like your fries crispy but like steak fries.

Gluten Free Cream Cheese Brownies

Ok Honestly, these are my new favorite brownie recipe! I do love nice crispy brownie edges, don't get me wrong. But these are Too delicious to pass up! I adapted this recipe from Betty Crocker. Though Since I'm not a fan of their gluten free mixes I used a different mix. Worked just as well with this mix. 

Prepare the brownie mix as directed on the back of the package. Though this said use an 8x8 pan, I used a 9x9 pan. These were super tasty brownies and honestly everyone at the party loved them!

Ingredients: (In addition to brownie mix ingredients) ~ 

6 oz. Cream Cheese softened
1/3 Cup of White Sugar
1 Egg
1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Mix all ingredients, Cream Cheese, Egg, Sugar and Extract together until creamy and no lumps remain in the mix.  

Pour the brownie batter into a greased 9x9 pan. 
slowly pour the cream cheese mix over the top of the brownies slowly swirling the mix into the top layer of the brownie mix. 
Once the cream cheese is poured over and mixed to your desire, place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Check to make sure the mix looks done, If not add an additional 5-8 minutes. Once done, let them cool and keep in the fridge until ready to serve. They will not disappoint! 

Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp

I’ve used this same recipe for both baked Coconut shrimp as well as in the Air Fryer. I used Kikkoman Panko crumbs for the best results on these.

Ingredients:

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined raw

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 teaspoon Garlic seasoning

1 teaspoon onion salt

1 cup flaked coconut

½ cup panko bread crumbs

2 eggs, beaten well

3 small/medium bowls 

Directions:

Wash, peel and de-vein shrimp and pat dry.

Place cornstarch in a bowl by itself, also put the eggs beaten in their own bowl. In the final bowl mix the bread crumbs, coconut, salt, garlic and onion seasoning.

You’ll need to cover each shrimp with the cornstarch, then dip in the egg, and finally cover in the bread crumb mix. 

For baking, place each shrimp on a baking sheet and spray with a bit of spray oil, (I use Grapeseed oil). And bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

For the Air Fryer place the shrimp on a plate, spray with the oil and place in the deep fryer, I fried mine at 350 degrees for 15 minutes for raw shrimp and only 8 minutes for cooked shrimp

Quick Chicken 1 Pan Dish

This was so easy to make, I'm shocked I didn't think of this sooner. Great quick 1 pan dish for dinner. Feel free to add other ingredients for other tweaks. Spinach is a good extra to add to this as well.

Ingredients: 
1lb Chicken Breasts
1 teaspoon of Chopped Garlic
1 teaspoon onion powder
Dash Paprika
1/4th Brick of Cream Cheese
1 Cup chopped Mushrooms
1 teaspoon vegetable oil

Directions: 
Grill the chicken so it's fully cooked. While the chicken is grilling, saute the mushrooms with the garlic and vegetable oil. Once the chicken is cooked, add the chicken to the pan with the mushrooms and garlic, add the Onion powder and paprika to the pan and cook until fragrant. Chop the cream cheese into smaller cubes and place in the pan with the chicken and mushrooms. Stir until all the cream cheese is melted and well mixed up. You can add more cream cheese if needed for more "sauce". I also tend to mix  this up with different seasonings depending what flavor I'm looking for that day.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Here is a great, dump and go casserole for after work. I made this the first time and didn't add much seasoning, the 2nd time I spiced it up. What's great is you can add any savory seasonings of your choice. Finding good gluten free cream soups, heck gluten free cream soups in general are impossible. I used Imagine broccoli cream soup this time. You will need a 9x13 baking dish and some foil for baking. It seems like a lot to make this, but it's really not.

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs chopped raw chicken
1 Cup uncooked rice
1/2 a brick of cream cheese
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar cheese
1 Bag frozen broccoli 
16 oz Cream soup
1/2 Cup Water 
1 Teaspoon garlic
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
Dash Onion Powder
Dash cayenne pepper 
Cooking Spray


Directions:
First off spray the bottom of your pan with Pam (Or like spray) Pam Original, (non-baking spray) is gluten free. Next you want to chop up your chicken, and set it aside. Mix the cream soup, cream cheese and water together and pour into the casserole dish. Next place the chicken, rice and broccoli in the dish and mix it up real good. Add in your seasonings, plus any others you like to add to chicken. Next mix in the cheddar cheese and sprinkle the top with any extra. Make sure to cover Tightly with foil and place in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour. After popping this in the oven I decided to do my workout/yoga session, I had 60 minutes to spare!

Wine Gummies!

This is a new party favorite of mine, and it's pretty easy to make! I got some Lego silicone ice cube trays for Christmas. So I used those this time. I do have a kit for making Snoopy gummies that I've used previously also. The one thing I wish I did have for these is an eye dropper to make this less messy, but a deep ladle of a spoon works too. 

Ingredients:

1/2 Cup Wine of your choice.
2.5 TableSpoons (or 2.5 packets) of Knox Gelatin
1/4 cup white Sugar

Directions: 
Place 1/2 cup of wine in a sauce pan, and heat on medium heat. Be sure wine gets warm, but does not boil. While wine is warming pour in the gelatin mix, being sure to whisk the entire time so the gelatin doesn't start to clump while pouring in.
Once all the gelatin is mixed in and dissolved into the wine mixture, start slowly adding in the sugar, again maintain whisking the mixture so the sugar doesn't clump. Keep doing this until the liquid is clear again and not clumped with sugar. 
Some more sparkling wines will get a foamy residue at the top, that's fine, that will show up in your item but doesn't change the taste. 
Once your liquid is clear not cloudy, turn off the heat and quickly spoon the mix into silicone molds. Or if you have an eye dropper, you can use that to fill the molds. You must work quickly cause the mix will start to harden once the heat is removed. 

Place the molds in the fridge for 20-25 minutes before you remove the shapes from the mold to serve. They can be kept in the fridge or at room temperature. The ones below were in the fridge about 30 minutes before removing them from the mold and placed in a bowl for serving. Be sure if wine has not boiled they will have alcohol in them, so please make sure to only serve to the adults at your party!

Chili Dog Casarole

This is a super easy meal that honestly anyone can make. I made this the other night, as the temperatures were turning colder, and I had an errand to run. Started this, threw it in the oven as my fiance got home, and told him to pull it out when the oven dinged! Super easy and I was home right after he pulled it out. Turned out amazing. 

Ingredients:

• 3 Cans Hormel Chili with beans. (Careful the Hormel Chili w/o beans is not Gluten Free!!)
• 6 Hot dogs, chopped up
• ½ a bag of Ore Ida Tater Tots
• 1 package shredded Cheddar cheese
• Optional: Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Take a casserole dish, 10x10 or so in size, pour in 1 can of chili and evenly spread on the bottom of the dish.
2. Next layer in 3 chopped up hotdogs, and top with the 2^nd can of chili.
3. Repeat this step one more time, layering the rest of the hot dogs and the 3^rd can of chili.
4. Sprinkle the top with cheddar cheese.
5. Next layer Tater tots laying on their side to cover the entire dish, and sprinkle with some more cheese.

Set the oven to 370 degrees and bank for about 45-50 minutes. When you take it out it will be bubbly and hot. I served it up in bowls, and added extra cheese to the top. If you like you could even add a dollop of sour cream to the top!

Chicken Tater Crockpot

Ingredients: 

• One 32 Ounce Bag of Frozen tater tots
• 6 slices of your favorite bacon
• 3 Large Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts, Cut into 1 inch Cubes.
• 2 cups shredded Cheese blend of your choice
• 2/3 cup of Milk
• 1/2 teaspoon Adobo Seasoning

Instructions:

1.  Chop up the uncooked Chicken, and sprinkle with Adobo Seasoning
2. Fry Bacon until Cooked, Remove to a paper towel lined Plate. Crumble into small pieces and set it aside.
3. Spray some non-stick cooking Spray, (Make sure it's cooking spray, not baking spray so it's gluten free) inside the crockpot
4. Pour about half the Frozen Tater tots into the crock pot, and spread them across the bottom. Top the potatoes with 1/3rd of the cheese and 1/2 the crumbled bacon.
5. Place uncooked chicken on top of the cheese and potato layer. Top chicken with more of the cheese, being careful not to use all of it yet.
6. Pour the remaining tater tots over the chicken and cheese layer. Top with Remaining bacon and cheese. 
7. Pour the 2/3rd cup of milk over the top of  the dish.
8. Set the crock pot to either HIGH for 3 hours or LOW for 6 hours. Or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, serve warm.

Personally something I did on this recipe didn’t work as intended. I only say that because it came out so salty tasting! I had added some low sodium Adobe seasoning to the chicken, but I don’t think that was the issue. Maybe it was the bacon I used.

Easy Philly CheeseSteak Stuffed Peppers

I have to start of by saying I LOVE Steak-umms. I'm so glad I found out they are gluten free!! What's great about using Steak-umm's is how easy this meal was to make! It was pretty much a 30 minute meal, from start to finish.

Ingredients:  

2 Large peppers
1 Cup shredded mozzarella or provolone cheese

3 cloves garlic minced
1 medium onion, chopped (Optional)
1 cup diced mushrooms
1 package of Steak’Umms
2Tbs olive oil OR 2 Tbs of unsalted butter

Dash of salt to taste
Dash of black pepper to taste 

Dash of Onion Powder 

 Set the Oven to 425 degrees. 

1 - Heat a frying pan with add the Olive Oil or butter, and minced garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the garlic is aromatic.

2 - Add the Mushrooms and Onions to saute for 10-12 minutes. 

3 - While the mushrooms are saute'ing cut off the top of your peppers and clear out the seed. If you're not as hungry, you could cut the peppers in half and make half portions of peppers.

4 - Once the Mushrooms are nice and soft add the Steak'Umm slices one by one, breaking them up into pieces as they get hot.

5 - Once the mixture is the amount of meat to mushroom consistency you want, turn off the burner.

6 - Sprinkle a layer of cheese in the bottom of the peppers, then layer 2 spoons of the mix on top, alternating between cheese and meat on each layer. 

7 - Finish the top layer with cheese and pop into your baking dish, and place in the oven for 15 minutes. Since the mixture is mostly cooked you'll only have to cook 15 minutes to soften the peppers and help melt the cheese mixture.

8 - Enjoy!

A look on the inside of doing a whole pepper. I feel like I could have added more steak, but this was still Very Filling, and so good. Any pepper will do the trick. The second time I made these I used Enjoya peppers. They are tasty and complimented the filling perfectly.

Potato Cheese Soup

Here is a "Souper" easy Crockpot Soup for a cold day. I love potato cheese soup, I could eat it every day and be happy. I found this recipe and modified it to my liking. 

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of Ore-Ida Diced hash browns
• 4 cups of chicken Broth
• 1 box/can of Condensed Cream of Chicken soup (I used Pacific Brand)
• 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 container of cream cheese
• 1tsp of McCormick's Bacon Chive seasoning
• 2 tsps of corn starch (Optional)

 Directions:

1. Pop the bag of diced hash browns in the crockpot.
2. Add the chicken broth and condense chicken soup to the pot and turn on High.
3. Add in the McComick's Bacon Chive seasoning.
4. Cook in the crockpot on High for 3 hours.
5. At 3 hours add slices of the cream cheese and 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese to the mixture and mix well.
1. Set timer for 1 hour and stir every 20 minutes
6. If after 1 more hour the soup is not to the desired thickness, add in 2 tsps of corn starch and let it cook for 20 more minutes. 
7. Once to the desired thickness you can serve. It's up to you if you want to garnish with any chives, or extra cheese. 

Meatloaf Ala Gluten Free

Gluten Free Meatloaf - 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 lbs Ground Beef
• 6 oz Gluten Free Stuffing Mix
• 2 Eggs
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup Ketchup
• 1/2 cup BBQ Sauce
• 3TBS of Worcester
• Onion chopped
• Tsp Garlic
• 4 slices sharp Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. You will want to mix Ground Beef, Stuffing, Eggs, water and Worcester sauce and chopped onion together in a bowl.
2. In a separate bowl mix the BBQ Sauce, Ketchup and Garlic. 
3. split the mixture into two halves. 
4. Work the 1st half into the bottom of your pan and poor on half the BBQ sauce mixture on this layer.
5. Add the 4 slices of the cheddar cheese on the bbq sauce mixture.
6.  Work the 2nd half of the meat mixture on the previous layer in the pan.
7. Add remaining BBQ Sauce mixture to the top and place in the oven.
8. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour

I improvised and used a round [pan instead of a loaf pan, but it all tastes the same in the long run!
Served with home made mashed potatoes, Viola! a great meal for a cold night in!

Crockpot Chili for Two

As the weather is getting colder Chili always hits the spot. Plus in my house growing up on Halloween we'd go Trick-Or-Treating, come home to mom's chili, and then head out for more goodies once we warmed up! 

This was so easy it was dummy proof. So we’re not big on the set and forget, and go to work aspect of the crock pot. Set and forget, while at home, totally. So on my loving boyfriends work from home days I get up a little earlier prepare him breakfast, and set the crockpot for dinner. 

The day before you’ll need to brown your ground beef. I personally add a bit of garlic or onion powder to spice of the meat. 

  

Ingredients 
1 Can Joan of Arc Kidney Beans

1 8oz can of Contadina tomato Sauce

1 packet of McCormick’s Chili Seasoning

1 lb of Ground Beef

1 teaspoon of diced garlic

1 tomato Diced

½ a cup of water

Optional:

½ an onion diced
½ a green or red pepper diced

In the morning I combined everything, Ground Beef, seasoning packet, water, diced tomato, tomato sauce, garlic and kidney beans. Set the crockpot on low and let it simmer for 6 hours. If you are around while it's cooking I might suggest stirring every few hours. though it was fine not stirred when I came home, but the top was a little more well done then the rest.
 

The one issue was the water mostly cooked out, so I had to add about another ½ cup and simmer a bit longer when I was ready to serve.

 

Top with your favorite topping, Sour Cream and Cheese are my favorites!