Try Out Our Recipes

Using Star City Chili Seasoning

Please experiment with this recipe! Use more or less Star City Chili seasoning and jalapeño, depending on your preference.

Try substituting black beans for the pinto beans.

Any way you go about it, I think you will find this recipe to be unique, with an earthy goodness about it.

I believe that all chili tastes better the next day, after all the flavors have had time to get to know each other. I’m pretty sure it’s magic.

Makes 4 servings

Here’s what you need:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 4 tablespoons Star City Chili Seasoning  
• 2 cans stewed tomatoes
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can pinto beans

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Brown meat, adding onion and green pepper about half way through.
• Stir in Star City Chili seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes, and jalapeño. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer for 30 minutes.Stir in beans. Simmer for about 1 hour.

Serve with:

• Sour cream
• Shredded cheese
• Tortilla chips
• Corn chips
• Cornbread

Optional toppings:

• Chopped green onions
• Cilantro

 Using Taco Bueno Seasoning

Credit for the name goes to Kate Henretta LeGault. 

If you try this, I know you’ll love it. It’s easy, dirt cheap, and deee-lish. It also feeds an army!

I apologize in advance for my measurement approximations, but that’s how I usually cook.

Here’s what you need:

• A rotisserie chicken from the grocery store
• Get the meat off and shred it. I usually get a good 2 cups of meat.
• About a half cup of cream cheese
• About a cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
• You can use Mexican blend if you’re feeling frisky.
• A cup or more of enchilada sauce
• 2 tablespoons of Taco Bueno Seasoning
• 16 to 24 refrigerated croissant rolls
• The number depends on how much you stuff in them.

Here’s how to make it happen:

• Preheat your oven to 345 degrees.
• Combine both cheeses and the enchilada sauce in a microwaveable bowl.
• Nuke it for maybe a minute — just long enough for the cheeses to get a little melty.
• Stir in the chicken and Taco Bueno Seasoning. At this point, you figure out if my guesstimates have worked for you. Add a little more enchilada sauce or cheddar cheese, if you want. It’s all good.
• Put a heaping tablespoon (or soup spoon, or ladle, or whatever) of the mix onto the wide part of the croissant. Pull up those two corners. Roll that sucker up like you know what you’re doing.
• Oh yeah… Don’t forget to either spray your cookie sheet with Pam or use parchment paper to keep them from sticking and so your family won’t hate you for ruining these puffs of love.
• Sprinkle each puff with some more shredded cheddar. It’ll melt and look really cool — and it’s all about the presentation.
• Bake them until they’re done. Helpful, right? For my oven (and I love my oven), I let them go for about 15 minutes, and then turn on the “convection bake” function. That makes them look like the ones in the picture.

Serving suggestions:

• I usually serve “yellow rice”, like Zatarain’s or Mahatma with the puffs.
• Sometimes, I turn it into Black Beans and Rice by adding a can of (rinsed and drained) black beans and some good salsa.
• You can also just add some baby peas.
• If you REALLY need veggies, I guess you could do a salad.

You thought this was a nice Mexican meal, didn’t you? Well, I’m going all international and multicultural with it:

Obviously, the enchilada sauce and TACO BUENO seasoning speak of Mexican (or Texican). But croissants are French, right? Can’t get more American than cheddar cheese and rotisserie chicken from Wal-Mart. Where is cream cheese from? Let’s call it Scandinavian. Yeah, that feels right. And there’s fake saffron in that yellow rice, so there’s your Middle-Eastern influence.

I’m goin’ worldwide, baby!

Using Campfire Chili Seasoning

Campfire Chili Seasoning is my take on the classic chili flavors that we all love

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This recipe calls for a combination of Italian sausage and ground beef. I encourage you to try your own mix of proteins, or just simplify it by using 2 pounds of ground beef.

Adjust the heat by adding more jalapeño, or omitting it. If you don’t have red wine, well, go buy some. It makes a difference. 

I believe that all chili tastes better the next day, after all the flavors have had time to get to know each other. I’m pretty sure it’s magic.

Makes 8 servings

• 6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage
• 2 cups chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 8 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound ground sirloin
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Campfire Chili seasoning 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1-1/4 cups merlot or other fruity red wine
• 2 28 ounce cans whole tomatoes, undrained and coarsely chopped
• 2 15 ounce cans kidney beans, drained
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp Cheddar cheese

• Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Remove casings from sausage. Add sausage, onion, and the next 4 ingredients (onion through jalapeño) to pan; cook 8 minutes or until sausage and beef are browned, stirring to crumble.
• Add brown sugar and Campfire Chili seasoning, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
• Stir in wine, tomatoes, and kidney beans; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• Uncover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Sprinkle each serving with cheddar cheese.

• Shredded cheese
• Chopped green onions
• Sour cream
• Fresh chopped cilantro