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There’s little better than a nice bowl of chili to warm you up on a cold day. This recipe is a bit non-traditional, but it is satisfying and rather quick and easy to put together. I could eat chili most any time of year, though many people like to save it for the colder months. As often as I cook chili, though, I am on the lookout for creative variations on the traditional recipe, and this is a nice one.

Here’s what our friends over at Domesticate Me had to say about this amazing chili:

I’m pleased to report that this chili is a vegan wonder, but you can easily beef things up with any type of meat you have handy. I’ve made it at least four times over the past few weeks with different fillings, and it never disappoints. Try simmering it with top round steak, ground turkey, shredded chicken, lightly browned chorizo or some spicy chicken sausage. (The Dude really lost his cool over the chicken sausage version.) Feel free to get creative.

 

Recipe and photo courtesy of Domesticate Me

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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of chili powder and crushed red pepper to your taste.

It may not be your typical chicken alfredo recipe, but this Cajun Chicken Alfredo is delicious. It contains just the right amount of spice to wake up the flavor a bit, but the spice is nicely balanced with half and half, so that even people very sensitive to spice will have no trouble enjoying this recipe. I do love Cajun recipes of all types, but ones like these are especially good for midweek nights when you want something really quick and need to keep cleanup to a minimum. I wouldn’t call this traditional alfredo, but it is certainly a yummy one-pot meal!

I must say I hesitated for a while when I came across this recipe. I do enjoy Chicken Alfredo as much as I do cajun seasoning, but had never thought of combining the two. Turns out it was a great idea!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Recipe Critic

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Quick tip: Use your favorite pasta noodles and cheese for this dish.

If you have some boneless, skinless chicken breasts that you need to use, and you want to kick it up a notch without too much of a time or labor investment, give this Cajun Chicken & Rice recipe a try. Some recipes from Louisiana and the Deep South can be real labors of love. This one is rather quick and easy, yet it still serves up plenty of good Cajun flavor. It makes for a great weeknight dinner option.

I opted to go without the cheddar cheese (which you add at the end, if using), as I wanted a bit of a cleaner, more spicy dish. If you want the dish to be a bit on the softer and creamier side, or if you just really love cheese, then you will want to include it. It’s a delicious recipe, either way – just a matter of your personal preference.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Kevin & Amanda

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Quick tip: Go with the mild Ro-Tel unless you want the dish to be REALLY spicy; hot Ro-Tel tomatoes are properly HOT.

If you want a fairly easy, delicious cake to bake, but you don’t want to settle for working with a mix, this Louisiana Crunch Cake is a nice choice. It’s a great Southern cake recipe that has become the favorite of so many bakers over the years.

I’m not sure exactly why this is considered a “crunch” cake. Maybe it’s the soft but crisp texture of the coconut? I just know that it is really moist, soft, buttery, and topped with a yummy buttercream glaze. I happen to think that it’s even better than the cake of the same name sold under the Entenmann’s brand. Even people who aren’t big fans of coconut will find plenty to love about this cake, and you don’t exactly have to be a master baker to make it, even though it is 100% from scratch.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Brown Sugar

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Quick tip: Use a regular or angel food bundt cake pan for this recipe.

Lovers of more traditional Italian spaghetti and meat sauce may cringe a bit when they see this at first, but don’t worry: you can love your original spaghetti recipe and still find plenty to enjoy about this Wild West Spaghetti.  This dish can be ready in about half an hour, meaning you can find time for it on even your more hectic days.

I do love the version of traditional spaghetti meat sauce that Mother used to make, and I still do make it frequently.  It’s good for when you have a fair bit of free time to make something that will provide a meal or two a day for several days.  You do have to be patient with it, though.  This Wild West spaghetti works much better if you are in a particular rush or if you just want to mix things up a bit from the traditional.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Taste and Tell

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Quick tip: Adjust the amount of hot sauce to your liking.

My husband is begging me to make these twice a week.

This Buttermilk Fried Chicken is a classically Southern twist on the usual American fried chicken recipe.  It makes for a great main course for lunch or dinner at home, but with the right sides, it also makes for great picnic and tailgate food. My great-grandmother in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, made some fabulous buttermilk fried chicken.  Alas, she closely guarded all of her best recipes (to the point, in some cases, of going to different grocery stores for different groups of ingredients, so no one person working there would have the full list of ingredients) and would only share them with fellow culinary artists who were very close to her.

Unfortunately, she passed away before I properly got into cooking.  I can’t say for sure that it’s an exact match (time blurs certain details and enhances others), but this buttermilk fried chicken does come close to her old recipe, at the very least, and I assure you that it is quite delicious.

I mean, all you can do is make this recipe for yourself and sample it. I guarantee you won’t be sorry! Grandma certainly knew what she was doing in the kitchen and her recipes prove this sentiment time and time again. Enjoy!

Recipe and photo courtesy of Jo Cooks

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Quick tip: Mashed potatoes are the perfect side dish for these!

Well, I Haven’t Had These Quite Like This Before – WOW!

Forget making them the plain way – kick the appetizer tray up a notch and make some Breaded Deep-Fried Deviled Eggs.  Sure to wow your palate, neither you nor anyone else will be bored by these yummy treats.

These will be the center of attention at the dinner table, but not for long. They will be gone in a heartbeat! You could say that deviled eggs are victims of their own success in a way.  Though they look just lovely on a plate and could hardly be said to taste bad as-is (if you like egg and a touch of spicy flavor, that is), they’ve become such a commonly seen and eaten item at parties and tailgates that they’re kind of a yawner.  “Oh, okay, great.  Now what’s next?”

Well, it turns out, with just a little twist (an extra step or two, basically), you can make this classic but a bit clichéd party food item into something extra-savory and exciting. I’ve made these for a few parties already, and they were a great success!

Recipe and photo courtesy of The Temptations

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Quick tip: If chili powder isn’t your favorite, use pepper instead.