Swamp Chili - Chef Matt Video Recipe

Get out of the way Swamp Chef, this next recipe packs a whole lotta flavor. Chef Matt's easy & quick Beef Chili with Beans is worth coming out of the swamp for. 

Along with the Cajun Trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery, plus ground beef, the other ingredients come from the can. Spices are strictly dried and easy to get.

Click on any photo to see larger.

Instead of a precut Trinity, it's easy enough to buy the veggies cheaper and chop them yourself, you may save a buck or so.

You can bring this recipe to that table in about half an hour! This is how he does it easily after a shift of cooking at a restaurant in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Although this Beef Chili cooks quicker than the chomp of a bayou alligator it has a deep chili flavor. Don't take my word for it, just stay until the end of the recipe video where the family give their own testimonials - take it from Mom, Miles, Zak, Mrs 99 Cent Chef (Linda), and the Swamp Chef himself.

Mrs. 99 Cent Chef & Mom

Ground beef is the most expensive ingredient. You can use lighter ground turkey that is on sale, too. 

Most of the flavor comes from canned chili beans, chili powder, and dried Italian herbs.

He adds Louisiana Hot Sauce of course, but you can keep it mild for the youngsters and leave it out, just make sure to have a bottle on the table for heat-loving adults and teenagers.

Chef Matt & Swamp Chef pick up Louisiana Hot Sauce.

Now, some prefer their Beef Chili without beans, I guess you could leave out the beans but I would give this version a try, especially topped with sour cream, shredded cheese, and chopped green onion.

Tomato is the base and Chef Matt uses two 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes. Of course, with most of Chef Matt's recipes, he throws in a 10-ounce can of Ro-Tel which has tomato plus chopped green chiles.

Chili Beans come from the can as well. I still get all the canned ingredients cheaply.

Once the ground beef and fresh veggies are cooked for a few minutes, the rest of the ingredients are poured in or sprinkled on and simmered for 20 minutes, that's it.

Check out Chef Matt's latest budget recipe of Beef Chili with Beans that I know your family will enjoy, just like mine and the Swamp Chef's!

Chef Matt's Swamp Beef Chili with Beans - VIDEO     Play it here, video runs 7 minutes, 52 seconds.

My YouTube video link for viewing or embedding, just click here.

Ingredients

• Ground Beef - 2 pounds. Okay to use ground poultry for a lighter Swamp Chili
• 1 Onion - chopped.
• 1 Bell Pepper - chopped.
• 1 Celery Stalk - chopped.
• Garlic - 1 tablespoon chopped.
• Crushed Tomatoes - Two 28-ounce cans. Okay to use tomato sauce.
• Ro Tel - 10-ounce can, optional. Ro Tel is chopped tomato with green chiles.
• Chili Beans - 2 cans 16 ounces each.  Chef Matt likes the brand called Bushes Chili Beans which are Pinto Beans in a Mild Chili Sauce. Any favorite cheap brand is fine, even plain Pinto Beans.
• Dried Italian Seasonings - 2 teaspoons. Okay to use any favorite herbs.
• Onion Powder - 1 tablespoon.
• Chili Powder - 2 tablespoons. Paprika Powder is a good substitute as the flavors are similar.
• Salt - 2 tablespoons. That's too much for me, but Chef Matt likes his salt. Okay to use half the amount or less.
• Louisiana Hot Sauce - about 5 dashes or a teaspoon. Optional. Okay to use any favorite hot sauce.

*Extra Toppings include shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onions. I also like chopped yellow onions and sliced black olives.

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, saute ground beef for about 5 minutes. Break apart into small pieces. Okay to drain and remove some of the rendered fat. (Ground Turkey or Chicken is lean so there's no fat to drain.)

Add chopped veggies and garlic to a pot of ground beef. Saute a couple of minutes.

Add 2 cans of crushed or chopped tomatoes and a can of Ro Tel (optional).

Add 2 cans of Chili Beans. You can use almost any favorite canned beans since Chef Matt adds extra Chili Powder.

Sprinkle on dried Italian seasoning, onion powder, chili powder, salt, and hot sauce.

Okay to reduce or eliminate salt amount, as I find using canned ingredients adds plenty of salt to my taste. When adding hot sauce start with half the amount, taste, and adjust to your heat tolerance.

Mix well, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes. This is the kind of recipe you can keep at a low temperature as long as you like, add a little water if it cooks down too much.

When Beef Chili with Beans is done serve with a selection of toppings. I like shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped onions, and sliced black olives.

🌹Mother's Day Recipe Videos - 89 & Still Cooking 💖

 I owe it all to Mom, at least where I get my cooking chops (and any good sense I have). Just check out our cooking videos below to see what I mean.

She grew up in Texas on the Gulf Coast, in a small shrimping and fishing town called Port O'Connor. There, I learned to love seafood.

Her father was a shrimp boat captain, so we had all the fresh-caught seafood Big Daddy would bring home, including shrimp that fell off the big boat's conveyor belt while unloading his catch. 

Port O'Connor Slideshow

Shrimp season was short, but crab and oyster season soon followed. And you could always cast a line into the warm Gulf waters and marshes for bountiful fishing.

Big Daddy & Big Mama

The following recipe comes from her parent's kitchen, Shrimp and Rice. It uses locally caught shrimp, cheap canned tomato paste, and rice. We always had creamy pinto beans, and flour tortillas to scoop up all the deliciousness. Our family seldom had steak as it was too expensive, but we had all the Gulf seafood we could eat. Looking back I didn't realize how good we had it !

Mom's Shrimp & Rice - VIDEO

Mom had movie-star looks (like a young Elizabeth Taylor) and smarts, and a scholarship to college if she wanted it, but had no encouragement from her parents.

So after high school graduation, she was soon married and I arrived on the scene, followed by my brother and sister.

Billy, Berry, and Brenda

My Dad was in the military so we moved around. Mom and us kids eventually settled back in Port O'Connor, after a divorce. Dad was quite a character and the life of the party, but he was also a little too profligate in the alcohol consumption department.

Billy Doyle Robinson

Mom went back to work as a waitress, so I learned how to literally pinch pennies when she poured handfuls of customer tips on the kitchen table for us kids to separate and count.

Mom got back on her feet and found love again with this shuffleboard-playing fellow below, Ken.

After a couple years, Mom married Ken and a final sister was born (catch up with youngest sister Denise's Eggplant Recipe, video here).

We moved to neighboring Louisiana the year I enrolled in Junior High School. There she picked up a whole other way of cooking, Cajun-style.

My high school daze was spent in Gonzales, Louisiana, the self-professed Jambalaya Capital of the World. So you know this town is serious about chow. Click here to see a culinary video tour of some local Cajun cuisine at the weekend Flea Market, including Crawfish Pie, Boudin Balls, and, of course, Jambalaya.

And here's our first video we made together in my Los Angeles kitchen - and my late wife, Amy, even makes an appearance at the very end of the video. You'll get a kick out of Mom rockin' the cast-iron kettle. I make her Cajun Jambalaya more than any other recipe - it's simply delicious.

Jambalaya - Recipe Video

Here is a link to her Jambalaya recipe with text and yummy photos.

Mom was always popular with my high school buddies, especially during lunch or dinner time. She brought her Tex-Mex Enchiladas to Cajun Country, and my Louisiana friend Marvin ate them up!

Me, Marvin & Dennis

During a recent Louisiana visit, I had him over when I filmed Mom making Tex-Mex Enchilidas. Marvin liked the Enchiladas so much, he had a flashback to our high school daze.

Make sure to watch my wacky recipe video to the end, that's when our flashback hijinx really gets smoking (wink, nudge).

Mom's Chili Cheese Enchiladas - Recipe Video

Mom takes a star turn with her next video recipe, her popular Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

It's a traditional Southern dish and it's cheap, too. Just chicken, sausage, and the Cajun veggie trinity of bell pepper, celery, and onion. What gives Gumbo its unique taste is a dark brown roux, which is flour cooked in oil until chocolate brown.

Just check out the video below - Mom will take you through the steps. And, as an added bonus, my oldest sister Brenda makes a nagging appearance a few minutes in.

Gumbo - Recipe Video

Click here to read all about making Mom's homemade Gumbo, from roux to rice!

My Mom's Cajun Potato Salad is the perfect side to her Gumbo and Jambalaya. When she visited me in Los Angeles I got her to do it on camera. I couldn't help but give her a hard time about the recipe. I called it Cajun Mashed Potatoes and she called it Cajun Potato Salad - well, I guess you'll have to watch the video below to see who wins that argument!

Mom's Cajun Potato Salad - Recipe Video

I satiate my sweet tooth during visits with Mom. And the best of her pastry delights are Mini-Pecan Pies. If I couldn't make it for the Christmas holiday, then she would send a shoe-boxed size package with a dozen of these tasty pies.

Mom attracts a kitchen full of hungry relatives when these pies come hot out of the oven. And it's a miracle they were done right because this Chef de Shutterbug was shoving a camera in her face (and a hot oven) during the whole procedure. We butted heads a few times, but fortunately, it all turned out fine.

I even came up with a way to dodge the high prices for pecans - so check out the video below to learn my budget secrets.

Mini-Pecan Pie - Recipe Video

And click here to see Mom's Mini-Pecan Pies recipe with text and tasty photos.

Mom has lived half her life in Gonzales, Louisiana. She is a big local sports fan and you can always find her following her teams the New Orleans Saints football and recently the Pelicans basketball. I've learned not to touch the third rail sports rivalry L.A. Lakers and Rams West Coast vs the South...well, sometimes we have a good-natured spat!

One of my visits there fell on Christmas, and she pulled out all the stops with a huge holiday spread, that included Pumpkin Pie. I got her on video making it, and it turned out perfect, as you will see below.

The recipe is a traditional one made with simple ingredients. The pumpkin came from a can, but the crust was handmade with wheat flour, based on her beloved, late sister-in-law, Cindy's recipe.

Pumpkin Pie - Recipe Video 

All the easy-to-follow steps are written out here, and with delish photos, too.

Now, Mom is no angel -- hey, who is? Recently my brother from another daddy, the Swamp Chef, with his Spanish moss and all.

Me, Mom & Swamp Chef

When I asked Mom: "Who's the Swamp Chef's daddy?" Her reply was: "That's a very good question!" I guess Mom will spill the beans one day, until then, check out the video below for a dessert good enough to cajole the Swamp Chef out of the bayou!

Cherry Pie - Recipe Video

Happy Mother's Day to all of you lovely ladies, and especially to my Mom - I love you!

🍤 National Shrimp Day - Recipes & Reviews 🍤

  My earliest edible memories are from Shrimp. I grew up on the Gulf Coast in a small sportsman's paradise town in Texas called Port O'Connor. We would have Shimp-based meals morning, noon, and night because my grandfather (on my mother's side) was a Shrimp boat captain.

Mom & Shrimp Boat in Port O'Connor, Texas

 Big Daddy would bring in a box or two of fresh-caught whole Shrimp from his Gulf expeditions during Shrimp Season to eat that week or freeze for later. 

Port O'Connor Shrimp 

We had Shrimp boiled, fried, and grilled. Looking back I now realize how good we had it, but at the time it was so normal that our version of a special meal was a hamburger, not seafood!

My Mom learned Tex-Mex Shrimp cooking and the first recipe I remember was her Shrimp and Rice (click on any recipe name to see my recipe blog post) and always served with Homemade Pinto Beans.

It is a simple recipe, mainly Shrimp, rice, tomato sauce, and a few veggies like onion and garlic. Check out my Mom's recipe below and make it her way.

When I visit Port O'Connor these days my favorite breakfast is a Shrimp Taco from a local restaurant called Josie's Mexican Food. 

I highly recommend one if you are ever in the area, however, I do have a recipe so you can make your own anytime. 

Large Shrimp are expensive, but lately, I can get them at my local Latin Market Superior Grocers for less than 5 bucks per pound. Every once in a while I find single-serving packages of frozen cheap small Bay Shrimp at my local Dollar Tree.

Our family moved to Louisiana when I started high school. Now, Louisiana has its own way of preparing a Cajun Shrimp meal. My entry entree to Louisiana cuisine was the Po'Boy Sandwich. When I visit Louisiana now I always go to Mike's Po-boys in Gonzales, Louisiana. My favorite is a Fried Shrimp and Oyster Po'boy Sandwich.

It is similar to a deli Subway Sandwich. Basically a French bread roll plus fried seafood, and dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickle, and mayo. 

Most fried seafood in the South has a cornmeal coating instead of flour, so the bites are extra crunchy. I have a Fried Catfish recipe that you can substitute with peeled Shrimp, just click here to see how we do it.

All along the U.S. coasts, most communities have Seafood Boils consisting of shellfish and veggies like corn and potatoes covered with water and flavored with a package of spicy spices. 

In Louisiana, they boil crawfish and shrimp with sausage, too. 

Normally the veggies and sausage are boiled until done, then at the end add whole raw shrimp. Shrimp only takes 5 minutes to cook through. If you like your Shrimp spicy, turn off the heat and let them sit in the spicy broth for another 5 to 10 minutes.

You know how to peel a shrimp, right? Grocery stores sell their Shrimp peeled or unpeeled, peeled Shrimp are more expensive, so I usually buy shell-on and peel them myself.

If you buy shrimp with shells and heads, it's easy to pinch off the head first. Next, remove a couple of shell segments, peeling them away where the legs connect. Finally, pinch the tail and pull off the remaining shell. Your speed of peeling will get faster and easier with practice.

The dirty little secret of Shrimp is the digestive tract that runs along the back. Some Shrimp have them and others may not show one. They taste a little like dirt. If you look along the back of a peeled shrimp you can sometimes see the small black string of the digestive tract.

For boiled Shrimp, you obviously don't remove the digestive string. My Mom likes to remove them when she fries Shrimp. It's up to you if you want to remove it. Smaller Shrimp do not have one that you can detect.

If you peel head-on Shrimp look out for the sharp spine jutting from the top of the head when you go to pinch if off. It's sharp like the tip of barbed wire.

Louisiana has a couple of regional Shrimp recipes I know you will like from my nephew Matt, who cooks in Bergeron's City Market, an award-winning Baton Rouge restaurant.

Matt's recipe of Shrimp and Cheese Grits is the bomb! We always have a good time making cooking videos together, and sometimes things do get a bit out of control as the video below will testify to. I brought the beer and Chef Matt barely got through the recipe due to my bad influence, so check it out below.

New England has Clam Chowder, and Louisiana has Shrimp and Corn Soup. Check out how Chef Matt makes this local specialty soup, so rich and creamy.

A Shrimp Slider is tiny and tasty. I used a small package of cheap cooked Bay Shimp and mixed in mayo, bread crumbs, onion, celery, and some egg to make a Shrimp Patty. Click here to read all about it. 

Shrimp frozen meals are hit or miss, but I found a couple of good ones. The following frozen meal reviews use products I found a few years ago.

On my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best, my rating of Lean Cuisine's Shrimp & Angel Hair Pasta gets a....well, click here to read about the rating.

My next frozen Deal of the Day has a very high rating. Just how high is a click away, here. Shrimp & Orzo courtesy of Contessa packs a lot of flavor in a small bowl.

I'll leave you with a little levity. I once took a Vegas trip years ago when they had 99-cent Shrimp Cocktails in casinos. Seeing is believing so make sure to check out my Vegas video below. The Shrimp Cocktail scene starts a couple of minutes in.