PANAMA CITY — Take a break from the traditional turkey, ham and holiday casseroles in between Thanksgiving and Christmas by staying warm with simple comforts.
Chili is an easy weeknight meal, often served with cornbread in the South. Put out an assortment of toppings, including corn chips, cheese and sour cream, and let the family customize their own bowls.
Finding myriad uses for one dish also gives cooks a break during the busy holiday season. Leftover chili can be used on chili dogs or served on a bowl of rice topped with green onions.
Panama Ale House Bar & Grill, 448 Harrison Ave. in downtown Panama City, serves sides of Ale House Home Style Chili topped with sour cream, bacon and jalapenos by request.
On Monday, I had a bowl of Ale House Home Style Chili with the restaurant’s usual topping of pepper jack and red onion, as well as fresh red and green bell peppers.
The chili, a bed for the Carne Asada Burritos, also is reduced down for a thicker topping on the Detroit Coney Dogs, Kobe burgers, Sidewinders fries and Nachos. Monday’s special included the Chili Philly.
“It’s just a regular Philly with chili, pepper jack and shredded ribeye,” said Adam Sterling, who co-owns Panama Ale House with his girlfriend, Beth Holman. “I think it’s kind of a balanced chili, not overly spicy, but a little kick to it.”
Sterling’s mom, Robin Miklowski, has been coming into the restaurant a few days during the week to make the chili.
“It’s so good. I smell it cooking all day,” server Amber Wazlavek. “His mom comes in and makes it from scratch.”
Miklowski still lives part of the year in their homestate of Michigan.
“I come down every winter for 6 or 7 months,” she said. “My parents came down when they retired, and I fell in love with it. I told myself some day I will live here, and every day I drive over the bridge it’s my own personal heaven on earth. I love the water. I love it here.”
Though Miklowski admits she is “not someone who loves to do tons of cooking,” she has always enjoyed making soup — and chili.
“My dad is a wonderful soup maker. I kinda learned from him. Soup is one thing I love to make,” she admitted. “I’ve made chili for years, just by tasting it. Ultimately, it got to a place where I stuck with it. When I do it at home, I do it with nacho chips a lot of the time. And I take a smaller amount of chili and melt it down with Velveeta and it makes a good dip.”
About three years ago, she started adding cilantro to her chili recipe, which also uses V-8, original and spicy.
“I love it. I just tried it and it made sense to me,” said Miklowski, who sometimes substitutes Bloody Mary mix. “I never liked beans that well, so I just put a minimum in to satisfy people who do. I think the thing that makes it is the pepper jack and the sharp cheddar on it. I add a little more sharp and you can add a little sour cream.”
Baked beans make an easy side for chili burgers or chili dogs, especially when you can come home to them ready in the slow cooker.
Kathie Riley of My Best Friend’s Kitchen, 401 East 23rd St. in Panama City, shared her recipe for Kahlua Baked Beans with ground beef, hearty enough to make a meal on. If you have any leftover smoked sausage, you also could throw that in.
Taking a little inspiration from Thanksgiving, I recently turned mashed potatoes into a new dish to serve with smoked chicken by spreading them in a baking dish topped with a little butter, cheddar, green onions, and crumbled bacon. Baked at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, I think the leftover potatoes were better than the original.
Hannelore Holland of Somethin’s Cookin’, 93 E. 11th St. in Panama City, shared her simple, yet rich recipe for Grand Potatoes that includes layers of white cheddar cheese. The leftovers reheat well in the skillet with a little oil or in the oven covered with foil.
Ale House Home Style Chili
- ½ cup minced garlic
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 3 pounds ground beef
- 1 small jar of salsa
- 2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 can tomato paste
- 2 cans chili beans
- 1 can spicy V-8
- 1 can original V-8 or tomato juice
- 2-3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 cup grated pepper jack cheese, plus more for topping
- Cilantro, for garnish
- Sour cream, for topping
Sauté garlic and onion in a pan, then brown ground beef; drain. Add salsa, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, chili beans, spicy and original V-8 or tomato juice, chili powder, cumin, pepper jack, cheddar, salt and pepper. Let simmer 1 to 1½ hours. Top with cilantro, sour cream and more pepper jack, if desired.
Source: Robin Miklowski, Panama Ale House
Kahlua Baked Beans
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cups baked beans (2 small or 1 large can)
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ¼ cup Kahlua
- 2 tablespoons chili sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
Brown ground beef in a skillet; drain. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake, covered, 45 minutes. Uncover and bake for 30 minutes more, or until bubbly and the edges are crusty
Alternately, put in a crockpot and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours.
Source: Kathie Riley, owner of My Best Friend’s Kitchen
Grand Potatoes
- 4 medium baking potatoes, grated
- Salt, freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese, grated
Cream
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a flat buttered dish, layer ingredients. Start with a layer of potatoes, then ¼ teaspoon of salt and pepper and ¼ cup of cheese; repeat, ending with cheese. Pour just enough cream over the layers to almost reach the top of the dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes until hot. Reduce heat to 250 and bake for 3 hours.
To reheat: Reheat leftovers in skillet with oil or in the oven covered with foil.
Source: Hannelore Holland, Somethin’s Cookin’, Panama City
CHILI COOK-OFF
- When: Noon to 4 p.m.Dec. 6
- Where: Ms. Newby’s, 8711 Thomas Drive, Panama City Beach
- Cost: $25 to enter, 1 gallon minimum; $6 all-you-can-eat; proceeds to support EOD Wounded Warriors
- Details: Woody at (703) 304-9034 or EODWoody34@gmail.com