Self-Serve Chili Bar Ideas

set up a self-serve chili bar

how to set up a self-serve chili bar

what you’ll need

• chili 
• toppings (diced tomatoes, red onions and avocados, shredded cheese, chopped parsley leaves, tortilla strips, spices, etc.)
• serving bowls and serving ware
• bowls

let’s do it

• cook your favorite chili
• prepare a variety of colorful, flavorful toppings
• arrange toppings in bowls (for fun, we used washed, clean soup cans with the labels removed and a food-safe liner added)
• set out serving bowls and utensils for your guests near the food-serving station
• set out non-perishable toppings (keep any perishable ingredients refrigerated until right before your guests arrive)
• put chili in enamel cast-iron pot to help keep it hot (you can also use a crockpot or electric plate warmer)
• set it on the table right before you are ready to eat

Chunky Guacamole

chunky guacamole recipe

makes 8 servings

what you’ll need

• 4 avocados
• ½ small red onion, grated
• 1 small tomato, diced
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried cilantro
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• juice of 1 lime
• salt, to taste
• grater or microplane

let’s do it

• remove avocados from shells; save shells
• mash 3 avocados in bowl with back of fork
• dice 1 avocado and add to other avocado mixture
• add rest of ingredients and mix well
• serve in avocado skins

Dessert Tacos Recipe

dessert tacos recipe

what you’ll need

makes 12 servings

taco shell

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
• 1 ½ powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 ½ egg whites
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 ½ cups sifted cake flour
• mixer
• plastic wrap
• parchment paper
• baking sheet
• spatula
• 6″ ring mold
• foil
• small rolling pin

taco filling

• 1 cup shredded sweetened coconut
• green food coloring
• yellow food coloring
• 1 container mini brownies, crumbled
• ½ cup strawberries, diced
• vanilla yogurt
• plastic bags

let’s do it

• beat butter and sugar on medium speed until smooth
• add egg whites and vanilla slowly until blended
• reduce to low speed and mix in cake flour until smooth
• cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate
• preheat oven to 350 degrees
• line baking sheet with parchment paper
• spread batter evenly onto baking sheet using spatula and ring mold
• bake 6-9 minutes
• remove and immediately place cookies over foil-lined rolling pin to mold shells and cool
• divide coconut evenly into two plastic bags
• add 1 drop green food coloring to one bag
• add 1 drop yellow food coloring to the other
• seal and shake bags until coconut shreds are covered and resemble lettuce and cheese
• fill shells with brownie crumbles, green coconut, yellow coconut and strawberries
• serve with side of yogurt or dollop on top

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Pulled Pork Tacos Recipe

pulled pork tacos recipe

What You’ll Need

Makes 6 servings

Pulled Pork Taco

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
• ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2-3 pounds boneless pork shoulder roast
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup chicken broth
• Corn tortillas
• Crockpot
• Forks

Jalapeño Pineapple Salsa

• 1 ½ cups pineapple, diced
• ¼ cup red bell pepper, diced
• ¼ cup green bell pepper, diced
• ½ cup red onion, diced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• 1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, minced
• ¼ teaspoon lime zest
• Salt, to taste

Let’s Do It

• Mix salt, garlic, cumin, oregano, coriander, cinnamon and brown sugar together
• Rub mixture on pork roast
• Place bay leaf in bottom of crockpot and place pork on top
• Pour chicken broth around pork
• Cover and cook on low for 8 hours until pork shreds easily with fork
• Be sure to turn over pork roast after 4 hours
• Meanwhile, create salsa by combining all ingredients in bowl
• Refrigerate salsa to allow flavors to marinate before serving
• Remove pork roast from crockpot and shred with two forks
• Use broth as needed to moisten pulled pork
• Top tortillas with pulled pork and salsa and serve
  

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White Chicken Chili

 White Chicken Chili

Yield: 8 servings (8 cups)

Ingredients:

3 whole heads garlic (about 48 cloves), unpeeled
3/4 tsp salt, divided
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
2 poblano peppers ** may omit or substitute**
1 medium onion

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs
2 tbsp Southwestern Seasoning Mix *** or you own homemade mix***
2 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern beans, drained
1 jar (16 oz) salsa verde

Directions:
1. Using (5-in.) Knife, slice about 1/4 in. off the pointed top of garlic heads to expose cloves.

 Place garlic cut side up in glass Bowl. 

Sprinkle garlic with 1/4 tsp of the salt and drizzle with 2 tbsp of the oil. 

Cover batter bowl with lid;bake in oven until soft (must have covered baking dish & put 1-4 TBS of water on bottom of pan for steam or microwave on HIGH 3 minutes or until garlic is soft. Set aside to cool. 

2. Meanwhile, finely dice peppers using Knife. 
Chop onion. 
Combine peppers and onion in large covered baking dish or microwave dish.
 Trim and finely dice chicken.
Add chicken, seasoning mix, remaining 1 tbsp oil and remaining 1/2 tsp salt to baker; mix well.

Bake @ 350* 45 minutes - 1 hour + (baking times vary per oven)

 OR Microwave, covered, on HIGH 4 minutes; stir to separate chicken. Cover; microwave an additional 4-6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

3. Meanwhile, gently squeeze cooled garlic from heads into batter bowl (discard skins); mash. Add beans and salsa to batter bowl. Transfer bean mixture into your  large baker or microwave dish that's already cooking; mix well. 
Put back in oven to Baking complete CHILI cooking through until all heated.
Microwave, covered, on HIGH 5-7 minutes or until chili is heated through.

Taco Pinwheels

Taco Pinwheels

• 1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese (softened)
• 1/2 can (approx. 8 oz) refried beans
• 1/2 cup low fat sour cream
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
• Dash of garlic powder
• 1 can (4 oz) green chilies OR 4 oz Rotel (drained)
• 1 cup (4 oz) finely shredded cheddar cheese
• 8-10 flour tortillas

The Game Plan

1.) In small bowl, beat cream cheese, refried beans, sour cream, salsa, taco seasoning and garlic powder until smooth.
2.) Stir in olives, chilies/rotel and cheese.
3.) Spread about 1/2 cup of mixture onto tortilla. Roll. Repeat.
4.) Refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight.
5.) Slice into 1-inch pieces.
6.) Serve (with salsa if desired)

Braided Taco Bread

http://modernmrscleaver.com/2013/07/15/braided-taco-bread/

Braided Taco Bread

It’s really as simple as mixing the ingredients together

Then adding in enough flour to make the dough come together

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 10 minutes) adding more flour as needed.

After a brief rising time, you begin the rolling and cutting work. This is truly NOT difficult and you will quickly become a pro and prepping for the braided bread.

The dough gets rolled to a 1/8′ thickness (anywhere close) and about the same length as a cookie sheet. This is not an exact science!

To prepare for the braiding, you cut squares from the corners of the dough

Then you cut strips into the sides about an inch in width. (again, not an exact science)

Your meat and cheese fillings get piled into the center

Then you fold the top and bottom flaps up on the filling and start braiding the strips over top of each other diagonally. Each strip holds the last one in place. When you get to the end, simply pinch the last loose strip into the end to seal.

Braided Taco Bread

Prep Time: 45 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Yield: 1 loaf

A buttery braided dough wrapped around meat and melted cheeses!

Ingredients

For the Dough:
• 3 cups flour, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup very warm water
For the Fillings:
• 1/2 pound ground beef, browned, seasoned with taco seasonings, and cooled
• 1/2 red onion, minced
• 2 roma tomatoes, pulp removed and diced
• 2 spoonfuls of your favorite thick salsa
• 4 ounces of shredded cheeses, I use cheddar and mozzarella
• handful of cilantro, chopped
For the Garlic Butter:
• 1/4 cup melted butter
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a cookie sheet.
2. Stir 1 1/2 cups of the flour, salt, garlic, oregano, and yeast together in a large bowl.
3. Add the olive oil and water to the bowl. Stir to combine.
4. Add in enough extra flour to make a soft dough.
5. Turn the dough out on a well-floured surface and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic. This usually takes about 10 minutes. Add additional flour as needed to keep your dough from sticking.
6. Place the dough on a newly floured spot and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes.
7. While your dough rises, combine the cooled meat, onion, tomatoes, and salsa in a bowl.
8. In a separate bowl, combine your cheeses and cilantro.
9. After your dough has risen, flour a rolling surface and roll the dough into a rectangle about as long as a cookie sheet. Your dough should be fairly thin, around 1/8" thick.
10. Once your dough is rolled out, carefully bring the sides up and throw some extra flour underneath to avoid sticking.
11. Cut squares out of the corners 3-4" wide, leaving a rectangle of dough in the center.
12. Cut strips into each side of the dough about 1" thick. The strips should stop where the corner squares stop, leaving a large strip of dough in the center to fill. (See process pics above)
13. Heap your meat mixture onto the center strip of your dough.
14. Top the meat with your cheese and cilantro mixture. Give the cheese a little press to hold it into place.
15. Bring the top and bottom flap of dough up and over the filling. Don't stretch the dough as you're just wanting to cover the very ends of the filling.
16. Begin braiding the sides of your dough by bringing up one strip and laying it diagonally over the end flap. Grab the opposite strip and lay it down diagonally over the first strip. Continue this criss-crossing pattern all the way to the end.
17. When you get to your last strip. Lay it down diagonally and pinch the end into the dough at the bottom to seal.
18. Carefully transfer the bread onto the greased cookie sheet. This is best done by sliding the bread off the edge of the counter and onto the sheet. Lifting can prove a little difficult.
19. Combine your melted butter and garlic salt in a small dish. Set aside.
20. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes then brush with half of the garlic butter, allowing it to seep down into the braid.
21. Bake for an additional 10-15 until the bread is golden brown.
22. Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining garlic butter.
23. Allow the bread to cool for 5-10 minutes, then slice and enjoy!

Modern Mrs. Cleaver