Monday, April 30, 2012

"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili." - Kit Carson: Frontiersman and Mountain Man


On Sunday, Eric decided that he was craving Barney's Beanery for their chili.  Unfortunately, we're not in LA and there isn't a Beanery or any place with red chili with no beans in Denver that we know of.  I figured I would use this opportunity to make chili since it's been a while and it's a pretty easy dinner since I put it in the crock pot.
All the dry: cayenne, salt, basil, worcestershire, cumin, bay leaves, ground mustard, paprika, pepper
I don't really measure any of these things, just go by taste. 
The veggies: yellow pepper, onion, fresh jalapeƱo, celery, garlic
I heated up some drizzled OO and added the garlic, allowing it to cook for about 1 minute.  Then, I added the 2 types of peppers and celery and let it cook about 2 minutes.  Added the onions and then cooked on medium for about 5 minutes, just to allow the flavors to escape and become fragrant.  Threw it in the crock pot with the red stuff.  

The red stuff 

 The protein: 1.5 lb 95% organic ground beef, 1 lb ground hot italian sausage
I cook the meat in the same pan as the veggies so some of the flavor carries through. I don't brown all the way through, only enough to cook out some fat, about halfway then throw it in the crock pot.  We don't put beans in our chili, which is why there is much meat. 

 Mix it all together in the slow cooker and cook for 4-6 hours on high or 8-10 hours on low.  

The final product! 
We topped ours with sour cream and pepper jack cheese.  I think of all the chili that I have made, this may be my favorite so far.  Even in 80 degree weather, this was super delicious!! I forget how much I love chili sometimes, especially in the land of green chili.  In the words of Eric..." redder is better" and it really is!! 

A blast from the past

I tend to take a break from cooking over the weekends so I figure I may as well post some past dinners from the 2 weeks before I started blogging..mainly because I think they look pretty and other people should appreciate them with me :) They were all pretty delicious too so maybe you will have a craving to make them!

We have been on a salad kick lately so there will be a lot of them for a while.  Luckily, I don't make boring salads so hopefully they'll keep you interested.  Plus, they make really good healthy alternatives to carbo-loading but are be tasty, filling and delicious. :)


April 18: My version of a Deconstructed Bruschetta Salad

Spring Mix
Grilled Organic Rib Eye Steak
Basil
Cherry Tomatoes
Sun Dried Tomatoes
Roasted Red Peppers
Fresh Mozzarella
Pappadews
House Balsamic: 1 part Balsamic to 3-4 parts Olive Oil, salt and pepper
Wine: Hawkstone 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon


April 23: Cobb Salads
Rotisserie Chicken
Boiled Eggs
Cherry Tomatoes
Smoked Bacon
Avocados
Spring Mix
Wine: Stags Leap Chardonnay


April 24: Grilled Open faced portobello sandwiches
Rosemary Focaccia: Drizzled with OO and grilled
Sundried Tomatoes
Grilled Balsamic marinated Portobellos: Marinated in 1 part Balsamic Vinegar + 3 parts OO for 2 hours
Avocados
Roasted Red Peppers
Fresh Mozarella
Homemade Pesto Mayo: Mayo, Pesto, Garlic, Salt, Pepper

I took the other halves of the focaccia and broke them up into cubes.  Then drizzled some OO with parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper onto a plate for dipping to make an appetizer.


Friday, April 27, 2012

How many chickens had to die so I could love wings..

Location: Pub on Pearl
Flavor: Asian
Event: $5 All You Can Eat Wings
When: Every Thursday

A ritual that began last summer and has continued to dominate the majority of my Thursday nights.  What could be better than all you can eat wings for only $5?? With my love of wings...not a whole lot.  I guess you could say that to an extent, this is my cheap guilty pleasure when it comes to food.  This is the one time I happily give up being a food snob and devour baskets of sweet and spicy deliciousnesses dipped in ranch accompanied by a refreshing Bud Light or Diet Coke.

Yum!

Thursday, April 26, 2012

The first of many...


Not the best picture but dinner last night:

Red miso glazed grilled salmon
Organic seaweed salad
Salad w/ cucumbers, tomatoes, blueberries, feta
Organic Ginger Miso dressing

Of course there was wine....Stag's Leap Chardonnay

We ended the night with Bonnie Brae Ice Cream : Cappucino Crunch and Butter Brickle

I kinda burned the bottom of the salmon a bit so that wasn't ideal but the grill went out of control from the sugar and fat from the fish/marinade so I'm glad the rest of it was still salvageable.  Overall it was pretty good!