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Chili is the perfect weekend food. I have spent the past two Sundays leisurely working on big batches of chili and toppings, enjoying my new kitchen, having little dance parties, and making the most of the cold weather.

I love chili because you can add anything and everything and come up with a different recipe each time. I’m sure I have shared that sentiment a million times before, but in a busy world, it is definitely a welcome little trick.

This chili isn’t too complicated, and like most of its kind is fine with substitutions.

Ingredients

2 cans fire roasted tomatoes (depends on how liquid-y you want your chili)

1 can black beans

1 can Cuban style or BBQ beans

1 pound grass fed ground beef

2 cups sweet corn

3 tablespoons chipotle in adobo, finely pureed

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 large white onion, diced

splash of chocolate stout

spices to taste: garlic powder, crushed red pepper, chili powder, hot paprika

fire roasted tomatoes

chili ingredients

unsweetened cacao

corn

diced onionI started the chili by cooking down the chopped onion in some olive oil, then adding in the ground beef until browned. As it browned, I added the cocoa powder and shakes of garlic powder, crushed red pepper, and hot paprika. Once the beef was browned, I added the tomatoes, beans, and corn, then stirred in the chipotle. Finally, I added the beer and brought it all up to a simmer, going about my day as the wonderful smells filled the air. I let the chili cook for a couple of hours, then shut the heat off. When we were ready to eat I brought it up to a boil again and made sure it was cooked and hot through.

taza chocolate stoutWe topped the chili with sliced avocado, pickled jalapeno, shredded cheese, sour cream, and cilantro, with a side of chocolate stout. It was the perfect Sunday supper and made for days of lunch leftovers for my husband. There’s a good chance I will be kicking off another week with this chili. It’s just that good!

cocoa chipotle chili

What are you having for Sunday supper this week?

Tags: beer, chili, comfort food, cooking, cooking at home, Food, meals, recipe, Sunday dinner

Over the holiday season, we had a lot of family in town from Ireland, and while their trip seemed to fly by, we had a few fun get-togethers while they were here. We were most excited to have everyone over our new house for sledding. We live behind a park that kids come from all over to sled in. We bought our own sled when we moved in, and we were very excited when we nailed down an afternoon for our nieces and nephew to come over to sled.

First, there were a few runs down the hill. Running up was a bit more difficult, but I swear I am going to get back in shape someday soon. . .

sledding

Then there was brunch! Brunch is one of my favorite meals, but it’s not a thing in Ireland. I explained that Americans love it because booze + breakfast. It just makes sense.

On our brunch menu:

Cinnamon Brioche Baked French Toast

Cheesy Frittata

Canadian bacon, regular bacon, and sausage patties

Jam-Filled Sugar Cookies

Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cake

Carrots with Hummus and Pesto Cream

Clementines

Hot Chocolate, Sparkling Wine, Orange Juice, White Wine, Red Wine, Beer

Brunch is a great meal because there is so much you can prep in advance. I got the Baked French Toast ready the night before. This is such a simple recipe, and one I sort of eyeball: brioche, cinnamon, vanilla, cream, and eggs. They soak overnight, and when it’s time to bake, they bake at 325 until the egg mixture is set.

cinnamon brioche

The biggest plus? Our home smelled wonderful and cinnamon-y while it was baking.

baked French toast

The spread included cookies from our new neighborhood bakery, Sweet Life Bakery, which we absolutely love. Great coffee, decadent cupcakes, and fresh bread!

Sweet Life Bakery Cookies

My Irish Whiskey Chocolate Cake was also part of the spread, along with fresh whipped cream. Shots of whiskey on the side were optional. Hey, it’s brunch. Winking smile

Irish whiskey chocolate cake

The family is definitely made up of carnivores, so a pile of meat was necessary. The kids especially went for the bacon.

sausage and bacon

And, of course, there was sparkling wine. I know mimosas are brunch staples, and I did have them available, but for me a glass of bubbly all alone is best. We bought a ton of Freixenet Carta Nevada on sale at Bin Ends, and we LOVE this wine. We got it for $6 a bottle, yet it is full of fine persistent bubbles, citrus and stone fruit flavor, and a nice bit of body. It’s a delicious, fresh great value wine. I would highly recommend it for brunch or any other time of day. For some reason, snowy days and bubbly just work together.

Freixenet Carta Nevada

Everyone really seemed to enjoy brunch, and it made us extremely happy to have a full house for the first time in our new home. I tend to get anxious about cooking for large groups, but this success made me want to do it more.

Do you like to entertain at home? What’s your favorite/go-to meal or menu?

Tags: brunch, brunch menu, cookies, cooking, French toast, sparkling wine

Just in time for the cold’s latest arrival, I have been spending evenings in one of my favorite ways, sitting in bed with lots of pillows and cook books, bookmarking recipes and getting myself a meal plan in place. We have gotten pretty darn bad with the takeout, frozen food, and snacks as dinner, and I am determined to stop that, especially since we had a recent family health scare.

While browsing through one of my magazines, I found a recipe for broccoli and cheese risotto, and I thought the idea sounded brilliant. I love any recipe that lets me sneak a vegetable in while also incorporating indulgent tastes like wine and cheese.

arborio rice

Now I rarely cook risotto the same way twice, and I definitely cook it by eye. If you are not comfortable doing that, following a recipe, especially when it comes to liquid measurements, is always helpful.

I always start my risotto by toasting the arborio rice in oil with a little onion or shallot, before I begin the process of slowing stirring in liquids. In this case, I got a pot of chicken stock boiling next to my risotto, reduced it to a simmer, and then started stirring it into my risotto, ladle by ladle, stirring until each grain soaks the stock up. About halfway through, I start adding little bits of wine, this time around a Shannon Ridge Chardonnay, until I have used about a cup of wine.

Shannon Ridge Chardonnay

The stirring and adding liquid part of making risotto lasts for a good long time, so be sure to pour yourself a glass of that wine too!

Once the risotto is getting tender, it’s time to add in other ingredients. This is when I added in chopped broccoli, then continued stirring and adding liquid in.

broccoli florets

Kerrygold cheese

When the risotto was to my liking, texture-wise, I added in a grated Kerrygold Dubliner cheese and served the risotto with a cold glass of Chardonnay.

broccoli and cheese risotto

This meal isn’t perfect, when it comes to eating “clean” or healthy, but it was complete and filling and a step in the right direction. Next time I would add a side of steamed spinach or a light salad to get in a little more nutrition.

Now that we are planning on moving to a new home, I am getting excited about holiday decorating and good wine and food at home. Tis the season to be a bit of a homebody, and I am definitely ready!

Tags: cooking, Food, recipe, risotto, vegetarian recipe, wine

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