chili and chinese food
last night i made chili. normally i follow my mom's recipe for chili, since i usually am disappointed if i try creating something on my own. my sister seems to have no problem just throwing stuff into a pot and coming out with something great. she does this a lot during CSA season with all the vegetables she either a) doesn't know what to do with or b) doesn't know what they are. she just throws everything in to the pot with some onions, beans, garlic, and broth. i can't do that. unless i've made it a million times over, i usually have to look at a recipe.
in any case, i ventured out with this chili. i had a 3 half-cans of beans leftover from the veggie burgers we made a couple of weeks ago and i didn't want them to go to waste. so, while at the store over the weekend, i picked up a half a pound of ground chicken and decided to make my own chili. i also picked up some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste. i had two onion halves, along with some extra bell peppers we had laying around, and all of these went into the pot. i sautéed everything together and then seasoned with some dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, and crystal hot sauce (i was going for a hot chili, here). once everything was cooked and seasoned i then i added 1 beer (anchor steam, to be specific). whatever i did it ended up smelling great and tasting pretty damn good to boot. since we only planned for dinner monday and tuesday, since we're eating out thursday, i suggested eating the chili, which was planned for the freezer anyway, and i'd make some cornbread. it didn't take much leg-pulling for marshall to agree, so that's what we're having tonight. i need to stop at the store and pick up some actual corn to put in my cornbread. i love that added bit of texture. i can also cut back on the amount of sugar the recipe i use calls for, since the added corn is already sweet. mmm!
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i made the decision to skip the lunch i brought with me for chinese food today. i blame the book i'm reading right now: the fortune cookie chronicles. it's a fascinating book exploring the relationship of chinese food in america and around the world. the author started her journey of discovery as the result of a 2005 powerball lottery drawing where 110 people all got 5 of the 6 numbers correct and each of these players got this set of winning numbers from their fortune cookie from a local chinese restaurant. i've only gotten through a couple of chapters and i'm already liking this book. it's really interesting and i've always been a sucker for chinese food, at least the chinese food i know around here. i love the flavors and eating family-style (one of the few restaurants where we got out expecting to eat family-style). i love mixing all the dishes together on my plate with a giant spoonful of steamed white rice. i LOVE rice. my favorite growing up was taking leftover steamed rice, throwing it in the microwave with a pad of butter on top and heating it all together. the butter would melt and mix with the rice making this slightly salty and creamy mixture. i could seriously eat rice every day of the year and not be tired of it. anyway, i went to the little place down the street and got my lunch special with hunan chicken (spicy and sticky sweet). i was thoroughly satisfied and very nearly didn't get my fortune cookie! i got one and i liked what it said inside: "soon a visitor shall delight you." if i had the cash, i might even play the numbers on the back!
in any case, i ventured out with this chili. i had a 3 half-cans of beans leftover from the veggie burgers we made a couple of weeks ago and i didn't want them to go to waste. so, while at the store over the weekend, i picked up a half a pound of ground chicken and decided to make my own chili. i also picked up some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, canned tomatoes, and tomato paste. i had two onion halves, along with some extra bell peppers we had laying around, and all of these went into the pot. i sautéed everything together and then seasoned with some dried oregano, ground cumin, chili powder, and crystal hot sauce (i was going for a hot chili, here). once everything was cooked and seasoned i then i added 1 beer (anchor steam, to be specific). whatever i did it ended up smelling great and tasting pretty damn good to boot. since we only planned for dinner monday and tuesday, since we're eating out thursday, i suggested eating the chili, which was planned for the freezer anyway, and i'd make some cornbread. it didn't take much leg-pulling for marshall to agree, so that's what we're having tonight. i need to stop at the store and pick up some actual corn to put in my cornbread. i love that added bit of texture. i can also cut back on the amount of sugar the recipe i use calls for, since the added corn is already sweet. mmm!
+_+_+
i made the decision to skip the lunch i brought with me for chinese food today. i blame the book i'm reading right now: the fortune cookie chronicles. it's a fascinating book exploring the relationship of chinese food in america and around the world. the author started her journey of discovery as the result of a 2005 powerball lottery drawing where 110 people all got 5 of the 6 numbers correct and each of these players got this set of winning numbers from their fortune cookie from a local chinese restaurant. i've only gotten through a couple of chapters and i'm already liking this book. it's really interesting and i've always been a sucker for chinese food, at least the chinese food i know around here. i love the flavors and eating family-style (one of the few restaurants where we got out expecting to eat family-style). i love mixing all the dishes together on my plate with a giant spoonful of steamed white rice. i LOVE rice. my favorite growing up was taking leftover steamed rice, throwing it in the microwave with a pad of butter on top and heating it all together. the butter would melt and mix with the rice making this slightly salty and creamy mixture. i could seriously eat rice every day of the year and not be tired of it. anyway, i went to the little place down the street and got my lunch special with hunan chicken (spicy and sticky sweet). i was thoroughly satisfied and very nearly didn't get my fortune cookie! i got one and i liked what it said inside: "soon a visitor shall delight you." if i had the cash, i might even play the numbers on the back!