Spicy White Chili

What a great time of the year for a wonderful chili recipe!  I found this recipe while looking through one of my many magazine subscriptions.  The recipe appealed to me because it doesn't have a lot of ingredients and it seemed "approachable".  There is nothing I hate more than seeing something that looks DELICIOUS but has a million ingredients and is super time consuming.  Believe me when I say this recipe is super easy and it is so so good!  If you like spicy food like my husband and I do, you can amp up the heat by adding additional cayenne pepper to the chili.  Enjoy!

Spicy White Chili

2 cups chopped onions
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 - 7oz. can of diced green chiles
3 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
3 - 15oz. cans of white kidney beans, rinsed & drained
2 - 14.5oz. cans of reduced sodium chicken broth
5 cups cubed or shredded turkey or chicken (I used chicken breasts, baked and then shredded them)
4 oz. Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers, shredded

1. In a large dutch oven or pot, cook onion and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5-6 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Stir in chiles, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne; cook 1 minutes.  Mash one can of beans (this thickens up the chili), and add all beans and the broth to the pot.  Bring to simmering and cook covered for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in chicken/turkey and cook about 10 minutes until heated through.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Makes 8 - 10 servings.

I apologize for my picture not being "prettier".  I was so excited to eat it I forgot to take a photo of the nice presentation in the actual serving bowl :).

Happy New Years!

Hello 2012!  I hope this year turns out to be more spectacular than the last.  Today I tried out a new recipe I found at http://todaysnest.typepad.com/todays-nest/2011/12/holiday-edition-lola-cooks-cabbage-rolls.html that I have been wanting to try for awhile.  CABBAGE ROLLS!  The recipe is pretty time intensive so it is something you probably want to make if you have an afternoon off or on the weekend.  The link above gives excellent directions so please go there for the full recipe.  Please note, the peeling of the cabbage leaves can be quite frustrating...so go in prepared :).  I bought two full heads of cabbage for this recipe so I could get the leaves that I needed, next time I might even do three.

The ingredients:

The rolls:

• 12-15 cabbage leaves
• 1 lb of ground beef
• ½ cup diced onion
• 2 cups diced tomatoes
• ½ cup water
• ¾ cup uncooked rice
• ½ teaspoon crushed dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup grated parmesan cheese

The sauce:

• 2 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 ½  teaspoon crushed dried thyme
• 1 ½  teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a large skillet, brown ground beef with onion over medium heat.  Drain off any fat.
2. Add tomatoes water, rice, thyme, pepper, and salt.  Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Remove lid and stir in parmesan cheese.
5. Remove from heat.
6. Bring large pot of water to a boil.
7. With a paring knife angled at 45 degrees, hull the bottom of the cabbage to remove the stem.
8. Carefully remove as many leaves as possible.
9. Remove the heartiest part of the center vein on each leaf.
10. Immerse leaves, 3 or 4 at a time, in the boiling water just long enough to bring out the bright color and make them pliable (about 2 minutes).
11. Remove them from the water and drain.
12. While warm, overlap the split ends and place two tablespoons of the filling on the overlap.  Roll the end over once and then pull in the sides.  Continue rolling up tightly but gently so as to not rip the leaf.
13. Place a toothpick through the end of the leaf and all the way through the roll.
14. Place a small amount of sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker.
15. Add a layer of cabbage rolls.
16. Alternate layers of sauce and rolls finishing with sauce.
17. Place the lid on top and cook on low heat for at least 3 hours.

YUM!  Thank you Todaysnest!

wine in the morning, wine in the evening, wine anytime.

So tasty, so delicious...it's mulled spiced wine.  At first taste, you might feel like you are drinking straight moonshine but give it a try, I promise you won't be disappointed.  Oh, and it's perfect for the holidays!  I find that when I attach a purpose to my alcohol consumption it doesn't sound so bad and I don't feel as guilty...errrrr.


1 bottle merlot
1/4 cup brandy
1/3 c sugar
12 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
1/2 tsp ginger
1 whole orange, cut into slices (peel on)

Mix this all up and simmer on very low heat for about 25 minutes. Make sure it doesn't boil!


YUM...sounds so good I could drink some now.  Enjoy!!

New Year's Eve Looks That Won't Break The Bank

What girl doesn't love to get all dressed and celebrate with her friends?  New Year's Eve is the perfect night for getting a new dress and getting all dolled up.  If you are like me, I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars on something that mostly likely I will only wear once.  Also, being nearly 30 years old, I feel it's most appropriate to have all of my "goodies" covered....which can be difficult when searching for an inexpensive fun party dress.  Here are a few options that I have found that are inexpensive and will keep your booty covered:

Way-In Sequin Cold Shoulder Shift Dress

$74

En Creme Radiating Tiered Strapless Dress

$68

C.Luce Sequin Party Dress

$74

Tinley Road Knit Sequin Mini Dress

$69

MM Couture Strapless Dress

$78

Tinley Road One Shoulder Drape Mini Dress

$69

BCBGeneration Dolman Sleeve Mini Dress

$88

MM Couture One Shoulder Dress

$78

Do you Pinterest?

Alrighty kiddos...have you heard about the fabulous new "how can I waste company dollars?" entertainment?  It's Pinterest and it is truly fabulous...and addictive.  Pinterest gives itself the following description:

"Pinterest lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.

Best of all, you can browse pinboards created by other people. Browsing pinboards is a fun way to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests. "

To me Pinterest is a great way to find out what the new fun trends are in just about everything you can possibly imagine.  You can create your own pinboards by pinning items others have already pinned, or you can go out on the internet and bring in your own new pins!  Super fun right??  You can also follow people or just click on "everything" and see the new items that are being pinned.  Everytime you log in you will see something different, so fun!  I happen to know a few people who spend hours on the thing, it might be as bad as Facebook :). 

Things I Want (I'm Greedy)

Don't you just love this time of the year?  'Tis the season of giving...or purchasing for yourself :).  I would like Santa to bring me these things, or I suppose a box full of cash would do as well.  Here are a few things (total randomness) that I am loving right now.

 J.Crew Crochet lace-front tee

$59.50

Brushed Lace Pullover

$68

AG Stevie Ankle

$158

Rhinestone Bracelet

$22

Sephora by OPI (so many fabulous colors!)

$9.50

 

TOMS Black Glitters

$54

Silence & Noise Open Shoulder Dress

$59

GAP Mac Jacket

$98

Absolutely Delicious Pecan Pie

I have recently tried my hand at baking pies...sounds scary right?  Wrong!  The saying of "easy as pie" really is true!  I really believe anyone can master the art of baking pies.  This pecan pie was only my second pie I had ever baked, and it turned out fabulous!  I tried The Pioneer Women's recipe found on her blog here, however, I used a different crust recipe from what she used that can be found here.  First, here is the crust recipe I used (this recipe makes enough dough for a bottom and top crust.  In my case, I only needed the bottom because I was baking a pecan pie so I doubled the recipe and had enough crust for 3 pecan pies, the more the merrier!):
1 DOUBLE CRUST

• 6 tablespoons ice water
• 2 cups flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening [Crisco] plus 2 tablespoons

Preheat the oven to 425F.
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Cut the shortening into the flour mixture with a fork. Stop as soon as the sheen of the shortening disappears and the mixture is a bunch of coarse pieces. Sprinkle a tablespoon of the ice water at a time over the dough, lifting and tossing it with the fork. When it begins to come together, gather it in your hands in a ball and then pull apart into two pieces: if it crumbles, it's too dry and needs a teaspoon or two of more water. Gather the dough into two balls, one larger than the other for the bottom crust.  Flatten the larger ball into a disc and dust both sides with flour. Then working quickly, roll out the dough 1 - 2 inches larger than your pie dish.
Place the rolling pin a third of the way in from one of the edge. Roll the crust onto the pin, then into the pie pan. Lightly arrange the crust into place. Place in the freezer while prepping the pecan filling.
PECAN PIE FILLING

• 1 cup white sugar
• 3 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/3 cup melted butter (salted)
• 3 whole eggs beaten
• 1 cup (heaping) chopped pecans

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell (yes, the bottom, really!  It is magic, they float to the top!).  Pour syrup mixture over the top. Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. Bake pie at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.

NOTE: Pie should not be overly jiggly when you remove it from the oven. If it shakes a lot, cover with foil and bake for an additional 20 minute or until set. Required baking time seems to vary widely with this recipe. Sometimes it takes 50 minutes; sometimes it takes 75.  For instance, mine took 70 minutes!

Allow to cool for several hours or overnight.