Grampa finally finished the new toybox! It is amazing. We can't wait for Nicholas to see it. Should be lots of fun for the grandsons when they visit. If we have granddaughters, Grampa will be building a castle toybox for their toys.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Nicholas at Grandmas! Aaron and Kristy went to the Browns game on Thursday so I got to watch Nicholas. It was so much fun. He loves his fire truck and rides it (now with the stuffed dalmation on the back) and hasn't run into a wall yet! Got up really really early but we had fun, ate breakfast and then Mom and Dad got up and we all went to the Science Center. He really seemed like he was having a great time. Got to bang a lot of stuff, throw balls around and climb on stuff. He seemed particularly interested in the static section where his Mom's hair stood on end as did his. On the way home we stopped at ToysRUs and finished Christmas shopping. What a blast. Everything he saw was "Oh" "Oh" and on and on. Of course when Grandpa came home he was really excited to see him which made Grandpa really really happy!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
I am a winner!
Yes, I am the official winner of the First Annual Hageman Chili Throw Down. And by a two to one vote! Not that I am gloating or anything. It was a lot of fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the best part, (yes I am an evil woman!) was that my competitor, Jim, had to get down on his knees and in front of everyone say, "I'm not worthy." Made my day!
For anyone interested, my award winning chili recipe follows.
It is a variation (after many test batches) of a recipe from Rachael Ray. It's called Buffalo Chicken Chili with Blue Cheese-Corn Mug Toppers.
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb. ground chicken (which for some reason is rather hard to find. I tried turkey but it just wasn't as good.)
2 garlic cloves (or 1 large teaspoon already cut up garlic in a jar)
3-4 celery ribs chopped (Tom preferred them cut larger rather than smaller)
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped. Here is where I started to experiment. I also added a chipolte chili in adobe sauce (they come canned but only use one, they are really really spicy). I also added about 1/2 to 1 tsp. green chili which also come canned.
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
6 ounces your favorite beer (don't use a lite beer, doesn't seem to have as much flavor) I used Killians' red.
(plus you get to drink the remainder!)
1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (I found one which had chipolte in it and it was good. Finding one that is all cayenne pepper might be hard, just kind of fiddle around with different types until you find one that gives the flavor that you like. I also used a Louisiana hot sauce, but then I am partial to anything from my imagined homeland!)
2 cans - 15 oz. tomato sauce
2 cans - cannelloni beans (white navy beans). I've tried other varieties of white beans but these seem to work best. They don't break up like some of the other beans.
Heat a medium Dutch oven or large skillet over high heat. Add olive oil and butter and melt together. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, onion, carrot and jalapeno (and any other peppers you want), cumin and coriander and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beer and stir up to get all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Concentrate the flavor of the beer by reducing the mixture over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, tomato sauce and beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. I actually cooked it the day ahead and then reheated for about 1/2 hour to an hour to let all the flavors mix really well. Thought it tasted better the second day.
Toppers:
1 box Jiffy corn brand muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
2 green onions
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Put the mix in a bowl, add milk and egg and blend. Add green onions and cheese just stirring till blended. Using a griddle or large fry pan, make small pancakes. Should make about 20 teaspoon sized pancakes.
Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 lb. ground chicken (which for some reason is rather hard to find. I tried turkey but it just wasn't as good.)
2 garlic cloves (or 1 large teaspoon already cut up garlic in a jar)
3-4 celery ribs chopped (Tom preferred them cut larger rather than smaller)
1 large onion chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped. Here is where I started to experiment. I also added a chipolte chili in adobe sauce (they come canned but only use one, they are really really spicy). I also added about 1/2 to 1 tsp. green chili which also come canned.
salt and pepper
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
6 ounces your favorite beer (don't use a lite beer, doesn't seem to have as much flavor) I used Killians' red.
(plus you get to drink the remainder!)
1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce (I found one which had chipolte in it and it was good. Finding one that is all cayenne pepper might be hard, just kind of fiddle around with different types until you find one that gives the flavor that you like. I also used a Louisiana hot sauce, but then I am partial to anything from my imagined homeland!)
2 cans - 15 oz. tomato sauce
2 cans - cannelloni beans (white navy beans). I've tried other varieties of white beans but these seem to work best. They don't break up like some of the other beans.
Heat a medium Dutch oven or large skillet over high heat. Add olive oil and butter and melt together. Add the chicken and cook, breaking up the meat for about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, celery, onion, carrot and jalapeno (and any other peppers you want), cumin and coriander and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beer and stir up to get all the browned pieces from the bottom of the pan. Concentrate the flavor of the beer by reducing the mixture over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the hot sauce, tomato sauce and beans. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes. I actually cooked it the day ahead and then reheated for about 1/2 hour to an hour to let all the flavors mix really well. Thought it tasted better the second day.
Toppers:
1 box Jiffy corn brand muffin mix
1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
2 green onions
3/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
Put the mix in a bowl, add milk and egg and blend. Add green onions and cheese just stirring till blended. Using a griddle or large fry pan, make small pancakes. Should make about 20 teaspoon sized pancakes.
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