M's "Splashes and Dashes" Chili recipe

First of all, my apologies to Friend M who sent me this recipe. I very rarely follow a recipe exactly, not even with baking. Sometimes it's a matter of eye-balling, and other times it's a pantry challenge. Let's start with the corn bread recipe:

ALBER'S Sweet Corn Muffins
(recipe on side of ALBER'S Cornmeal box)
1 1/2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
2/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. ALBERS Yellow Corn Meal
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. milk
2 Large eggs, lightly beaten
1/3 c. vegetable oil
3 Tbsp melted butter

Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease 8x8 pan
Combine flour, sugar, cornmeal, bakingpowder and salt in medium bowl. Combine milk, eggs, vegetable oil and butter in small bowl; Mix well. Add to flour mixture;stir just until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Let rest 5 minutes.
Bake for 35 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Folks, this is the most delicious corn bread I've ever had. It is pretty sweet but it compliments the tang and spice of the chili is such a perfect way. My kids go nuts for this stuff.

Marcie's Dashes and Splashes Chili
For a good pot of Chili, I just do the 5-6 can/flavor to own desire deal. Heck, it's Chili. You can't go wrong!

1 lb. ground beef (I know it's a lot, but you can add/take away as much as you want- it freezes well when fully cooked.)
1/3 diced white onion (or a sprinkling of dried diced onions- again, your own desired amount.)
Salt and pepper as needed
- cook your meat thoroughly- no pink- and onions should be translucent.
1 can kidney beans - drained and rinsed
1 can black beans - drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans - drained and rinsed
2-3 cans of Diced/Stewed tomatoes - Your choice
- simmer until tomatoes breakdown, sauce builds up (you can add a cup of water if you want it jucier)
Add dashes of Chili powder until desired spiciness
Add splashes of Lea & Perrins Worchester Sauce until desired umph!
1 sliced celery stalk

Simmer unil hot and serve with your cornbread!

I have prepared my cornbread while I brown the meat for the chili and then while the cornbread is baking, it allows enough time for the tomatoes to simmer down. Usually the Chili is done by the time the cornbread is done. Easy, huh? No one should EVER ask me to write a cookbook!

Friend M, you are such a delight. I did make some changes and here they are:

-Ground turkey was less expensive, as was turkey sausage. So I used turkey sausage. It had way less fat than ground beef and I like the flavor of it.

-I used your suggestion of the dried onion since I wasn't in the mood to chop a fresh one. Great idea.

-The beans were cooked from dried. They were quick soaked then simmered on the stove. It took a total of 3.5 hours to get them tender. The chickpeas take longer to soften and the other beans were a bit overcooked by the time they achieved my texture desires.

- 2 cans of small-dice tomatoes, and one small can of mild RoTel tomatoes that I happened to have on hand and knew I'd never use unless it was in this pot of chili. I loved the punch it gave the whole dish.

I have to say, the concept of this chili is what really makes it, and that is a valuable thing in a recipe. The meat, the three kinds of beans, and the Worcestershire sauce are key to this pot o' yummy. Around that core of identity, you can customize several ways and still have a very rich, delightfully textured chili. I did what you suggested by splitting a piece of corn bread in half and scooping my chili over the top. It ended up being too spicy for my kids but I am loving it. The corn and the beans are my complete protein, it's low fat (well, except for the corn bread), it's so filling, very tasty, and very cost effective.

Chili supplies:

Turkey - $1.28 for 16 ounces
Tomatoes - 48 cents per can times 2 cans
RoTel tomatoes.... 75 cents? I don't remember
Onions - 10 cents maybe
Beans - 30 cents worth with some left over that I didn't end up adding to the chili

Add in w. sauce and dashes of spices...

Total cost is $3.75. I think the corn bread cost about $1 or less, all told, and all this food is at least 2 full meals for my family. It's a great freezer meal, corn bread and all.

Want to pinch more pennies? Don't use RoTel tomatoes, use just half the meat, double the onion, and add half a can of water.

Thank you, M, for a real treat for dinner.

HA!

Ok, here's how my day of eating really did go:

Breakfast: none. Ran out the door to go grab a couple of things for the chili.

Snack: one low fat granola bar.

Lunch: 1/2 totinos pizza, 3/4 of a child's unfinished donut

Snack: the = of two more granola bars as I fed them to Freida and samplings of tonight's chili.

-sigh- At least the chili will be good for me.

Weight View

Have you ever wondered what you might look like if you were a little slimmer? I have photos from when I was a senior in high school, but I find those to be more depressing than motivating.

Behold, WeightView. They use "patented technology" to digitally shrink you to your weight goal, hoping that this will motivate you to take the carrots, leave the cannoli.

Before:























After:

























I put in my height, and that I wanted to lose 50 pounds. I am noticing that it isn't perfect -- I was hoping my arms would slim up more than that, and my fingers still look puffy. :)

-laugh- -sigh- Breakfast = 1 egg, one slice of rye bread, tons of water, and a whole apple.

Lunch = 1 burrito with homemade, fat free beans, 2 T of finely chopped fajita chicken, shredded cabbage, and fresh tomato salsa.

Dinner = I'm going to try Friend M's chili recipe she sent, which is actually going to be really healthy since I'm going to drain my hamburger off quite thoroughly and cook the beans from dried.

Today's frugal tip: Cooking beans from dried is so cheap. Use the money you save initially to buy some smallish gladware containers to freeze them into portions that work with your family/recipes, cook a whole crockpot full at a time, and thus save your family money, sodium, and nutrition. My mom has told me that cooking garbonzo's from dried tastes so much better than canned, and I agree wholeheartedly. I havn't quite got them to the same texture yet, as mine always seem to turn out slightly more firm than canned. And, at $1 per pound that easily quadruples in size and weight with cooking, it's a great addition to your cupboard and freezer.

Beans aren't just for soups or chilis. Add some black beans to your green salad for a flavor, texture, and nutritive punch. Make sure to add kidney beans to your taco salad to stretch the meat and lower the overall fat content. Mash them a bit and serve next to your rice side dish to make a complete protein that makes you feel more full for longer.

Speaking of rice, we always use rice in our burritos not only to complete the protein, but also to stretch the meat a little further or omit the meat entirely (we like homemade chipotle style). Even if you use brown basmati rice its cooked weight is less expensive than meat nowadays.

So now I'm going to go follow my own advice and maybe hit the bike twice today.

Not I, said the mouse.

Tag had some friends over today. They got out some large pop-up tubes that go with a pop-up tent. They're visually intimidating, difficult to manipulate, and thus are very difficult for a young child to put away.

Me: Tag, go clean up your room. Your friend made a mess.

Tag: But that's not my responsitibally.

Me: The mess was made by people who you invited into your room and my house. You get to pick up after them if you didn't remind them to help you before they left.

Tag: No! It's not my job!

Me: It isn't my job. Whose job is it?

Tag: Let's just wait for the movers. They'll take care of it.

I was watching a man justify, through his collection of evidence and observation, the idea that people are not blank slates and no matter what parents try to do to change them, they are who they are by an intrinsic nature we can't hope to mold.

He used the example of identical twins separated at birth who ended up in the same patent office carrying the same invention for consideration. However, he postulated, adopted children who grow up in the same home never turn out to be as similar to each other as blood siblings. Of course he had many more examples and reasons, but I'm curious to know from any of you what personal experiences you might have had concerning both the direct impact a parent has had on you as well as how similar you feel adopted siblings might be to each other.

This has me insanely curious.

But of course I shall not relent in my quest to help my kids grow to be happy, self-sufficient people regardless of what the data might indicate. I just gotta know.

Everyone should watch this video. Pass it on.

Everyone should watch this video. Pass it on.

Calm - 70%. Bright - 100% (that's the TX sky for you)

As we drove home from Christmas, we wistfully watched the snow and ice dwindle and disappear, but eventually became annoyed with it once the only ice we could find was flying off the tops of semis entering the highway. By the time our windshield washer fluid was thawed enough to be effective, it was gone entirely.

We arrived home just after the sun had set, dumped everything from the van into the house, and Man popped popcorn (thanks again, Grandfolks!) and got the kids settled in front of Kung Fu Panda to calm down before bed while I farmed things out to bedrooms where we will be further sorting today. I know for sure that the thrift store will be getting a truckload of joy today or tomorrow as the new takes place of the old.

It's amazing how coming home can be so revealing. My grandparents have a very refined and organized home. I found it to be exceedingly comfortable in that there was no visual stress to be found. Everything has a place and and a purpose. Coming back here, I was struck first of all by how bare my walls are. Second, I realized that tuning out this or that pile of homeless objects wasn't doing me any favors.

I have a whole week of Man and children to help tackle this mess, as well as Man's commitment to help for a portion of each day.

All in all, visiting my family was the best Christmas gift ever, a close second being that marvelous back rub my younger sister gave me. I miss them, and love them, and have loved coming to know them better as an adult. I'm especially pleased to finally be helpful with the crossword puzzles nowadays. I recall asking my dad if I could help with the cross word as a kid. He said "the clue is ____ Lake City." I couldn't figure out what it might be. As a Mormon, of course it's a bit daft to not know Salt Lake City when you hear the clue but time and reading have helped a bit.

I hope everyone had a safe and joyous Christmas. Thank you one and all for the love and friendship we encountered during our time with you this season.

Tag the party crasher

Tag's friend had a party a few weeks ago where his parents rented a bouncy castle. Just today, the neighbors across the street rented one as well. We drove home from the store and ooooo-d and aaaaaaa-d at it. Tag asked if he could go play with his friends, and I said sure. He came home about 2 hours later, completely worn out from the bouncy castle and with a party favor bag in hand.

Me --> O_O

Me: Um, where were you?

Tag: At a friend's house, the one with the bouncy castle.

Me: Were you invited?!?

Tag: Sure, we went and said hi and they said we could bounce.

Me: What's that all over your face?

Tag: Oh, we ate cake and ice cream.

Me: What's that bag?

Tag: [holds it up, it has The Little Mermaid on it] Party bag with toys and candy.

Me: That's for little girls! Whose party was it? What's their name?

Tag: I don't know, but we're friends now.

Me: ............

Tag, the party crasher, crashing your parties. -sigh-

Dinner conversation

After telling Man the situation with the teacher gifts, Tag mentioned that he'd like to get his grandparents gifts as well.

Me: What would you like to give?

Tag: I think Oma should have a.....cello.

Me: Wow. A cello? That's a nice gift.

Tag: Yeah, did you know it's just a big guitar?

Me: Actually, it's a lot more like a big violin.

Tag: Oh, really? Then I want to give Oma a guitar, so she can be [dramatic pause] a rock star.

Me: [choking on my steamed corn, first imagining my mom rocking out on a guitar, then imagining her rocking out on a cello.]

Teacher gifts

I have totally procrastinated teacher gifts. Tomorrow is the last day to give them. Ack! I had no ideas so asked the kids what they'd like to give to their teachers.

Princess: Well, Mrs. R says that her favorite thing in the whole world is [sounded like ->] Campbell's.

Me: Soup?!?

Princess: What? Weren't you listening? CANDLES.

Me: Oh, ah. Haha. Yes. That's actually a really great idea.

Princess: And then there are two PE coaches, a music teacher, the librarian, and the lady who yells at us to be quiet at the cafeteria...

And she kept listing people at school who, in my heart, I know ought to be recognized but I just couldn't think of how to do so without breaking the budget and making me crazy before tomorrow.

We'll just have to see how it turns out...

I have long wondered...

Do babies like being kissed? I love kissing my babies, including the ones that are more like teenagers nowadays, but I've always wondered if they even care or if they hate getting their faces wet from smooches, or if they just sort of humor the lady with the food. Maybe it's just part of all the new, weird sensations they experience when they're born and it's something they just live with their whole lives.

Today I was reading a few articles with Freida in my lap. She was sort of half-heartedly watching Happy Feet and I cradled her close. After a while she looked up at me and of course I took the opportunity to kiss her forehead. Immediately her eyes rolled up in her head. After a few seconds of kissing her forehead, her hands went limp and she started to snore.

It's amazing how one little moment can make up for weeks of sickness and misery. And there's my proof that, regardless of what her initial impressions of being kissed were, she likes it now.

I wonder if humans kissing babies is anything like other creatures in the animal kingdom licking their newborn young? I think the baby and I both agree though, that kissing little cheeks is preferable to the alternative.





Ew.

.