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Spice it up With Three Bean and Beef Chili

There’s nothing like a good old-fashioned chili on a cooler evening, and we're getting them up North this week.

A traditional three bean and beef chili tastes wonderful after simmering in the crock pot all day. The Food Network offers a variety of recipes for beef, chicken and turkey chili, as well as vegetarian style. Ellie Krieger’s is pretty standard if you’re looking for a traditional pot of chili.

Hook up your crock pot with some olive oil and add your veggies - typically onions, peppers, garlic, and this recipe suggests adding carrots. Once they’ve softened, add your cumin. I like to add chili powder here for some added zip. Crumble your ground beef into the crock pot and add crushed tomatoes, water, a chipotle chili if you choose, and oregano, salt and pepper.

I like to add some crushed red pepper flakes to take the heat up a notch. Simmer this mixture, and then add in beans as you choose; this recipe recommends black beans, kidney beans and pinto beans. Simmer in the crock pot - the longer the better -- and serve with a dollop of sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and sliced jalapenos on top, with tortilla chips on the side. Spicy! Keep that theme going a little longer and have a margarita to cool it off. 

A Maine Event

 In honor of an upcoming long weekend in Maine, I thought I would plan some hearty New England seafood dishes to prepare while I’m in lobster country. I love to eat like the natives when I’m visiting somewhere, and the seafood from that region is close enough to the likes of Cape Cod that I really can’t tell the difference.

It’s still cold in that neck of the woods, so I thought a seafood chowder would warm the bones well enough. This recipe featured on the Food Network and submitted by a Mainer, uses clams, haddock, Maine shrimp, scallops and oysters. The beauty of this dish is the capability to mix and match your favorites if all of those don’t strike your fancy. I don’t put oysters in mine, and I also leave the bacon out. Cod is a good substitute for haddock too. 
 

This variation uses lobster, crab meat, scallops, shrimp and swordfish. 

 

You need a stockpot to brown your potatoes (the recipe calls for sweet and white, but you can use one of the other), onions and butter. Half-and-half, flour and seasonings give you the creamy base. Serve with salad and toasted bread. A genuine Maine meal! Stay warm! 

Experience the Flavors of New Orleans

 

I mentioned Monkey Bread in a post the other day, and it got me thinking about New Orleans. It was the first place I’d tried the delicious dessert -- among other culinary delights -- during my first ever Mardi Gras celebration.

 

The memories make the Monkey Bread even sweeter. 

So I thought I might plan a trip back, and when I started investigating some upcoming culinary happenings, I came across the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience, happening May 25-29.

 

This prestigious event features winemakers, chefs, and fancy foodies all in one hot spot, and I am so there. The agenda includes tons of tastings, wine dinners, and the best of this year’s trends. But the event I’m looking most forward to is the Royal Street Stroll, featuring wine, art, jazz, antiques, and a taste of the city that will leave you breathless. 

 

Seminars are also available, including Let Them Eat Cake, with a local French pastry shop providing sweets, and Think Outside the Bento Box, about a sushi and wine combination.

 

If you can hit the city for this event, do it. While you’re there, don’t even think about leaving without trying some real gumbo. If you have an authentic taste, all the better to make your own when you get back, like this Shrimp Gumbo recipe by Alton Brown from the Food Network. 

 

New Orleans is truly a jewel, and I can’t think of a better event to help you experience it. You won’t be disappointed, and you’ll definitely come home thinking of new ways to cook your food. New Orleans does that to you. 

Stewing Over the Groundhog's Verdict.

Since our groundhog friend betrayed us and saw six more weeks of winter in his shadow Tuesday, I’m continuing the round-up of new twists on old comfort foods. In an informal poll, stews ranked pretty high on the list, and this sausage and vegetable stew is perfect because you can substitute the kielbasa for either a vegetarian version, or a traditional beef.

This recipe from The Food Network can be prepared in a Dutch oven, crock pot or regular pot, preferably a deep one. Use olive oil to saute your red onion and garlic cloves, and be experimental with spices -- the recipe calls for paprika, but I like to add oregano, basil and some garlic powder for an extra kick.
A small helping of flour (3 tablespoons) provides a good base, then the potatoes, carrots, parsnips and your meat if you choose to add it. Vegetables can also be substituted if you have any favorites not mentioned here.

If you choose to use a crock pot, this is a great stew to simmer all day and have it waiting for you when you get home from work, especially on one of those cold and snowy winter evenings. Serve with sour cream and a nice Italian or French bread and you’ll go to bed happy!

Mushroom Barley Soup for Long Days and Chilly Nights.

Some days, you just want something quick. The soups I talked about last week require some prep time and are totally worth it, but what about the nights where you’re stuck at work late, you had a bad day, it’s cold and miserable outside, and you just want a bowl of soup and the couch?

Not to worry. I found a great mushroom barley soup that’s perfect for those easily forgettable days. It only took me about fifteen minutes to put together, and as long as you have mushrooms on hand, it doesn’t even require a trip to the store. Any kind of mushrooms will do -- be creative! Plain old baby Bellas will be fine, but you can mix it up with this one.

You need a good-sized saucepan and you can cook your mushrooms, onions and garlic with olive oil and seasonings, then simmer your broth, barley and other garnishes together, all while you’re opening your mail or getting ready for the next killer episode of 24.

The Parmesan cheese is also a nice touch, but any cheese will do. I also recommend Locatelli brand cheese made from sheep’s milk. Romano would do well with this recipe; it’s different and a bit healthier too.

Cook time is about a half hour, then it’s pajama time. Hit the couch and enjoy. Isn’t Martha great?

More Soup for the Snowbound. Butternut Squash Soup.

I don’t know if it’s all the snow flying around lately, but I’m still on my soup kick. It’s a dead-of-winter-thing, the chill in the air, the ever-present promise of snow, the cold, dark nights -- they make me want to hibernate in my house with a big bowl of hot soup.

So the question becomes, what kind? Between experimenting with my new food processor, my crock pot and my plain old-fashioned soup pot, I’ve made some pretty cool soups this year. But one of my absolute faves is pureed butternut squash soup.

Butternut squash is perfect for winter, but if you love this soup as much as I do, you can substitute frozen for fresh squash and enjoy it any time of year.

This recipe is great because of the different accents. For instance, a quarter-cup of orange juice gives it an extra zing. Some ginger adds a special something, too -- what doesn’t taste better with ginger?
Overall, this Martha Stewart  recipe is pretty basic and most of the ingredients probably live in your fridge already: butter, onion, garlic cloves, your squash, and, if you’re feeling adventurous, some sour cream and spicy pumpkin seeds to top off your soup.

The recipe calls for pureeing in two batches once prepared; use your food processor for this step. It’s a fast, easy recipe guaranteed to make your next chilly, snowbound evening one to remember.