almost Irish St. Patrick's Day Chili

Ok, so this is not really an authentic Irish dish but neither is green beer. Weeks ago I thought about cooking the traditional corned beef and cabbage on St Patty's day but when I planned out our menu and went shopping for the week, I completely forgot. So I decided to just put an Irish spin on what WAS planned for dinner tonight, chili. And what would be more appropriate than Guinness...plus we already had a few in stock since my husband likes to treat himself occasionally after a hard day at work :)

St. Patrick's Day Chili

ingredients:

1 T. oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1 large green bell pepper

1 lb. ground beef

1 lb. ground turkey (or pork)

2-3 t. chili powder

1 t. cayenne powder

1 t. ground cumin

2 T. brown sugar

1 bottle (12 oz) dark beer, preferably Guinness or other rich stout
1 can (14.5 oz) black beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) red kidney beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) pinto beans, drained
1 can (14.5 oz) chili beans
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with liquid (regular or chili ready)

**optional: 1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce if you like a soupier chili

1. In a large pot, saute onion and pepper in oil over medium heat for about 5 min. Add meat and cook until browned. Drain any excess grease.

2. Add spices, sugar, beer, beans and tomatoes (and sauce if using), stirring well. Let the chili come to a boil and reduce heat and let simmer for at least 25 minutes.

3. Serve with sour cream and green onions, or whatever your favorite chili toppings are.

4. Feel free to drink the remaining beer and celebrate the Irish!

(photo courtesy of myrecipes.com)

lucky in love

I am so lucky to have you.

You stand beside me, encouraging me and never letting me fight alone.

You inspire me to do greater things than I thought I was capable of.

You never judge, however rediculous my thoughts may be :)

You tolerate me even when I fall into a slump and have "grumpy pants", usually with a smile on your face.

You love me. Always. And for that, I am truly lucky.

love is a handful of honey

I just wanted to share this great book. Not only is it one of my son's favorite, but it is also quite tolerable, which is important by about the fourth time reading it in a 20 minute span.

Tonight while we were sittng on the floor, reading it yet again, Maddox stood up just as I read "Love is that last little cuddle and kiss...", buried his head in my hair and gave me a giant hug. I completely melted of course with that overwhelming sense of love, not just for him, but from him. One of those truly warm and fuzzy moments. I promise, I will never sigh and think "Really? That one again??"

it's been a long time

Wow...it has certainly been a long time! I completely abandoned my blogging efforts over the past few months and I have REALLY missed it. Life has been, in short, hectic. We have been travelling a ton, mostly visiting family but we did take a mini-vacation without the little guy so we could have some much needed R&R. I guess in the middle of getting our life back to normal...I have had trouble finding time for just me.
Maddox is 15 months old now (I know...how is that possible?!?) and he is into everything! I have sat down in front of this screen so many times and opened up a new post and it never fails, Maddox comes over and crawls in my lap and tries to type my new blog entry for me. I can barely check my email before he loudly protests the matter. I used to spend quality time with my computer after he was in bed or during naps but I feel like there is so much to do during those few hours of quiet that by the time I am done with chores, I just want to take a shower, curl up on the couch with Brandon, or go to bed.
I am making an effort though to not forget about the little things that keep me sane, like blogging or just reading a book. So here I am, up at 5:00, before the little monster wakes up, attempting to get in a little "me" time. I have to say...it is really nice to drink coffee in the glow of my computer screen. Quite peaceful :)
P.S. I hope you like the spring makeover!

whole wheat bran muffins

I know these are not as exciting as all the other chocolate, caramely, gooey, frosted, spiced holiday treats that we are bombarded with this time of year but sometimes I just feel like I need a break from that stuff. These muffins make me feel like I am putting something healthy in my body for a change and are a great way to jump start my day...especially with a big cup of chocolate truffle coffee :) I love whole wheat flour so of course that is what I use in this recipe but I have a friend who swears they are way better if you use all-purpose white flour or half of each.
Whole Wheat Bran Muffins

ingredients:
1 1/2 cups wheat bran
1 cup skim milk
1 T. lemon juice (you could totally use buttermilk instead of the skim milk and lemon juice but I never have it on hand)
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Grease muffin cups or line with paper muffin liners.
Mix together milk and lemon juice. Add to wheat bran; let stand for 10 minutes.
Beat together oil, egg, sugar and vanilla and add to milk/bran mixture. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir flour mixture into milk/bran mixture, until just blended. Fold in raisins and spoon batter into prepared muffin tins.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Makes 12 muffins.

happy birthday baby

It is hard to believe what you have accomplished in just one year...and how much you have helped me grow. I can not imagine a world without you in it and am filled with excitement when I think about the many more birthdays to come.
Happy Birthday baby!!!

**I wish I had pictures of what he did to the cake about 10 seconds after this was taken but I was too busy doing damage control to think about pictures :)

fiesta chicken soup

I made this last night for dinner and it was soooo yummy. My husband really loved it too so this will definitely be on the menu more often. It's great to take the chill off during the winter and it was super easy to make. It was great served with tortilla chips and avocado!
(photo from Southern Living: Christmas Cookbook)

Fiesta Chicken Soup

ingredients:

1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 garlic clove, minced
3 cups chopped cooked chicken (I used a rotisserie chicken that I picked up at the supermarket)
1 (15-ounce) can chili beans
3 1/2 cups chicken or turkey broth
1 (11-ounce) can whole kernel corn with red and green peppers, drained
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes and green chiles
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Saute onion in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat 7 minutes or until tender.
Add garlic, and saute 1 minute. Stir in chicken and next 8 ingredients.
Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.
Top with sour cream and shredded cheese if you like.

yay!

sugar for sanity

I don't know what to do with myself! Brandon sould be home in less than 24 hours and I am trying to stop from pacing back and forth from my computer (to check the status of the flight of course) to my phone (to see if I by chamce missed a call from rear detachment. I have not been away from the phone long enough to miss the call but you know crazy phones these days...what if the ringer stops working!?!!!) and then back to the computer, taking a detour to the living room to casually turn on the tv to the weather channel (just to make sure there is no storm anywhere in the vicinity that could delay his plane).

Maddox and I were at the grocery store by 7:30 this morning because at 6 am I was already starting to pace and I know how I can get. For lunch I met a friend at the mall and we window shopped for a whie in an attempt to distract myself but now I am back home and the little guy is sleeping and me...well you know.

Anyway...maybe I will try out a new recipe I found for cheesecake bars to take the edge off :) I will post them if they turn out good! (You know...I am really glad that this wasn't a longer deployment or I would probably have to gain about 20 more pounds!)

giving thanks

Tonight I am full. Full of turkey and pie. Full of love for my husband and our beautiful son. Full of happiness that my family is being put back together very, very soon. I am full and bursting with thanks for everything God has allowed me to have this year.

Happy Thanksgiving