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!