I am a sucker for pillows with words of wisdom written on them. Like how to deal with cold weather. You know the ones from Chapters, with sage advice like:
“all you need is tea, warm socks, and a good book.”
or
“eat, drink, and be cozy.”
or
“procrastinate and youtube all day.”
Okay, maybe not the last one. But they should make a snuggie with that printed on. That’s money, baby. Although, let’s be clear: I don’t actually have any pillow of that sage ilk in my house because I have commitment/pillow/commitment-to-pillows issues.
However, I do commit to warm socks and strong tea and good books. Now you know what to get me for Christmas. Yay! Everyone wins.
Aaaaaanyhoos. Speaking of comfort, I made chilli and cornbread two nights ago. The chilli only takes about 45 minutes from prep to finish, 1/2 an hour if you can chop stuff really fast. But I like to take my time and really go at the sausage and ground beef with my wooden spoon and break it up into tiny bits because it makes for a smoother chilli experience. It is also a viable and effective stress outlet. Two birds, one spoon!
Tuck that away in one sitting. Haha actually don’t. You might die. It’s a lot of food, enough for lunch the next day and another dinner. I have plans for you, O leftover chilli! Yummy, delicious plans. Plans involving more cheese, tortilla chips, and an oven. Be good to me.
happilee,
mlee
southern comfort chilli
makes enough to feed a hungry horde
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 links spicy italian sausage
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 medium yellow skinned onion, diced
- 1 large red pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 large green pepper, seeded and diced
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 1 cup pale beer or vegetable stock/broth
- 1 (32- ounce) can whole tomatoes
- 1 (14-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 2 tablespoons ancho chili powder
- 3-5 tablespoons sweet baby ray BBQ sauce
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup vegetarian refried beans
- 1 /4 cup tomato paste
- 8 ounces (2 cups shredded) spicy monterey jack and smoked cheddar, mixed
- Chopped scallions, lime, cilantro and 0% plain greek yogurt, to garnish
Instructions
- over moderate heat, add oil to a deep pot and sauté onions and garlic. brown sausage and beef. deglaze pan with beer or broth, add diced peppers, tomatoes (break up tomatoes as you add them), black beans, and red kidney beans, stirring to combine.
- season chili with cumin, ancho chili powder, BBQ sauce and salt. thicken chili by stirring in refried beans and tomato paste. simmer over low heat about 5 to 10 minutes longer, then serve up bowls of chili and serve with shredded cheese, scallions, lime, cilantro and sour cream. enjoy with corn muffins!
*ps: its even better the next day. sometimes i freeze half a batch for a stress-free dinner 😀
Notes
adapted from rachel ray. her version is vegetarian, but that wouldn’t fly in my house ^_^
corn muffins
makes 16 small muffins
Ingredients
- 2 cups yellow cornmeal, to be divided (i used bob’s mill)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 1/4 cups milk, whole is best here
- 1 cup 0% plain greek yogurt
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup maple syrup, to drizzle on muffins
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (220°C). grease muffin tin and dust with flour, or use muffin liners.
- whisk 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a medium bowl. In a medium saucepan combine milk and remaining 1/2 cup cornmeal. cook cornmeal mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly, until it’s thickened to a batter-like consistency — the whisk will leave a clear line across the bottom of the bowl that slowly fills in. this will take 1 to 3 minutes longer.
- take saucepan off the heat and whisk in butter, then sugar, then sour cream into cooked cornmeal until combined. at this point, the wet mixture should be cool enough that adding the eggs will not scramble them, but if it still seems too hot, let it cool for 5 minutes longer.
- whisk in eggs until combined.
- fold in flour mixture until thoroughly combined and the batter is very thick. use an ice cream scoop to divide batter evenly among prepared muffin cups.
- bake until tops are golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 13 to 17 minutes, rotating muffin tin halfway through baking to ensure even cooking. let muffins cool in muffin tin on wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove muffins from tin and let cool 5 minutes longer. poke a few holes in the muffins and drizzle maple syrup over muffin tops. serve warm.
Notes
adapted from smitten kitchen
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