My Husband's Homemade Chili

I absolutely love my husband's chili. When we met boiling pasta was about the extent of my culinary habits so throughout our courtship he was the one that blessed me with his amazing home cooking. His chili was always one of my favorites (he taught me to eat it the Cincinnati style: over pasta) and this past Sunday I specially requested it because it's fall, it's football season and chili sounded like a darn good idea. It was and I'll share with you his recipe.

2 lbs ground meat (beef or combo of beef and veal or beef and pork)

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup chili powder mixture (combination of equal parts cumin and paprika, 1/2 that amount of chili powder and cayenne, garlic powder, salt, black pepper)

1 large can tomato paste

2 cans beans, rinsed (dark and red kidney beans)

1 cup beef broth

1/2 bottle of beer

1 tsp cocoa powder

Saute onions until translucent and then add garlic. Add meat and brown, then add chili mixture and let cook for a few minutes. Toss in 1 or 2 bay leaves and then 1 large can tomato paste. Add beans, let cook, then add beef broth. Finally, add beer and cocoa powder. Let cook for at least 2 hours. Serve over thin linguini, cover with shredded cheese, sour cream and freshly chopped cilantro, green chilis to taste. This recipe makes an obscene amount of chili so you could easily cut back to 1 lb of meat and adjust your seasonings.

Easy Orzo Salad

This is my go-to salad to make when we host brunch and it's always a crowd pleaser. It's ridiculously easy and really, really good. It's simply orzo pasta, drained and at room temperature, tossed with handfuls of fresh baby arugula, pesto and a handful of toasted pine nuts. You season with salt, pepper and olive oil to taste. You could also shred some fresh parmesan over top. If I have homemade pesto I'll use that but I also use store-bought with this salad and it still tastes great.

minibar

Do you want to know how dinner was? It was pretty indescribable, but, I'll try. To say that it was an experience and not just a meal would be stating the obvious. To quote Tom Sietsema "If Cirq du Soleil served food this is what it would look and taste like". It truly was like being at the theatre, and being able to jump right on stage and interact with the performers as they perform. I can't even begin to give justice to the experience by punching out little words on my measly blog, just go there, try your hardest to make a reservation, and enjoy every second of it. It does go by quite fast, in fact if I could muster any criticism at all it would be just that; it went by too fast. 27 courses and when you were done with one, another one was presented to you. These guys were good, they were fast, they were brilliant, they were personable, they were sweet, they were humble, they were funny. Sitting in front of the chefs that are so intricately preparing your meal, course after course, all the while answering every question you throw out there like "so what do you guys eat for dinner after this?" "Oh, I'm happy with a bag of fritos" is such a delicious honor. You can't even compare the contrast of being served your dinner, prepared behind a door, by a waiter, to sitting in front of these talented chefs who place each course in front of you as they describe its components. One of the most surprising parts of the experience was just how much fun it was to hang out with these guys, these uber talented chefs (one of whom gets heavily recruited by Top Chef each season but politely declines) who hang out with all the other uber talented chefs in the area as though it's no big deal. "Oh yeah, we're always messing around in the lab with Jose Andres". And they stand there, thanking you. They acted as though it was honor for them to be serving us, reminding us that we waited 30 days to be sitting there and they weren't going to let us down.

So on to the courses. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves, though as the evening grew darker so did my pictures. I hate using my flash because I don't have a filter on it and it really washes out images. They were some courses that were mind-blowing, others I can't say I truly loved but that's simply because I'll never appreciate the texture of oysters or clams. Some courses you felt in your heart before it even made the short journey into your mouth, like a child staring at a roller coaster they are about to ride. And others, you relished with your eyes only to be completely surprised and shocked as it popped over your tongue. You could recognize the flavors but what your eyes registered was not as it seemed. They claim to not be molecular gastronomists because they haven't had the formal training, but to see them handle liquid nitrogen and place a cold shell of tzatziki in front of you, one would disagree. But I'll leave it at that and now leave you with some pictures.

pisco sour

tumbleweed beet

cornbread

bagel and lox

olive oil bon bon

mojito (it tasted exactly like a mojito)

blue cheese almond

brioche bun with caviar

boneless wing

cotton candy eel

this tasted exactly like pad thai

philly cheese steak

deconstructed clam chowder

tzatsiki

guacamole

the magicians

the menu

Sevai

This is a traditional Indian/Pakistani dessert that you will find on family tables during Eid. The sweet smell of it cooking is exotic and relaxing. It's not an overly heavy dessert and it's very simple to make and you only need a few ingredients. You can serve this with vanilla ice cream, or some creme fraiche, in which case I suppose it becomes heavy.

1 package vermicelli noodles (extra fine, roasted vermicelli, you'll find these at the Indian grocery stores)

1 stick butter

2 cardamom pods

2 cups simple syrup infusion with a few saffron threads

raisins (to sprinkle)

sliced almonds (to sprinkle)

Heat butter in wide pan (oven safe) with cardamom. Break up noodles in bowl, add noodles to butter and stir, allowing to absorb the butter. Pour simple syrup over noodles, toss in some golden raisins (soaked in hot water for a few minutes). Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, sprinkle almonds over.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This was decadent and delicious. This was the second time I've made risotto and I definitely like it with lots of mushrooms. I essentially followed Giada's template, the only difference being I used dried chanterelle mushrooms instead of porcini, and I used shitaki mushrooms instead of white. I also added a tablespoon of heavy cream in at the end. I've had a lot of cream in my fridge of late, what can I say. I think that will most likely be the last time I make risotto for a dinner party. Because of the large amount it took a lot of time. I think nearly an hour of essentially constant stirring, and this was right before our friends were coming over (I didn't want it sitting around for hours). So I don't think it's the most practical of dishes for a party. Paella was even more practical as you just place it in the oven and can leave it be. The other thing is mushrooms are expensive at Whole Foods, especially the dried wild mushrooms. I spent more on mushrooms than I did on the lamb. Regardless, it was delicious and I was glad I made it.

Bruschetta

This is another terrible photo I snapped before serving (when you're hosting a dinner party you can't make your guests wait until you find the perfect lighting). When I decided I'd make bruschetta I knew I had to make it the way it was presented in the movie Julie & Julia, with fried bread. It looked so unbelievably appetizing. You can find the precise recipe from the movie here (posted from the woman responsible for the food styling). It came out incredibly well and I recommend giving it a go before local tomatoes slip away. I was lucky enough to be able to use cherry tomatoes from my father's garden, and they were delicious (have I mentioned that his tomatoes are award winning? yes, he was the runner up in a McLean tomato contest!).

I chopped up about 2 1/2 cups of cherry tomatoes, both red and yellow, and tossed in some chopped basil (about 1/4 cup) and 1 clove of garlic, pressed and some olive oil. I let this sit for several hours. A few minutes before serving I tossed the salad with some salt. I sliced up a baguette and toasted it up with some butter and olive oil in a cast iron skillet, flipping over when golden brown. Rub each piece of bread with garlic clove after removing from skillet and then scoop tomato mixture onto each piece of bread before serving. This made about 14 small toasts.

Frico

I had been wanting to make these parmesan crisps for a while now and was so happy to finally have an excuse to try them. They are so so so easy and so rewarding. I served them with arugula salads and it was a nice cheesy, crunchy treat. I had looked at a few recipes, including this one at GOOP. I ended up following a recipe present by Ruth Reichel that was on an episode of Gourmet's Diary of a Foodie. I actually think it would be worth it to sift the flour to avoid small lumps, but then again it may not even need the flour as many recipes don't call for it. I was recently watching an episode of Everyday Italian and Giada added fresh lemon zest and chopped basil, which I'd imagine would also come out quite well.

1 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

freshly cracked black pepper

1 tbsp flour

Mix ingredients and spoon six tablespoons on a baking sheet lined with a silicone pad, flatten each mound just a bit. Bake 10 minutes. Makes one dozen.

White Bean Dip

This is a terrible picture as I quickly snapped it right before our friends were arriving, but you get the idea. I followed Giada's recipe, which you can find here. I decided to serve it with endives as pita chips may have filled us up unnecessarily. The parsley is quite strong so you may want to cut back on it. It's an insanely easy and quick dip to make. It has the texture of hummus but has a much creamier taste to it.

1 can cannellini beans

1 - 2 cloves garlic

juice of half a lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tsp dried oregano

salt, pepper

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or blender.

Rigatoni with Creamy Lamb Ragu

After pouring over Italian recipes this week I was left with a serious craving for some Italian food and I had to make some hearty pasta so we could carb overload. I was inspired by this food blogger's post, taken from Giada's recipe for lamb ragu with mint. I made some changes to jazz it up, and improvised with the marinara, but it was still incredibly simple and incredibly delicious (you can refer to Giada's recipe for the more basic version). It goes down as one of my favorite pasta dishes I have made thus far, and my husband absolutely loved it. I had never cooked with ground lamb but I fell in love. The sauce is savory and a little sweet and wonderfully comforting. The recipe called for 1 1/2 lbs of meat but unfortunately Harris Teeter sells ground lamb in 1 lb packs. I wanted to make enough sauce to freeze some and to have some for leftovers, so I used 2 lbs of ground lamb. So the recipe I am leaving you with makes enough for at least 8-10 servings. For two people I'd recommend using only 1 lb of meat and cutting back on the sauce.

2 lbs ground lamb

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

2 large shallots, chopped

2 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

1 red chili pepper, chopped (if you want the heat)

dash of cayenne

1 1/2 cup red wine

~ 6 cups marinara (I used 1 jar of store bought plus 1 large can crushed tomatoes)

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/4 cup ricotta cheese

1/2 cup combination of basil and fresh mint leaves

dry Italian herbs, to taste

salt, pepper

rigatoni pasta

Heat olive oil in dutch oven, sautee shallots, then garlic. Add salt, pepper, toss in meat and allow to brown. Pour in wine and allow to reduce for a few minutes. Toss in cloves, bay leaf, red chili pepper, cayenne, and then marinara. Allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes, covered. I also added some herbs, rosemary and oregano, since the sauce I used was very simple and the crushed tomatoes needed flavor added to them (I did not feel like turning the tomatoes into a proper marinara first). After the sauce had developed its flavor, I added the cream and ricotta. I had cream lying around and I reduced the amount of required ricotta since I bought part skim and I wasn't too thrilled about that. I then added the mint and basil, cooked it for a few more minutes and then it was done. This makes a lot of sauce, so I removed over half of it into a tupperware, then boiled almost 1lb of rigatoni. When the pasta was super al dente, I tossed it into the sauce and finished cooking it for a few minutes in the sauce. Serve with freshly grated parmesan.

Crab Cakes

I made crab cakes for the first time from scratch! Fresh crab meat was on sale at the grocery store so I snatched some up. I was inspired by this recipe over at A Homemaker's Habit. I basically followed her recipe for the crab cakes, the only problem was I didn't have mustard powder or dried parsley so I added some dry thyme and crushed some mustard seeds. I was really proud of myself for making crab cakes, but I will say, the Philips crab cakes that Costco carries are pretty darn good too. I think the crab cakes would be delicious with simply a plain green salad if you are in the mood to make this but want to skip the mango and peppers (I also substituted shallots for onions).

Great Falls Garden Club: Cooking with Herbs

I had the pleasure of attending one of the Great Falls Garden Club's meeting. I stopped by this particular meeting because their theme was "cooking with herbs" (and my mother, a member, hosted it at home). These ladies really know their herbs, and they know what to do with them! Members threw lively demos of unique treats that incorporate fresh herbs that many of them are growing in their gardens. I included some of the recipes below. Enjoy!

Sorrel

Lavender Shortbread and Lavender Pecan Cookies

Sage chips!

Herb Muffins

Scented Geranium Pound Cake

Fried Chicken with Sorrel Sauce

Herb Chutney Sandwiches

Herb Chutney Sandwiches

1/2 cup fresh coriander

1/4 cup fresh mint

1 green chili

salt to taste

2 tbsp coconut pulp (fresh or dry)

2 tbsp mayonnaise

1 cucumber sliced thin, halfed

10 cherry tomatoes, halved

bread cut, bite sized

Grind all ingredients except bread, tomatoes and cucumbers. Add mayonnaise, spread onto bread and top with tomatoes and cucumbers.

Herb Muffins

1 tbsp parsley leaves

1 clove garlic

3 oz parmesan cheese

1 cup flour

2/3 cup oats

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp dried oregano, basil, thyme, or fresh

2 tbsp sugar

3/4 plain yogurt

1/2 cup safflower oil

2 eggs

3 dashes tabasco sauce

Preheat oven to 375. Process parsley, garlic, and cheese in food processor for 3 seconds, then add all other ingredients. Mix until blended. Pour into muffin cupes with paper or lightly greased. Bake for 22 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Makes 1 dozen.

Iced Mint Tea

Part A:

6 sprigs mint

3 tsp black tea leaves

Pour 2 cups boiling water and steep 15 min

Part B:

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

2 cups boiling water

Combine A and B. Strain. Add 1 qt cold water. Serves 8.

Tomatoes and Mangoes with Cilantro and Basil Vinaigrette

5 whole tomatoes, cubed

3 mangoes, peeled and cubed

1 cup diced scallions

fresh, chopped basil, to taste

chopped cilantro, to taste

1 cup craisins

Toss with vinaigrette:

balsamic vinegar

dijon mustard

garlic

olive oil

salt, pepper

Lavender Shortbread

2 cup flour

1 cup butter

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp lavender flowers

3 tsp mint leaves (optional)

Chop lavender and mint finely. Blend with remaining ingredients. Press out onto parchment paper. Chill 30 minutes. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick. Cut with knife. Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325 until golden brown (about 10 minutes). Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Lavender Pecan Butter Cookies

1 cup sugar

2 tsp lavender flowers

Grind sugar with lavender in food processor or coffee grinder

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup butter

2 cup flour

2/3 cup lavender sugar (above)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract

Mix all ingredients. Roll dough into small balls. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 325 until golden (10-12 minutes). Roll in remaining lavender sugar while still hot.

Scented Geramium Pound Cake

1 lb butter

3 cup sugar

3 eggs

3 cup flour 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 cup buttermilk

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time. Stire baking powder into flour. Add with buttermilk. Grease 2 loaf pans. Flatten a line of scented geranium leaves along bottom of pan. Carefully pour in batter. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Fried Sage

The sage leaves were fried in just a hint of oil in a pan, flipped over halfway through. Place on plate lined with paper towel, sprinkle with salt, place in oven set at 200 degrees to keep warm until serving. These are great as a snack, or sprinkled on chicken or fish, or tossed with sweet potatoes or even blended with macaroni and cheese.

Pollo Asada

My husband discovered this chicken recipe and it is one of our absolute favorites. I chop up this chicken and turn it into "chop-chop" - a cuban(ish) from my days living in Miami that we all loved in college. Yellow rice, chopped grilled chicken, black beans and a yellow curry sauce. You can also sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro or lettuce, chopped tomatoes, and squeeze a lime wedge over the chicken. I deconstructed another sauce that a Peruvian chicken place near us serves - it's a green chili/cilantro sauce. I haven't gotten it quite there yet, but it's still delicious. When I make this dish I usually am also making salsa and guacamole and my husband likes to pile everything on. In Miami, we usually stuffed everything into warm pitas, but now for me, the rice alone is enough carbs. I can't post the exact portions for the sauces because I myself never measure.

Chicken

4-5 chicken thighs (you could of course substitute for breasts, but I really prefer the juiciness of thigh meat)

1 tbsp ginger paste (optional)

1 tbsp garlic paste (optional)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup lime juice

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp white vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 onion

1 tsp salt

2 cloves garlic

2 dried red chili peppers

we also like to add some fresh red chili (about two, without seeds)

Place all ingredients in food processor and blend, pour over chicken and let marinate 2-24 hours. Another option is to marinate overnight with the ginger and garlic paste and then add the marinade a few hours before grilling. If you don't have a grill, you could simply broil the chicken.

Yellow rice

2 cups basmati rice

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp saffron threads

4 cups chicken broth

I put some oil in a pot, coat all the rice, pour in chicken broth, salt (optional), add turmeric and then add the saffron threads (crushed in mortor and pestle and soaked in a few spoons of hot water). Allow to come to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover for about 20 minutes.

Black beans

I have yet to try soaking dry beans but promise myself I will one of these days.

1 large can black beans

1 red bell pepper

2-3 cloves garlic

1/4 white onion

bay leaf

spices (coriander, red chili powder, cumin)

Roast bell pepper in oven (a friend of mine recently told me to add this, it really adds a nice smoky sweetness to the beans). Puree in blender. In small pot, sautee onion in some oil, add chopped garlic, add spices. Toss in black beans, bay leaf, some water and let cook for a while. Pour in bell pepper puree and finish cooking. Salt and pepper to taste.

Yellow Curry Sauce

The base of the sauce is a blend of mayo, sour cream and dijon mustard. I use about equal parts mayo and sour cream (about 1/2 cup each for 4 people) and then about 1/2 that amount of the mustard. Then I add a spoon or two of curry powder, salt, pepper and then I thin the sauce out with some olive oil and water.

Green Sauce

This is a blend of a lot of cilantro and green chilis, a little garlic, lemon juice, some salt. I thin it out with some water in the food processor.

Salsa

I just learned the other day that all salsa jarred and sold in the U.S. is required to be cooked. It's no wonder it completely lacks the freshness we crave in salsa! I was never actually a big fan of salsa, until I started having it homemade. My cousin in-law was the first person to inspire me to make it. I watched her make it and it looked incredibly easy. I made my own interpretation and that's really how it goes, you'll adjust the portions each time depending on what you are craving and who you are having over.

2 cans tomatoes (I use diced but you can also use whole. I love that the canned tomatoes are always ripe and without skin)

a few fresh tomatoes, chopped

bunch of cilantro

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

juice of 1 lime

roasted peppers (I use serano, but you could also use jalepeno. Use as many as you like and with or without the seeds. I roast them over a gas burner but you could do this in the oven)

salt, pepper

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor. This recipe makes a lot of salsa, enough for at least 10 people to enjoy with chips.

Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

I love cheesecake! Does anyone hate cheesecake? Perhaps those that can't consume dairy. This recipe is from my mother, but I believe it's the universal recipe that is probably on the Philly Cream Cheese boxes.

3 packets cream cheese, room temperature

2 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 3/4 graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup butter, melted

1 1/4 cup sugar, plus a few teaspoons to mix with sour cream

Combine 1/4 cup sugar, butter and crumbs. Press into botton of springform pan. In stand mixer, combine all other ingredients: cream cheese, eggs, vanilla and sugar. If the eggs are small you may want to add one more; 3 small eggs will produce a more dense cake and 4 eggs more fluff to it. Pour into pan and bake at 350 for almost an hour. While it is cooking, mix sugar with sour cream, removed cake, spread sour cream over top and bake for about 5 more minutes. I didn't use a water bath as any minor cracks on the top are covered up by the sour cream. I served this with a raspberry sauce.

1 pint raspberries, pureed in blender

1/2 sugar (or more or less to taste)

1 tbsp champord

1 tsp raspberry jam

Combine everything and stir in sauce pan over stove, allow to come to a boil and reduce slightly. I added a bit of water to thin out. You can strain out the seeds if you want but it was proving too messy for myself so I served it with the seeds, which was fine.

Mini Kabobs

These mini beef kabobs are exactly how I like my kabobs; easy to make, no grill required, juicy and delicious and versatile. I served these as a appetizer with some tzatziki but they make a perfect dinner sandwich wrapped in some Trader Joe's naan, stuffed with fresh greens and drizzled with the yogurt sauce. No need to buy halal meat or ground lamb, your grocery store's 80/20 ground beef works perfectly. You could also substitute for ground chicken.

~ 1 lb ground beef (80% lean)

1 tbsp ginger paste

1 tbsp garlic paste (I like using fresh ginger and garlic but store bought pastes work well. I run the ginger through a microplane and push the garlic through a press)

fresh chopped green chili (to taste, I used one and removed seeds)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 eggs

1/2 finely chopped small white onion

1 piece white bread, soaked in water then squeeze water out

1 tsp chick pea flour

salt, pepper

Combine all ingredients, trying not to over mix. Form small circular shapes, patting down to flatten a bit. Heat cast iron skillet (if possible, otherwise any pan will do) on medium heat with a generous pour of oil. Cook kabobs on each side for a few minutes. I like to use my splash guard over the pan.