Gettin' Spicy!

I have been getting compliments and requests for the chili recipes I used for our Shrub Removal Par-tay


Sadly I do not have any amazing step by step photos.

I also do not have photos of fresh, mouth watering ingredients.

What I do have are the recipes.

I got both recipes from Better Homes and Gardens. I love all the food photos on the site- don't you?


I pinned a few other chili recipes on my Pinterest board, so check them out if you want a different flavor. I have some super yummy soup and chili recipes pinned. Just sayin'.



Chili Numero Uno:

Beef and Bean Chili

Serves 8

2 lb lean ground beef
2 large onions, chopped (2 cups)
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
2-4 jalapeno peppers (add more or less)
2 TBS chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 15oz can tomato sauce
3 15oz cans red kidney beans, drained
1 oz semi sweet chocolate, chopped ( I used chocolate chips- excellent for snacking as well as sweetening!)
1/4 c fresh cilantro. (I didn't have cilantro/don't like it so I omitted it.)

In Dutch oven, brown beef over medium-high heat; drain off fat. Add onions, garlic and peppers; cook about 5 minutes, until almost tender. Add chili powder and cumin; cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomato sauce and 2 Cups water; bring to a boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

Mash one of the cans of beans. Stir all of the beans into the chili. Return to a simmer; cook about 5 minutes. Remove from  heat, stir in chocolate until melted Stir in 1/2 tsp. salt and the cilantro.

**This chili is a bit spicy, so adjust  the amount of peppers and chili powder to your taste.**

Chili Numero Dos:

Spicy White Chicken Chili

Serves 8-10

2 cups chopped onion 

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 TBS olive oil

1  4.5-oz can chopped green chilies

3 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. dried oregano, crushed

1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper

3   15-oz cans white kidney beans, rinsed and drained

28-oz reduced sodium chicken broth

5 cups cooked  cubed chicken or turkey

1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

 In a Dutch oven cook onions and garlic in hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until tender. Stir in green chilies, chili powder, oregano, and cayenne pepper; cook for 1 minute. Mash one can of the beans. Add all beans and broth to ingredients in Dutch oven. Bring to simmering. Cook, covered, for 10 minutes.

Stir in the chicken/turkey; cook about 10 minutes, until heated. Stir in cheese until melted.




Both chili recipes were delish and were even better the next day.

Let me know if you make either one- I would love to hear how you liked it!
Don't forget the toppings and cornbread!

Centerpiece

Mr. Lemon and I went over to a friend's house to watch the Steelers game tonight. I use the word "watch" loosely since I think I watched about two minutes total. Normally I would sit with Mr. Lemon to watch/nap,  but there were fun new projects to be done with my friend! I can't pass up an opportunity like that!

She had the idea to make centerpieces from pumpkins and greenery. She bought some cute pumpkin pie pumkins and we went into her yard to gather greenery and flowers. Her yard is full of beautiful trees and berry bushes.

We found lots of goodies, despite all the mud/snow! We filled three bags and made two trips back to her house. Once inside, we covered her dining table with our freshly cut treasures and got to work!

This is what I came up with:

It smells fresh and was practically free to make!

Bonus: The Steelers won so both of our hubbies were happy too!

Not Another Shrubbery!

Since the Shrub Removal Party on Saturday, the front of our house is a wreck.

 We tied up 18 bundles of shrubbery but there is still a huge pile on our front lawn. 

(The word "shrubbery" makes me laugh and think of the scene in Monty Python. Who's with me? Anyone? )

I am so excited about the idea of flowers in the front of our house! I have big plans for flowers and window boxes to pump up the curb appeal for our little house. The front looks a little bare without the enormous bushes so I need to get to work!

For immediate color, I bought some red mums. These will (hopefully) come back next year to provide fall color. I know they are perennials, I just hope I don't totally kill them.

I also planted tulip, anemone, and ranunculus bulbs for spring. They will be so cheery in pinks, yellows, purples and reds!! I just need to plant some fill in plants and some summer blooms. Any suggestions?

And for all of you who know me, Mr. Lemon did the initial digging, but I did actually put the bulbs (all 160) in the ground. Only two "surprise appearances" from those wiggly you-know-whats, resulting in bit of minor squealing on my part. Grandma Bets would be proud.

Proof that I actually had my hands in the dirt.

I suppose this is my debut picture. So nice.

What is your favorite flower? Do you have any plans for your spring garden?



Blog Bonus!!
For an extra dose of silliness: the "Knights of Ni" scene.

Shrub Removal Party!

We have twelve very large shrubs in the front of our house. As in two rows of very large shrubs that are so high that we can't see out/open our windows.

Yikes and double yikes.

5 Azaleas + 4 Evergreens + 2 Box woods + 1 Forsythia = 12 shrubs too many!

This is the view between the rows of bushes. Enough said.

Today we had a few friends come and help dig them out and free our little house from being overtaken by vegetation.

Hooray!

(Dirt splatter on our siding from spinning tires.)

Oooohhh!!! Who's that guy!?

 

Ta Da!!!

Left side: giant roots and tire tracks. Right side: The Pile Formerly Known as Shrubs.

It only took four hours, two chainsaws (one broke... sorry Steve!), two heavy duty chains,  one very serious axe, one Durango, one van, and lots of chili to take care of business!

Before

After

[Not pictured: Super-sized bushes!]

Yes our yard has a huge pile of roots and branches, and yes our yard has tire tracks, but we no longer have all those bushes hiding our cute little house!

Thank you, Mr. Lemon, Dan, Brian, Steve, Andy, and Steve! You guys made my day!

More improvements to come!