World's Best Chili

This may or may not be the world's best Chili.  Try the recipe and see for yourself! 

It was a perfect Fall weekend in Cleveland (well, except for the onslaught of rain all day Friday), so I decided that I needed to drag out my crock pot and get some chili cooking.  There are so many different kinds of chili and I feel like you can never go wrong.  From the famous Skyline Chili in my hometown of Cincinnati, to my mom's amazingly good classic chili with oyster crackers and cheddar cheese, to my own version of chili with a Southwestern twist. Yum!

Here is the recipe for my Southwestern Chili: 

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef
¾ cup onion (diced)
¾ cup celery (diced)
¾ cup green bell pepper (diced)
1-2 Jalapenos (seeded & diced)  -- add this according to how spicy you would like chili
2 garlic cloves (minced)
2 (10.7 ounce) cans tomato puree or 1 Big
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans (one drained, one with liquid)
1 (15 ounce) can black beans (drained & rinsed)
½ tablespoon chili powder
½ teaspoon dried basil
¾ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce (or more, to taste) --> Frank's is the best :)

Directions: 

Step 1: In a large skillet over medium high heat, add ground beef and cook until evenly browned. Chop up with a metal spatula while browning. Drain any excess grease.

 Step 2: Place beef into the slow cooker. Add onion, celery, green pepper, jalapenos, garlic, tomato puree, kidney beans, and black beans. Season with chili powder, salt, basil, oregano, black pepper, and hot sauce. Mix well.

A note of caution: Make sure you wear gloves while dealing with and chopping the jalapenos -- I didn't and my left hand burned for the next 5 hours --- seriously not fun. 

Step 3: Place cover onto the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
(Makes 6-8 Servings)

Serve chili in bowls with cheddar cheese and oyster crackers or tortilla strips if you'd like. 

And a perfect accompaniment to the Chili is...

Jalapeno & Cheesy Cornbread  

Ingredients:
Tastefully Simple Beer Bread Mix
Substitute the 12 oz beer for 1 can of creamed corn
1 Jalapeno, seeded & chopped
1 cup Colby Jack/Monterrey Cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix together the beer bread mix and creamed corn, add in jalapeno and cheese.  Place in a greased 9x5 bread pan.  Cook for 50-55 minutes.  Cool & Slice. So delicious!

The Result:

A delicious Sunday dinner that you can eat while relaxing and watching Football :)

How to: Plan a Kick-Ass Tailgate

  
Football season is back again...which also means it's tailgate season!  Who doesn't love a kick-ass tailgate? Here is a list of essentials that will ensure your tailgate leaves people talking...and coming back the next time.






Must Haves:

Corn Hole: who doesn't love a game where you can toss tiny bags of corn into small holes cut into wooden boards?



Music: you gotta mix up the tunes....throw in some newbies, 90's, rap, country, and old school.  And make sure you've got the loudest party around.

                  

Grill: Wear your favorite grill & bring extras for your friends...mine is the USA themed grill like the one Ryan Lochte wears. 
....Just kidding, bring a grill for grilling food, of course!

Chairs: Make sure you have plenty of portable chairs for those tailgaters who are sort-of a liability and who may or may not have to pass out in one. 

Table: To put all the great food on top of ...and speaking of food ...

Good Food & Drinks: One of the most important parts of a good tailgate is the food & drinks.  If you want to be classy you can bring some champagne and orange juice for mimosas.  If you want to keep it simple, bring lots and lots of beer.  Also, make sure you have solo cups just in case. If it's cold out, a great drink to make is Hot Spiked Cider -- Just mix rum & Cider & cinnamon in your crock pot and leave it on the grill to keep it warm :)

Jello Shots and/or drunk gummy bears: How to make Vodka spiked gummies can be found here. 





Here are some top food ideas: 

Hot dogs & Hamburgers: Duh. How can  you have a tailgate without these essentials?  Make sure you remember the hot dog and hamburger buns, any toppings you wants, and the condiments! -- Mustard, ketchup, and stadium mustard are all musts, in my opinion.

Mini Corn Dogs: These easy, bite-size corn dogs are perfect for a tailgate. Recipe here. 



Pizza + Pretzels = Pizza Pretzel bites?! These are so good. Try them!  The recipe can be found here.

BLT Roll Ups: 
Ingredients 4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened. 1/4 cup mayo. 8 slices Bacon, cooked & crumbled. 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes. 2 tortillas (8 inch). 1/2 cup shredded romaine lettuce. 
Directions Mix cream cheese and mayo in medium bowl. Add bacon and tomatoes; mix well. Spread onto tortillas; top with lettuce. Roll up tightly. Cut each into 7 diagonal slices. Makes 14 Servings



Jalapeno Popper Dip: Who doesn't love jalapeno poppers and dip, so put them together and you get perfection...recipe can be found here. 

Guacamole: My favorite variation of this is combining garlic, chopped avocados, chopped red onion, chopped tomatoes, and chopped cilantro & salt/pepper to taste...combine together & chill.  So good.

Mushroom Puffs: My friend's mom used to make these at our Bengals tailgates.  They are to die for! I don't have her recipe, but this one looks pretty similar: recipe




Peanut Butter or Sugar cookies in the shape of footballs & decorated according to your favorite team: recipe

Veggies & Dip: You can make your own dip, but I say keep it simple and buy one. I like the Marzetti Light Dill dip from the grocery store.  Cut up some broccoli, celery, cauliflower, carrots, red/green pepper and you are good to go. :)

Assorted Chips, tortilla chips, crackers, : No recipe needed ;)


Other things to remember: Plates, Solo Cups, Utensils, Garage bags, Paper Towels, Water, Ice, Coolers, Grilling appliances, Charcoal or Propane, Sun screen, Warm weather gear (if needed)


Most importantly, Cheer on your favorite team after the tailgate party is over!! 

Happy football season :)

Back to Blogging

Hello everyone,

Not only are the Backstreet Boys back -- this blog is back, as well!  Sorry for the long hiatus.  I honestly have no good excuse for my lack of posting, so I won't even try to make one up.

So long sweet Summer.  

Labor Day has come and gone, so now we get to look forward to my favorite season: Fall.  

Some posts that you can count on seeing soon will be related to: Fall, football, beer, bars, and patios (yes, I do realize how cliche this sounds), but please feel free to get excited.  

--

As a goodbye to the Summer season, I will leave you all with this great salad recipe.  I don't have a name for it, so we can just call it Summer Orzo Salad.  I sort-of adapted a recipe from a friend and threw my own spin on it.

Summer Orzo Salad

2-3 cups Orzo, cooked, according to directions on package
1 Green Pepper, chopped
2 Small Roma Tomatoes or 1 Large tomato, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1 can yellow corn or 1 bag frozen yellow corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 bunch Cilantro, rinsed & chopped
1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
Salt, Pepper & Cayenne to taste

Cook the orzo, chop the vegetables, and mix together with oil & vinegar (I add liquid a little at a time, depending on how big salad is so it is not too dry or too liquid-y) -- add salt, pepper, and cayenne to your liking. Refrigerate the salad for a few hours and then enjoy! Great as a side dish or as a light lunch or dinner.

Summer Orzo Salad

My First Post

Hi everyone,

First off, I’d like to say thanks for reading!  This is my very first post, so I’m hoping they will get better with time.

Ooh Monday.  I don’t particularly like Mondays – especially ones that follow SundayFundays.  The Browns played the Seattle Seahawks at home yesterday, so of course I had to tailgate and watch the game at a couple different downtown Cleveland bars.  The game was not very exciting – but the Brownies did pull off a 6-3 win.

The only thing getting me through this Monday is knowing that I have The Real Housewives of New Jersey Reunion Part 2 on my dvr to watch and Dancing with The Stars is also on tonight!  Too bad one of my favorite stars to watch was kicked off last week — Carson Kressley.  Did anyone else like him?  I will be rooting for David Arquette, JR, and Rob Kardashian for the remainder!

Hope everyone has a fantastic Monday and rest of the week!

~Mandy