October 19, 2011

fall (yea!)

i think that fall has arrived enough for me to clean out my closet and pack up sandals and shorts (as soon as i return from florida...it's still in the 80's there). we are now in the high 60's and it feels soooooo good. i am one of the few texans who hope it just keeps getting colder and colder. no more 70's and 80's, please, until next march. let me wear coats, scarves and mittens, please.

look...chili!

my first go-to in the fall is this and pumpkin soup (i will talk about this another day). today, husband scott mentioned chili and watching the world series (go rangers!!), so that's what we are doing...oh wait, the game is still going on. i must admit i am watching it only once in a while. i can't watch the whole time...it makes me nervous (i watched the mavericks with my back to the tv, so actually, i didn't watch...just listened).

my first go-to marthastewart.com for recipes and got this one with a few changes:

it's called real-deal chili and it was pretty good and the easiest recipe

2 slices bacon, cut in 1/4" pieces
1 onion, coarsely chopped
3 cloves of garlic (i used 2 because garlic and i don't combine well)
2 T paprika
1 1/2 t ground cumin
1 1/2 t dried oregano
1/2 t cayenne pepper (i used closer to a teaspoon and i added a teaspoon of chili powder)
1 1/4 t salt (i ended up using closer to a tablespoon. i need lots o' salt)
1/2 t pepper
2 lbs ground chuck (i used extra lean...really, there is plenty fat in the bacon)
3 c water (i used 1 14oz can diced tomatoes and 1 1/2 c water)
2 T fine cornmeal or masa harina (i used cornmeal and will continue to until they sell masa harina in a much smaller size...not everyone needs a pound)
1 1/2 T cider vinegar

grated cheddar cheese, lime wedges and sour cream

in a dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. add onion and garlic (be sure to leave garlic skin on the side of your pot so it looks like bird poop in your photo like mine above - okay, you really want to. be sure that there is NO garlic skin), and cook for 30 seconds. add spices, salt and ground beef. cook, stirring occasionally, and breaking up the meat with the side of the spoon, until the beef is cooked through, about 10 minutes.

stir in water/tomatoes, cornmeal and vinegar, and bring to a boil. reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid thickens, about 20 minutes. serve hot (which means let it sit for a while because otherwise you will burn your tongue like i did), garnished with desired toppings:


so let the fall cooking commence!

and so...what do i do about this:

after having no tomatoes all summer (too hot), i have this. will they ripen before it gets too cold? do i pick them green (sigh)? the hail we had the night before last kinda' knocked them about and i was considering pulling them out, but i just can't do it. oh and i took this photo at night. i kinda' like the contrast, don't you?

oh...and this is a ps to my sister laura. i was getting son jason up and out of the chair at barnes and noble and noticed this:

i was pretending to take a photo of son jason and this table, but i was really taking a photo of...do you see it? sister laura and i have the shortest toes in the world, so laura and i have to be careful when wearing sandals because sometimes, the sandal straps are situated just so...and our little toes don't stay contained, but apparently, one doesn't need the shortest toes in the world to have this occur. ouch! isn't that uncomfortable?

2 comments:

  1. Ouch. I have two pairs of sandals I love but the toe just keeps sneaking on out. So...I have thought about taking them to the shoe repair to have some sort of net sewn in but oh well, I just ordered two pairs of closed Fall/Winter shoes so will deal with toe escape in the Spring!

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  2. i never thought about netting...i wonder if that works.

    hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

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