Food Obsession: Chili

I'm pretty sure that almost everyone loves fall. I don't know anyone who doesn't. Football, hay rides, apple cider, cooler weather...and especially soup. Soup is a staple at our house, even in the summer, but especially in the fall and winter. We like to make a big batch of soup over the weekend so we have lunch and leftovers throughout the coming week. And now that I have another freezer in my garage, I plan to freeze a lot this year, too.

One of our favorite things to make is chili. I love chili because there are so many different ways you can make it. If you went down the street and asked each of your neighbors for their recipe, you'd come up with something different from everyone. Even ours is a little different every time. Our chili recipe is something we came up with when we first got married. I feel sentimental about it because it takes me back to a time when we were young and poor and lived in a little apartment. Time goes by so fast! Nothing reminds me of that more than autumn. So, here is our chili recipe- we love to serve it with a little bit of shredded cheese, a little bit of sour cream (fat-free for you WWers), and a little bit of crumbled-up cornbread.

Ben & Sarah's Chili

2 lbs. lean ground beef

1 medium onion, chopped (more or less depending on what you like)

1 chopped green bell pepper

1/2 chopped red bell pepper

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained

1 can light red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2-3 cans Ro-Tel tomatoes

1 packet chili seasoning (Chili-O is what we like to use)

1-2 tsp. ground cumin

1-2 large cans V-8 or any brand of vegetable juice

Combine the ground meat, onion, and bell peppers in a large saucepan. Stirring constantly, cook over medium-high heat until the meat is crumbly and the onion translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the beans, tomatoes, chili seasoning, cumin, and V-8 (until it reaches your desired consistency). Bring to a boil, then simmer until you're ready to eat.

Frozen chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick

I hope that title drew you in. I've been slacking. I can't believe October is almost half over already. So much for a book review on the first of every month- but I do have one ready (see below). October is one of my favorite months, and this one had a great start- spending time in Key West and Cozumel with Michelle, my best friend since third grade! Key West was gorgeous and warm:

And I'm not trying to be over-dramatic, but eating this frozen chocolate-covered key lime pie on a stick might have been one of the best experiences of my life:

Cozumel was insanely beautiful. We snorkeled and relaxed on the beach- and of course hit up a Mexican restaurant on our way back to our cruise ship. All in all, a wonderful trip!

One of the best aspects of the trip was being able to relax and read. I got through one long-ish novel in the 4 days and did something I never do, which is buy a book in the airport and started on that one, too. Anyone who saw me with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo in the airport told me it was a great read- I am less than 100 pages in but liking it so far. 

The book I have to review this month, though, is The Serpent's Tale by Ariana Franklin. This is another of those rare books that I actually bought. I found it for like $3.99 at Garden Ridge, and having loved the book it is a sequel to (Mistress of the Art of Death) I was excited to read it. 

The likable protagonist in this series is a medieval doctor named Adelia Aguilar, a Sicilian living in England at the behest of King Henry II in order to unravel crimes in his kingdom. Since female doctors were feared at the time, and considered to be witches, Adelia has to conduct her work in secret. In the first book, Adelia works to solve the murders of several children in Cambridge. In The Serpent's Tale, her task is uncovering the murderer of Rosamund Clifford, the king's favorite mistress, to prevent the entire country from collapsing into a state of civil war. It's a good read. Like I've said before, historical fiction is my favorite genre, and medieval England is my favorite place to be transported to for a while. I recommend this read. You don't need to read Mistress of the Art of Death first, but I'd suggest doing so to get a better feel for the second book. I'm hoping Franklin writes a third! 

I'm still 30...and I made Indian food

Life has been a little better lately. Circumstances haven't necessarily changed, but I've just been making a real effort to be content and to make the best of things the way they are right now. It helps. But life is still going by so fast. I really psyched myself up for turning 30, but lately I'm just feeling old. Then I look in the mirror and my feelings are confirmed. Then I look at my list and tell myself I need to get moving. I promise there are more exciting things on my list than cooking and sewing and reading, it's just a matter of getting to them. I realize that being a working mom is more than a legit excuse for not getting a lot of stuff done beyond the basics. But I also realize that I'm not going to look back when I'm 40, 50, 60 and be satisfied with that reason for not accomplishing my goals. So expect some more progress from me- as soon as I finish this freelance project, catch up on laundry, find the DVD Bennett wants to watch, figure out when I have time to take a shower.......

I did try a new recipe a couple weeks ago. I have no idea if this recipe is truly Indian food or not, but I thought I'd try it. It's another one I came across in Better Homes & Gardens, and you can find it here if you're interested. I love almost all kinds of food, but Indian food is not something I've really had a lot of. I had one homemade Indian dish many years ago, and I hated it. A few years ago, Ben spent about a month in southern India and he loved the food there. He felt good eating it and lost weight. Since then, I've always intended to be more adventurous about Indian food but it just hasn't happened. When I saw this recipe I thought it would be a good first try. I have to admit I cut back on both the curry and the ginger out of fear of the unknown. I also used chicken breast instead of chicken thighs. I really liked this dish- and even more so because it is low in calories and fat- but I didn't go crazy over it. Ben liked it more than I did, and my parents liked it, too. Another plus is that it's a crock pot meal- I love anything that cuts down on prep time.

In the beginning, God

Time to reveal another item on my 30 in my 30s list. It sounds like everyone's typical New Year's resolution- I'm going to read through the entire Bible! As cheesy as it sounds, it's an important thing I want to accomplish. I can't tell you how many times in my life I've set out on this task. I usually start in Genesis, Psalms, and Matthew, and try to read a chapter at a time in each, basically giving myself three different "starting points" so I can get through faster. I usually fizzle out somewhere around Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, and Acts. It isn't that I never open my Bible and read it; it's just that I can't say I've ever read the whole thing cover to cover without stopping and starting over a bunch of times.

So, I've decided that I want to read through the Bible at least twice during my 30s. For the first round, I've decided to just read it straight through, from beginning to end, in Eugene Peterson's version The Message. I'm trying to approach it like I would a novel, just soaking it in and letting it make me think, just enjoying it for what it is. The next time, I plan to read it through it in a study Bible and dig a little deeper, maybe getting some commentaries as well.

The Bible has been a part of my life for the past 30 years, but I'm trying to look at it through new eyes. It's so many things- a beautiful piece of literature, God's letter written to us, a guide for living, a comfort and encouragement through anything we might face, an anchor in a crumbling world. There is no other book like it! If you've never read it, I encourage you to read it along with me. The Message version is a great place to start! I'll keep you updated on my progress here.

Sweet September

It's the first of the month, and I have my book review ready. But first I just have to say how excited I am that September is here. I realize it's still technically summer, and Labor Day isn't even here yet, but to me, September 1 has always been the unofficial start of fall. I won't lie- this summer, the first few months of my 30s, has been a very trying season for me. Lots of pain, heartache and frustration in my life and in the lives of people I love. I'm ready for a new season. I know that things have to get better. So, for the unofficial beginning of autumn, I celebrated by putting a fall wreath on my front door today. I just had to have one "fall-ish" thing around.

I'm looking forward to football (especially going to the Ohio State-Miami game next week!), hockey, cooler weather, taking Bennett to the pumpkin patch and dressing her up for Halloween, a cruise with my best friend at the end of the month, a trip to Atlanta to see my cousins, and the Iowa family coming out for Thanksgiving. It should be a great few months coming up.

Now, for my book review. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane was another book I read while we were in Cabo. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, and this novel switches back and forth between modern times and the Salem witch trials of the 1600s. Basically, a contemporary Harvard graduate student finds a lot more than she bargained for in her research and discovers her own family ties to the famous past. It was fine for a beach read, but I can't say that it's a great book. I think the author was attempting to bring a fresh perspective to a well-known event in American history- that perspective being that some of the women really were witches (though benevolent)- but it was kind of lost on me. I like historical fiction that's a bit more grounded in fact and less in fantasy. It wasn't terrible, but there are just so many great novels out there that this probably isn't one to waste time on. I'm into a better book right now, though, so I'll look forward to reviewing it next month.