Sunday, November 20, 2011

30 Days: Day Five - Quick Centerpiece & Ms. Picky Pants

Back in the day, long, long ago when no-one had blogs, I went to high school.

Some things in High School are absolutely best left in the past.. but there is one particular day I will never forget. It involved the Mr. back before he knew what he was getting into by dating (and the subsequently, marrying) me.  It was the early spring of our Junior year, and we had just gotten out of softball/baseball practice and were volunteering for Dollars for Scholars that night. Mr. was a bit more charming back then, and a lot more coy... so in a very roundabout way, he invited me to his house for dinner before we would come back to school and do our volunteering together.



My poor Mother-in-law, had no clue I was coming, and Mr. never bothered to ask if it was ok... but she didn't care. In fact, I think she never really knew how many would show for dinner, so she always just planned for extras. She still does that even though none of her kids live there right now.  Anyway to get back on point, we were headed there for dinner and she had made chili.



Ms. Picky Pants (aka me) did not like chili. She did not like anything really, and it didn't matter that Ms. Picky Pants had never even tried things that she declared she hated. But on that particular night, Ms. Picky Pants had no choice, because there she was, meeting the parents for the first time ever, and arriving completely unannounced.



So I had the chili... I loved the chili.



And now, I frequently get chili cravings... today being one of those days. But the best thing about chili (aside from the taste) is how easy it is to make. So for you, today... my chili recipe.

2 cans (14 oz?) delmonte petite cut diced tomatoes with zesty jalapenos
1 yellow (or red) onion
1 pkg McCormick's Hot Chili mix
1 can Goya kidney beans
1.5 lbs ground beef, turkey or chicken depending on what you like.

Very straight forward: saute the onions, brown the beef (tonight was chicken), add the the rest of the stuff and cook on low for about an hour.

EAT.



Then, use the cans to do something crafty. Tonight I covered the cans in old cable knit sweater sleeves, added some ribbon and stuffed greens inside. Almost as simple as making the chili.




You're welcome for these time saving, up-cycling ideas - and for the delicious chili recipe. But if you really want to thank someone, it should be my mother-in-law for introducing me to this delicious dish. Now if only she could get me to like fish!


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