Neil's New Favorite

Anyone who loves to cook needs to be married to someone like my husband Neil.  He will eat anything I put in front of him, not because he's one of those shovel-it-in-eating-machines, but because he's willing to try anything.  The best thing though is that he is always appreciative.  Don't get me wrong...I don't cook because I want praise and compliments.  But it does feel great to know that he appreciates my efforts. And I'll admit that cooking is MY hobby, but I love seeing Neil and our daughter enjoy what I prepare.

The other day I was flipping through my favorite cookbook of all time and my eyes came to rest on a chimichanga recipe.  I had all the ingredients on hand so I decided to give it a go.  And I really liked that they are baked rather than fried.  I love the concept of the chimi but I rarely order them in restaurants because that fried tortilla always seems so heavy and dense to me.  Baking them really appealed to me. 

I will never try to take credit for someone else's recipe or act like it's my own.  Credit where credit is due.  This is the work of a lady named Nicole.  Click here to get her recipe. The only thing I did differently was using cheddar simply because I didn't have Monterrey Jack. I presented this to Neil and he went crazy over it.  He even went so far as to say it's one of the best things I've made lately. 

What a gorgeous green!

 

Yummy filling simmering

 

Finished product. Y'all know I'm not a pro photographer!

Since there are only 3 of us, I prepared all of the chimichangas and wrapped the extras in foil and into the freezer they went. See that simple salad in the photo?  Well, that's another great recipe from this book. It's called "Casa dressing." Super simple but incredibly great tasting.  The lime and cumin give it a Mexican flair and it takes no time to whip up.  Try these recipes out and let me know your thoughts. 

 disfrute de su comida!

Hot Pot of Yum

It's true.  I'm a Southerner.  I don't do cold well.  But, I can survive what we call winter down here without too much complaining.  However, I can't deal with wet cold. Wet cold is a whole 'nuther matter. This is the kind of cold that usually attacks your feet first and then you're screwed because it simply won't go away.  

Instead, it travels not UP your body but INTO your body.  Like all the way in, into your bones.  Then you're really, really screwed because even if the sun comes out and starts burning up the planet, that damn wet cold is already in your bones and it doesn't want to leave anytime soon.

This is what I've been dealing with all flippin' day. While rain is always welcome this time of year because it takes all the horrific pollen down the drain, today the rain decided to bring cold temperatures with it.  

Look at this dreadful stuff

Oh yeah, it looks cute until it attacks you.  Spiky little SOBs.

Here's a tip:  get outta that damn field you dimwit!

I mean, come on, really.  It's past Easter, the dogwoods and azaleas are blooming, we're supposed to be well into our brief spring which will quickly segue into our blazing hot, "have I gone to Hell?" summer and here we are with 40's, rain and cold in our bones.

So, despite the fact that it's April, I just had to fight fire with fire this evening.  You guessed it.  A big ol' pot of chili.  If you're not in the habit of making chili, you should rethink that.  It's not hard, you can add anything under the sun to it and it doesn't take long.  And, I can tell you with complete authority that it WILL knock that chill out of your poor, freezing, chattering bones!  Worked like a charm tonight.

Oh, yeah.  Warming up now!

Here's what I concocted this time:

1 lb lean ground beef, seasoned, browned & drained
1 large onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 Tbs chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp salt
2 28 oz cans of tomato (crushed or pureed)
1 cup beef broth
1 can cannellini beans
1 can black beans

Brown the meat in a little olive oil and drain.  In your stock pot, or Dutch oven, saute the onions, peppers and garlic until the onions start to soften up. Stir in chili powder, cumin, coriander, oregano, and salt and cook about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, ground beef and beef broth. Bring to a boil then lower heat, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.  Add beans and heat through, about 5-10 minutes more.  

We like our chili with a variety of accompaniments.  Sometimes with a dollop of sour cream, cheddar, chopped green onions, Fritos, avocado; whatever sounds good at the moment. This pot of chili turned out awesome tonight and was just what the chilly doctor ordered.  Stay warm this spring!