The Recipes

There were enough people that requested these recipes that I am just going to post them. They are so yummy! Happy eating!

The measurements on the chili are mostly exact because I got the basic idea from a recipe from Light and Delish Magazine and then tweaked it to suit my tastes (for a slow cooker recipe, theirs was way too labor intensive; plus there were a few ingredients I wanted to remove/add that made it sound even better). But for the asparagus and potatoes I just kind of add as I cook, so I will do my best to approximate for you. The key is just to add flavors and keep tasting until it tastes just how you want it to!

*It's a Major Award!* Chipotle Beef Chili :) *Quote from A Christmas Story
--This recipe makes a TON of chili, so unless you are feeding a huge crowd, plan on freezing some of it.

2 cans pinto beans
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (found in the Mexican food section of the grocery store)
2 cans diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 onion, diced
2 green peppers, diced
5 cloves garlic, minced
3+ pounds stew meat (if your store sells huge chunks, cut them smaller, 1/2 in by 1/2 squares) and pull out the super fatty chunks too...yuck.
2 T ground cumin
1 T dried oregano or 1.5 T fresh oregano
2 shakes of the Tabasco bottle
2 jalapenos, seeded and diced (if you want it spicier leave some of the seeds in)
1/2 cup loose cilantro leaves
salt and pepper
juice of 1/2 lime

Drain and rinse the beans and dump them all in the slow cooker. Remove 2 to 5 adobo chiles from the sauce and dice. Add 2 to 4 T of the adobo sauce from the can to the crock pot. The more chiles you add, and the more adobo you add the spicier the chili will be. 2 chiles, 2 T of adobo and no jalapeno seeds makes for a pretty mild chili with a nice kick. But we like ours a little spicier, so I usually add 3 chiles, 4 T of adobo and about 1/2 the seeds from ONE of the jalapenos. But you can definitely kick it up from there! Add the rest of the ingredients, stir and cook on low for 8 hours. Serve with a dab of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheese on top, and if you have them, avocados cut into small chunks. GREAT with cornbread...especially a sweet cornbread to compliment the savory spice of the chili.

Parmesan Garlic Lemon Asparagus

Two large bunches thin asparagus, woody ends removed (you could use thick, but my kids like the thin better)
1 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup freshly shredded Parmesan cheese

Saute asparagus in oil over medium to medium high heat until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and lemon juice and cook one minute. Top with cheese, let melt and serve.

Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes

6 large red potatoes, peeled 2/3rds of the way, not completely
1/2 cup sour cream
2 T butter
4 cloves garlic
a dash of paprika
salt and pepper to taste

After washing and peeling about 2/3rds of the peels off, cut potatoes into quarters and boil until pierced easily with a fork. Add all other ingredients and start smashing with a potato masher. Be careful not to over-smash. You want them a little chunky because red potatoes can get kind of sticky/slimyish when they are too mashed up. They don't taste bad, but the consistency is kind of gross, to me at least, so just watch yourself and stop smashing when they look creamy lumpy--before pureed but after whole potatoes.

The teriyaki steak I made Adam for his birthday was just some small-size grilling steaks marinated for about 3 hours, flip them after 1.5 hours, in the fridge in Soy Vay's Veri Veri Teriyaki Sauce. It's my ABSOLUTE favorite teriyaki sauce. It caramelizes so perfectly. Mmm.... You can find it at most stores in the Asian food section. It is a little pricier than some other brands, because it's so good, but well worth it. And I found a huge bottle recently at Costco for a total bargain...what a find!