No More Training Wheels

Posted on May 9, 2010 by Lea Ann

Remember your first bicycle? I think it must have been about 3rd grade when I received my beautiful purple Schwinn. I remember how uneasy I felt the first time my dad let go of the handle bars while running along side of me, for my first solo trip without the training wheels. I remember my mom watching nervously and wringing her hands. Of course I promptly fell in the dirt, and with the help of Band-Aids and determination eventually became a bicycle riding fool adding flashy purple tassels on the handle grips and clothes-pinning baseball cards in the spokes to make a lot of racket when I went real fast.

So what does this have to do with food?

Dinner last night was supposed to be skewered grilled shrimp and tilapia finished with some jalapeno butter for dipping, but at 6:30 when I decided I was starving and had better start dinner the recipe instructed that I marinade the seafood for at least an hour. Don’t you hate when that happens?

Plan B: Dig around in the refrigerator, fry up some corn tortillas, top with some warmed up green chili and nestle a poached egg in on top.

I had just started my 2nd glass of wine and feeling a false sense of security, threw caution to the wind and decided to ditch the egg poaching pods.

That’s right, no more training wheels. I boiled some water, added some vinegar, got the water swirling like a tornado and slid in the raw egg. It worked like a charm and I didn’t even fall in the dirt. No Band-Aids were necessary.

Bye Bye green silicone egg poaching pod training wheels. Bye Bye odd-shaped poached eggs…forever!

Don’t they even kind of look like training wheels?

As you can imagine, I’m completely tickled with myself. So tickled that I have to post way too many unnecessary photos.

So with all that said, Happy Mother’s day to all. I feel a perfect celebratory weekend has already begun. The wine we opened last night was a delicious Joseph Swan Russian River Valley Pinot…yum! After my poached egg victory we watched The Blind Side. What a great movie to kick off Mother’s Day. LOVED it.

We’re brunching out this morning with the kids. Tonight I’ll start the marinade early enough to have my grilled shrimp and tilapia skewers. It couldn’t have worked out better since yesterday was chilly and predicted temperatures at grilling time this evening will be in the 70′s

For fun, in the comment section, why don’t you share a bicycle “incident” memory. Whether it be a proud decoration, or a stunt that brought mom running with Band-aids and kisses.

Salute to Moms everywhere, and may your poached eggs be perfectly swirled and runny.

Chipolte Buffalo Chili with Lime Crema

Posted on February 15, 2010 by Lea Ann

I’m starting off this post with a photo of the Lime Crema. This mixture of sour cream, lime zest and lime juice is key to the uniqueness of this chili. Michele, who originally posted this recipe and judge at the chili cookoff contest noted that she was unimpressed with the stand-alone flavors without this Crema. I agree, it is a fabulous addition.

I saw this recipe over at Cooking with Michele and couldn’t resist giving it a try as this took 2nd place in a chili cookoff here in Denver. I also found this recipe on another food blog, weeknightgourmet.com who indicates the recipe comes from Bon Apetite.

Anyway, the combination of ingredients just sounded too interesting to pass up. So if you’re looking for something different here’s a new Chili Recipe for you.

Chipotle Bison Chili with Lime Crema
Adapted from Nora Neureiter, Second Place Winner of the 2009 Leyden Street Chili Cookoff

Serves 12

3 pounds ground bison (I used two pounds. You can use ground beef, as well.)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, optional (see instructions)
Salt and pepper
3 cups chopped onions, about 2 medium onions
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped (I used four large.)
1/2 cup chili powder
2 14-ounce cans beef broth
1 14-ounce can crushed tomatoes with juices
1/2 cup stout or dark beer (Didn’t have any stout, so used plain old Coors.)
4 minced canned chipotle chiles (These things are H-O-T, so I removed veins and seeds.)
2 tablespoons yellow cornmeal
2 15 1/2-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup sour cream
1 lime, zested and juiced

And my very own secret ingredient addition to this recipe, revealed below.

Heat a large stock pot over medium high heat. If your ground meat is very lean, add 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to the pot before adding the ground meat. Season with a little salt and pepper and cook until meat is completely browned, using a spoon to break up meat. Remove cooked meat to a bowl with a slotted spoon.

Add onions and garlic to the meat drippings and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Return beef to the pot and add chili powder, broth, tomatoes, beer and chiles. Bring to a boil, reduce to low, cover partially, and cook until very thick, about 1-2 hours.

When chili is thick, stir in cornmeal and add black beans. Let simmer together for 10 minutes before serving. Combine sour cream with lime zest and juice of one lime and serve chili in bowls with a spoonful of lime cream on top.

To serve, ladle a large dollop of Lime Crema in the middle of your chili, and you know me well enough to know that life isn’t complete with a sprinkling of chopped Cilantro.

My secret ingredient is two Kiefer lime leaves. I added these when I added the tomatoes and broth and fished them out before serving. I think it added a subtle sweet lime flavor to the overall dish.

This recipe is a keeper and DEElicious. Enjoy.

White Bean Chili Smackdown

Posted on November 25, 2009 by Lea Ann

Can I see a show of hands of how many of you watch “Giada At Home” on Food Network??? … Ok, good…a few. For those of you who don’t, the show features Giada creating perfect meals for her perfect husband and perfect friends, served on perfect plates, in her perfect ocean view kitchen, in her perfect house that sits on the perfect California beach…oh, and while perfectly dressed.

Well, just be forewarned that the next time you tune it, don’t be surprised if you see our very own Buffalo Dick cooking in that perfect kitchen instead of Giada. I’m just sayin…It could happen! You’ve got to admit, it does have a ring to it “Buffalo Dick at Home” And Buff, I hope you put your foot down if the producers try to make you show cleavage.

Well it appears that we have a White Bean Chili Smack down.

Continue reading →

Giada’s White Bean Chili

Posted on November 13, 2009 by Lea Ann

This just may be the best White Bean Chili I’ve ever had – EVER!

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The odd combination of the flavors march right up the aisle, all the way to the altar, and to everyone’s surprise, and without much ceremony, join in holy matrimony.

Giada served this up a couple of months ago on Giada at Home. I went to foodnetwork.com, bookmarked the recipe and vowed to give it a try.

Continue reading →

Ina’s Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette and Odd Chili

Posted on September 17, 2009 by Lea Ann

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Wouldn’t it be kinda cool to be famous enough that when someone refers to you by first name that everyone automatically knows who they’re talking about? Ina…Julia…Giada…Emeril.

Even cooler is the fact that the world of blogging has brought us normal people celebrities. We may not identify them by first name, but who doesn’t know everyone’s hometown hero Pioneer Woman. I started my food blog in May. My Facebook posts were commonly scrumptous teaser titles of what I was preparing for dinner. Kind of a “here kitty kitty” to all of my friends. Finally someone suggested that I start a blog. What? I had never read a blog, didn’t know anything about them. Well, it didn’t take me long to get hooked. The most pleasant surprise in my new world of blogging is finding so many interesting people who open up their kitchens and their lives to us with similar interests – everyday cooking and life.

Thanks to blogging, I’d much rather read and cook along with Noble Pig and her mom as they make sauerkraut and pierogi’s. I always look forward to an email notification of a new post from Karen in Wichita; great recipe ideas and beautiful pictures. I don’t even know how I found Karen and Cathy, I guess just poking around on different blogs to see what other people were doing. And see, I’m calling them by first name, have never met them, but feel like I know them better than a few of my neighbors. I find this much more enjoyable and personal than cooking along with Giada in her perfect kitchen with a view of the perfect beach, with her perfect husband and her perfect friends. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ina, a huge fan, I Tivo and watch Giada and have saved many of her recipes. But now a days I’m much more likely to test a pizza recipe that Vickie in Montana posted rather than something I’ve recently seen on television or read in a magazine. Much more personal, much more fun and easier to relate to.

Was I just on a soapbox? Ok, back to Ina’s delicious dressing.

I hardly ever buy bottled dressings anymore. Years ago, I discovered that one can lead a perfectly normal life without a bottle of Wishbone in the refrigerator. Homemade dressings are so easy, so delicious and so fresh and most will keep in the fridge for about a week and sometimes longer.

One of my favorites is this creamy vinaigrette that I watched Ina make one day. I love this dressing. Her recipe states that if you’re afraid of the raw egg, just omit. I guess I’m not afraid of the raw egg. I mean, should I be? I always use very fresh organic eggs, purchased at Whole Foods. I just don’t think the recipe would be as creamy good without it.

Here’s Ina’s Recipe:

Ina’s Green Salad with Creamy Mustard Vinaigrette

3 Tbs Champagne vinegar
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1 extra-large egg yolk*, at room temperature
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup good olive oil
Salad greens or mesclun mix for 6 to 8 people

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard, garlic, egg yolk, salt, and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil until the vinaigrette is emulsified. Toss the greens with enough dressing to moisten and serve immediately.

Servings: 6

I served this along side Cincinnati Chili. Cincinnati Chili is about the oddest concoction I’ve ever seen. So odd, that I decided I better give it a try. I have to admit, it’s pretty darn good, in a VERY odd sort of way.

When Googling Cincinnati Chili there were many Cincinnati Chili recipes, lots of ideas, lots of similarities…but one common rule:

Cincinnati chili lovers order their chili by number. Two, Three, Four, or Five Way.

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Two-Way Chili: Chili served on spaghetti
Three-Way Chili: Additionally topped with shredded Cheddar cheese

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Four-Way Chili: Additionally topped with chopped onions
Five-Way Chili: Additionally topped with kidney beans

I don’t have any kidney beans on hand, so we’re ordering up four-way today.

Cincinnati Chili

Adapted from Taste of Home

Slow Cooker

3 lbs ground beef
1-1/2 cups chopped onions
1-1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cans (16 ounces each) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans (15 ounces each) tomato sauce
2 cups beef broth
1/4 cup chili powder
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 square (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp ground cloves
Hot cooked spaghetti

1. In a Dutch oven, cook the beef, onions and garlic over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.

2. In a 5-qt. slow cooker, combine the beans, tomato sauce, broth, chili powder, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, salt, oregano, pepper and cloves. Stir in beef mixture.

3. Cover and cook on low for 5-1/2 to 6 hours or until heated through. Serve with spaghetti. Yield: 10 servings.