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Posts Tagged ‘Billy and Gwen’

Turkey and Three-Bean Chili

January 25, 2011

Here’s one of the latest things I made for myself and hubs. First of all, I was afraid to make it because he’s very “anti” ground turkey. I made it anyway and he had no choice but to eat it. He loved it and gave it a 10! My friend Jill had some too and said it was awesome

PS – I have no idea where this recipe came from. It was just in my recipe binder. I didn’t follow it exactly, but how I made it is detailed below.

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 green bell peppers chopped
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb lean ground turkey
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• Red pepper flakes
• Ground black pepper
• 2 (28 oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 3 (15 oz) cans beans – black, kidney, pinto – rinsed
• Sliced scallions for serving
• Low-fat sour cream (optional)

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion, peppers and garlic until tender, four to six minutes. Add the turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until no longer pink – three to five minutes.

Add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, ½ tsp salt and cook, stirring, for one minute. Add the tomatoes and their juices, the beans, and bring to a boil. Add red pepper flakes and ground black pepper to taste. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, 12 to 15 minutes.

Serve topped with sour cream and scallions.

Photo by xJasonRogersx.

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Sweets!

December 12, 2010

I’ve never really been into baking. My mom doesn’t bake much, so I never really grew up around desserts and sweet treats.

One time, when Billy and I started dating, his mom was making a pudding-filled cake. I actually made a comment about how many Snak Paks she must have opened. (NO IDEA you could make pudding! … or whipped cream — which I would soon discover.)

Over the years, Billy’s mom taught me how to make a lot of great meals (like homemade pizza and shrimp parm) and desserts. We’ve had a lot of good times in the kitchen and around the table. One birthday, she made me a gigantic cupcake cake! Another time, she made Billy an ice cream cake; and she even made trays of cookies for my bridal shower. And, a few weeks ago, we made mini apple pies in a mini mold together. [Follow the link at the end of this blog post to see more pics of Marie's goodies/the treats I just described!]

Marie has definitely inspired me to get into baking, but so have some of my friends. Here are some really yummy and sweet recipes; Chinese Haystack Cookies (recipe from Ashley) and Pineapple Stuffing (recipe from Kathy). ENJOY!

Chinese Haystack Cookies
Thin, chow mein noodles – available in the ethnic/Asian section of the grocery store
Bag of butterscotch chips
Bag of chocolate chips

Melt the chips in either the microwave or on the stovetop, using equal parts of butterscotch and chocolate. Add noodles and use two forks to cover with melted mix. Move small bunches of covered noodles onto parchment or wax paper. Let them cool and dry on the counter or in the fridge. (This is an easy recipe that would be great to give away to co-workers and friends as holiday “gifts.”

Pineapple Stuffing
2 – 20 oz cans of crushed pineapple
8 eggs
2 sticks of butter softened
2 cups of sugar
10 slices of white bread

Blend everything, except bread, together with mixer. Fold in bread. Place in a greased 10”x17” baking dish, 350 degrees for one and a half hours.
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Breaking Bread Together

December 6, 2010

[These bottles of Srirachi were our wedding favors! We picked these because it was fun, colorful, something people could use, something we love and enjoy. My plan is to send a recipe card (that includes Srirachi as an ingredient) with my wedding thank-you notes. You know, when I finally write and send them!]

I can’t remember when I started to love cooking. I’m sure a lot of it has to do with how I was raised. Growing up, my mom cooked a lot. We barely went out to eat. In fact, we went out so few times that I can remember exact meals and restaurants. (I never had Dunkin Donuts until I was probably in third of fourth grade!)

Cooking role models
When we were little, my cousins from Canada would come and the moms would cook CONSTANTLY … rolling out dough for awesome desserts and cooking meals to feed an army. It was the best!

For my birthday parties and our family gatherings, my mom would cook so much food people would be raving about it. For our engagement party, people loved our big roasted pig (my mom and mother-in-law did it up big!!) — and were blown away by the lamb chops, gigantic shrimp and overflowing food at our wedding.

Me in the kitch
I realized early on how cooking and food brings people together, and I’ve always loved that. One of my favorite things to do is host pot luck parties with my friends. It’s so much better than going out! And, whenever we’re invited to someone’s house party, I’m always excited to try a new dish and bring it.

I really started to get into cooking when I was unemployed. It was great cooking for my hubs (then fiancé). My initial goal was to cook one new meal a week. Now I’m up to three or four. We have a rating scale too — he’s supposed to give the meal a score of 1 to 10 — and I STILL haven’t gotten a 10! I guess I can’t compete since his mom is a phenomenal cook!

Anyway, I love sharing recipes too. So, here are two of my current favorites: Wild Rice and Beef Casserole and Jello Pretzel Salad. ENJOY!

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