MVP Chili

My husband and I were out for lunch yesterday and I picked up an issue of Mature Lifestyles of Tennessee.  I thumbed through the pages and came across 3 chili recipes.  One of the recipes really stood out and sounded so delicious.  I decided to try out the recipe and man not only does it taste amazing it smells so good in the house. 

I know the Super Bowl Parties are around the corner so I thought I would share the recipe.

MVP Chili

2 packages (19 ounces) Hot Italiam Sausage Links

1 large onio, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1 bottle (12 ounces) dark beer (can substitute with light beer or 1 cup beef stock)

1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons tomato paste

salt and pepper, to tast

1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans

1 can (15.5 ounces) red kidney beans

1 1/1 cups corn (frozen or fresh off the cob)

*we substituted a few things, we used a dark porter beer and I have to say I think it made the flavor pop and this is coming from a non beer drinker. We didn't have crushed tomatoes so I used a can of diced and a can of Rotel, I also used Ketchup instead of tomato paste, and we left out the corn.

-De-case sausage and saute' in a large pot; use a wooden spoon to crumber sausage as it cooks

-Once sausage is nicely browned, stir in onion, garlic, chili powder and cumin and continue cooking until onion softens, about 5 minutes.

-Add beer and allow it to simmer for an additional 5 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan

-stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and allow it to simmer, uncovered for an additional 10 to 15 minutes on medium-low, stirring occasionally.

-taste and adust seasonings with salt and pepper

-Finally, stir in beans and corn. Let this come to a simmer, and it's ready to serve

* I let the pot sit on the stove most of the day so that all of the flavors would have more time to fuse together.

Makes 12 cups (6 to 8 servings)

Putting in a Zipper

If you are a beginner at sewing and have never put in a zipper have no fear.  I sewed my first zipper last night.  I watched this tutorial on internet and it was very helpful.  I hope its helpful to you as well.

http://video.about.com/sewing/Zipper-Sewing.htm

Paris at Christmas Time

Have you ever dreamed of Paris at Christmas time?  Well I have and this year I actually got to experience the dream first hand.  My family and I once again ditched the camper for a plane and flew over "the pond" to Paris. 

Christmas Markets by the Eiffel Tower

We weren't exactly sure what to expect weather wise.  It made us a little nervous that it would be too cold since we usually go somewhere warm in December for vacation.  It was cold but we had sunshine everyday that we didn't even really notice.  Besides, I wouldn't have had it any other way.  It just wouldn't have been the same walking through the Christmas markets without a scarf, hat and gloves on.  I did a lot of reading before our trip and everyone suggested layers.   So we took the advice layered up and were just fine.  Wool knee high socks were the trick for me.  I went one day without them and realized they were the one thing was keeping my whole body nice and toasty.

If you have a little one I suggest a weather protector for your stroller.  It was the best thing we did for our little guy.  It kept him dry the few times it rained and nice and warm.  We would throw a blanket over him, put on the protector and was more than comfortable all day long.  This is what ours looks like.

I am going to start with transportation advice.  My husband and I decided cabs were too easy and we wanted a bit of a challenge.  So we opted to take the train from the airport to our hotel.  It was super easy to do and a 1/4 of what a cab would cost you.  It would have been a lot easier if I would have email the hotel beforehand to ask what line we should take.  All of the train employees were very helpful and willing to help out a few lost American tourist.  If we can do it with a large suitcase and a stroller anyone can. 

The trip from the airport was the only time we took the train.  We were pleasantly surprised at how easy it was to get around the city by foot.  We must have walked miles each day but the exercise was welcomed after escargot and creme brulee every night for dinner.  My husband made a good point that if you are underground in a train you miss out on a lot and you most likely won't stumble on unique little neighborhoods like this one we stumbled on.

 

We did all of the normal tourist things like the Louvre, Notre Dame and of course the Eiffel Tower, but our favorites were the unexpected things around every corner.  One fun thing was walking along the shop windows like Chanel's. Their Christmas window displays are phenomenal and must take months to put together.  There are hundreds of people gathered around all of the windows to get a glimpse.  

We started each morning, afternoon and some evenings with an espresso and a chocolate croissant. Almost every dinner began with an order of escargot.  To some it might sound kind of gross but to us the delicacy is simply delicious.  Every dinner was rounded off nicely with an order of creme brulee.  Like I said, walking was a must after all that.   Don't fear if you do not speak French, as soon as the server figures that out they will bring you an English menu.

One of my favorite spontaneous stops for cafe creme and a chocolate eclair to die for.

  After a few wonderful days in Paris we were off to Amsterdam...

Phil's Fish Market (CA Culinary Stop #2)

Please excuse the Iphoto blurry pictures.  I didn't have my camera with me.

Phil's Fish Market, winner of Throw Down with Bobby Flay, is another must stop.  If you are a fan of clam chowder and sour dough bread then you have to pop in for a bowl.  The chowder is so delicious and you can have all the fresh sour dough bread you can eat. 

We decided to add another little treat to our order this time.  We chose the seafood stuffed artichoke.  It was as good as it sounds.  My mouth waters as I type. 

Cafe Campesino (CA Culinary Stop #1)

This year for Thanksgiving we headed to my brothers in Northern California then headed down to my sister's in Southern California for a few days.  I must say that we had a few very tasty encounters.  I'm going to share just a few in case you are ever in their neighborhoods.

We headed into Santa Cruz, CA for one of my favorite places.  This is a must eat on any Santa Cruz culinary tour.  Cafe Campesino is what it is called.  I confess that I have only had one thing on the menu.  The Chicken Tinga.  Its just too good to not get it every time I am there.  I'm determined to find a recipe for this and perfect it.

If you are expecting a fancy dinning room when you arrive well then think again.  You will be eating outside on one of the tables on the side walk.  Cafe Campesino is only about 5' x 5'.  You order at the window from one of the two lovely ladies and you wait for them to bring you the yummy goodness.

Traveling to Europe with a Baby

This year for Christmas we were brave VERY brave to travel overseas with our 13 month old.  I thought I would share our experience and how we tried to conquer jet lag. Notice I said tried. 

Side note: One very important thing to remember when booking your ticket over seas is that you need to call the airline after you book online and add your lap child.  You have to PAY 10% of your ticket cost when traveling with a lap child over seas.  And NO this doesn't mean they get a meal too.  

Jet Lag

One very smart thing that we did on the way over was to book our flight right at the time Little Grumpenkemper goes to bed every night.  This worked out pretty well in our favor.  He slept most of the flight over.  One thing that we wished we had known about and didn't was that the fairly large planes have bassinets that you can use if you are in a bulk head seat.  We took advantage of this on the way home.  The bassinet just hooks into the wall and you don't have to deal with a baby on your lap.  Our little one slept for 3 hrs of the 8 hr flight in the bassinet.  So nice!!!  It cost you a little more to get the bulkhead seat but its not bad and well worth it.  Once the little one is up they have room to sit and play at your feet.  

We arrived in Paris and my husband and I stayed awake it was 7 am Paris time.  The baby actually stayed awake too with lots of new things to look at.  We thought oh yeah we got this!  There is no way he will stay awake tonight if he has been up all day.  WRONG!  He woke up at midnight after 2 hrs of sleep and was awake until 5 am.  Not fun!!! 

After two nights in a row like this I got on Google.  I was sure I would find the cure.  I just found a million other parents just like us with no answers.  The only helpful thing we found to do was to make him wake up and eat when we ate and to eat as nutritiously as possible.  Eventually he slept 13 hrs one night.  We were so excited and thankful for the sleep.  Unfortunately it didn't last.  After a good nights sleep he was back at it wanting to wake up for the day at 2 am.  Crawling off the bed and wanting to play.  

The good news is he finally got consistent but it wasn't until about day 6 and we left on day 10.  So if you are planning on taking your child just make sure you plan to lose out on sleep.  We were fortunately so excited about our trip we were able to push through everyday on adrenaline.  

The Stroller

One other thing we found challenging and yet a saving grace at the same time was the stroller.  The challenge was fitting into small cafes' with a big stroller.  Almost 95% of places to dine are very small.  At night we found it easier to park the stroller at the hotel and just carry him in the Ergo and not go terribly far.  We wished that we would have brought our bike lock then we could have locked it up outside.  

Elevators can also be hard to navigate in Europe.  They tend to be very tiny.  There were a few times that the three of us and the stroller could not fit in the elevator in one trip.  They are also hard to locate a lot of the time in places like the subway.  

We traveled with our Bob.  Such a great stroller, its so easy to push around.  You don't feel like you have done a marathon after a day of travel.  But I strongly advise traveling with a weather protector over any stroller.  Its shields the baby from the rain while at the same time keeping them shielded from the wind and cold weather in the winter.  The little one was so cozy behind his.  It made us a little jealous at times.

The best thing about having a stroller was that a lot of times we were moved to the head of the line.  One example is the Louvre.  We were taken out of the extremely long entrance line and told to go right in through the exit.  We were more than happy to go right in and not hang out in the cold.  There were several times that this happened to us.  

Food for Baby

A word of wisdom is to make sure you have snacks and drink for baby on the plane and for the hotel.  Its not easy to get food for the little on a plane so make sure you bring a few different varieties.   In the hotel make sure you snacks for a baby that wants to wake up at 2 in the morning and thinks its time for breakfast.  It won't be easy to find a market open at that time of night.  

If you are well prepared for your trip then you will be just fine.  Just expect to be flexible and it will be much more relaxing.

Holiday Recipes

I'm not sure about you but I have Never liked stuffing.  I always put a little on my plate because Thanksgiving isn't Thanksgiving without stuffing.  Well, this year my sister in-law made a stuffing that I just couldn't get enough of.  It was so different and so delicious from anything I have ever had.  It is a Whole Foods Recipe.  Click on the link and serve it and other great recipes up for Christmas. 

Apple Sausage and Sage Sour Dough Stuffing

Makes about 12 cups, 12 to 14 servings, or enough to stuff a turkey up to 1

This rich, full-flavored stuffing is a show stealer, whether stuffed in a turkey or baked on its own. For a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth and substitute vegetarian sausage or a few cups sautéed shiitake mushrooms for the meat sausage.

Ingredients

1 loaf sourdough hearth bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 11 cups)
1 tablespoon expeller-pressed canola oil
3/4 pound fresh mild pork or chicken sausage, bulk or removed from casings
4 Braeburn, Gala or other apples, cored and diced
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, diced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup chopped fresh sage leaves
3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 300°F. Spread bread cubes out on two baking sheets and bake until dried but not browned, about 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking up chunks with a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes. Add apples, celery, onion and butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple and vegetables are softened, 8 to 10 minutes more. Add to the bread. Stir in broth, sage, salt and pepper.

If using to stuff a turkey, cool completely before stuffing. If baking separately, heat oven to 350°F; bake in a buttered casserole dish until lightly browned and crisp on top, 50 to 60 minutes.