chili: hard times style

my helping with half an avocado - so good!

Decades ago, when we still lived in the Washington D.C. area, we made an almost weekly pilgrimage to the Hard Times Cafe.  Their Chili Mac is world famous and their restaurants family-friendly.  It was a great place when my husband moved to DC as a twenty-something - cheap and easy for crowds of young people late at night. It was still a great place when we married and had our children - boys who enjoyed throwing food from their high-chairs.  :)

Eight years ago, when we moved away, I began a quest to replicate their gravy-style chili to serve over spaghetti noodles.  It didn't happen overnight - but what follows is our family's version.  Serve it like we do - straight-up, over spaghetti or over rice.  Toppings of your choice make it special and the large recipe is great for a crowd or for freezing.

It is a busy week - just before Christmas and vacation - so I used our crock pot.  But on
a quieter afternoon, you can slow simmer this for hours in your heavy soup pot.  Tonight we're eating it on the run - in shifts as we move through a busy evening.  So straight-up it is.  Dig in - this is a great meal on a cold night!


Ingredients:

I had a few different chili powders with only a little left in
each container - so I combined to make the 1/2 c

2+ lbs ground meat, I used 1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey
evoo
1 onion, diced
1 pepper, diced
6+ garlic cloves, minced
1 can black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1/2 c chili powder
2 T cumin
1 t dried oregano
1 t kosher salt
1 t paprika, I used smoked
pinch of cayenne
2 large bay leaves
3 T english mustard (dry)
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 beer, I used Sam Adams

Directions:

this recipe works for 2-3 lbs ground meat

1. Brown the meat in your fry pan - add evoo if your meat is low in fat.  Crumble and cook till no longer pink.  Drain and put into your crockpot (if using).

2. Saute the onion for a couple of minutes in 2 T of remaining fat from meat or add oil if needed.  I salt mine to help it sweat.


3.  Then add the pepper and garlic and saute until soft. Remove and add to the crock pot. (If you are cooking on the stove, add your mean back in at this time.)

4.  Add the beans, seasonings, tomatoes and beer.  Put crock pot on low and let simmer all day.  Your house will smell delicious!

5.  Remove the bay leaves prior to serving.  You can serve our chili 'straight-up', meaning no spaghetti or rice.  Toppings we favor: avocado, grated cheddar, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, fritos.  Tasty!

cookie celebration: a visit with Germain Lawrence

is there anything more inspiring than a blank slate?

I love the way food preparations make conversation easy, bringing generations and people from all walks of life closer together.  Yesterday, I shared a holiday moment with some very brave and artistic girls who reside at Germain Lawrence, a unique facility that treats girls in crisis.

Much gratitude to Stephanie Terry and Karina Nolasco for yesterday ... and for the connections they have facilitated between women in our community and the staff and residents at Germain Lawrence.  It is a miraculous thing indeed.  And isn't that what this time of year is all about?  Enjoy a creative moment with people you love - the holiday spirit will flow!

Recipe for a Cookie Celebration

2 Stations:
  I- decorating already baked cookies; accommodating up to 4 rollers
  II- rolling out cookie dough and cutting into shapes

For Station I:
3-4 Rolling Pins
6-8 discs of pre-made batter, rolled between sheets of saran wrap
6-8 Cookie Cutters - faves from yesterday: gingerbread person, trees, flower, star, angel
+ extra batter waiting in a bowl (just in case)

For Station II:
Frosting; white (tons, please), red & green
Food Dyes; for custom colors
Plastic Knives; for spreading
Frosting Pens; white, red, green
Sprinkles; red, green, blue, white or silver balls
Plates for each artist to contain their work

Trays for allowing the designs to set
Boxes or bags for cookies to travel.

Directions:
Add holiday music, 'Eager Participants' and a holiday memory is in the making. Our two stations and 4 long tables connected end-to-end served more than a dozen people at a time. Be brave - make a happy mess!

the girls will be bringing cookie packages
to homes in their neighborhood this year

black bean soup

slightly smokey, creamy, yummy

I'm so excited to make this soup today.  'Turtle Beans' are my favorite and another staple in our pantry.  Remember my DF Claire? She makes an amazing Black Beans and Rice recipe that I serve like a chili.  And I always swap out the refried beans for black when we eat out.  Black beans are antioxidant-rich and a powerful addition to your diet.

This soup was part of last week's menu for the tree lighting with friends.  Typically, I make it to accompany grilled cheese sandwiches or salads.  Like many other 'repeat offenders' (recipes I go to time and again), I have a formula and sometimes vary the aromatics depending on what's in the veggie bin.  (See variations after the ingredient list.)  Because I'm remaking it today, I'm using canned beans.  With a little more prep, you could easily begin with dried beans, too.


Black Bean Soup

makes a big batch - could easily be reduced by half


Ingredients:
2-4 T evoo
1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, chopped  
6 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled
1/4 c dry sherry, optional
2 T cumin
1 T dry mustard
1 chipotle pepper, for smokey heat

4 15.5-oz cans black beans, I didn't rinse them

1 28 oz can tomatoes, I used whole

28 oz water, I used the tomato can to measure

salt and pepper to taste

Variations: red or white onion instead of yellow; any color bell pepper, chili powder or smoked paprika instead of the chipotle pepper

 Directions:

1. Heat a large soup pot.  Drizzle enough evoo to cover the bottom.  Saute the onion over medium heat to soften, while you chop the rest of the veggies.

2.  Once you have the carrots, red pepper and garlic ready, add them all to the onions with a pinch of salt to help them sweat.  Saute for about 6 minutes to soften, stirring occasionally to help the veggies cook evenly.

3.  Add the sherry and scrape the bottom for any bits.  Add the seasoning - cumin, mustard and pepper (either dried chili or chipotle).  Stir and let the seasoning soak in to the veggie base.  Approximately 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add the beans, tomatoes and water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.  I let everything come together for about 20-30 minutes.  Then blitz in batches in the blender to finish.  This is a big recipe - so I did about 3 batches, filling the blender half-full each time. I use a big batter bowl to hold the soup that has been pureed.

5.  Then I return it to the pan to rewarm and season to taste.  Add salt, pepper and even some hot sauce if you like your soup with more heat!  While it is rewarming in the pan I prepare any toppings.  Today it is only some crumbled feta.  Simple and so yummy!

nesting: a shower and a cocktail classic

Jen designed nesting cupcakes for the celebration!

I had the opportunity today to sneak a peak into a delightful occasion - a baby shower thrown by my DF (dear friend) Jenifer.  Winter holiday time can be filled with a bit of chaos - but I can't imagine a more magical season to be awaiting a baby. My grandmother always spoke reverently of times when she anticipated a new grandchild and babies made the holidays extra special for her.  Perhaps that is why she had 30+ grandchildren?  What can I say, except 'Irish-Catholic'. :)

Non-Alcohoic Version
(perfect for expectant moms)
Top w/ Sparkling Water
or Ginger Ale

Back to the event: A baby girl is due in January, the first child for Jen's cousin and her husband. The Trevett's welcomed family and friends to celebrate, to honor the mom-to-be and to share their excitement.  The gathering was festive and graced by her elegant touches (see pics below).

Jen's Pomegranate-Ginger Sparkler is perfect for parties and flexible enough for kids or adults.  She was kind enough to share with me the key ingredient - a pomegranate-ginger syrup. The variations will give you the flexibility to make this your own.  Doubling the recipe is easy - great for a crowd. Thank you, Jen!


Pomegranate-Ginger Syrup
courtesy Jen

This batch would make enough for about 8 cocktails or a medium-sized pitcher.

Ingredients:
2 c pomegranate juice
1 T sugar
2" piece fresh ginger, peeled (grate for more intensity)

Directions:
Boil these ingredients until reduced to approximately 2/3 c remains.  Strain and reserve for cocktails.  Make individually or for ease, in a pitcher. Garnish with pomegranate seeds!

Variations:

Top with ginger ale, sparkling water or fruit juice of your choice for a non-alcoholic punch.

Top with Sparkling Wine for an 'adult-beverage'.  Cointreau or Ginger Liquor would also add extra intensity of flavor.

nesting details

pysansky egg favors

 A wishing tree ...

a family heirloom for Baby Murphy

light lunch - avocado

I often eat five small meals a day
(keeps the crankiness at bay)
& this was my plate at 11AM today. 

Today's post is a 'Thank you' to my favorite witty Brit, Justine. One of my first meals at her home began so elegantly: a small salad with an avocado half in the center, filled with a delightful fig and walnut dressing.  Eating it with a spoon made it feel like a dessert.  Delicious!  It is not an overstatement to say that I fell in 'food love'.

I must admit, until a year or so ago, I bought avocados for guacamole or taco salad and not much else. Now, you'll always find two or three resting comfortably with the apples, pears and oranges in my fruit bowl.  I use them to garnish salads and soups, thicken my Divine Dressing or for this light lunch. Try it with your favorite dressing or one of my two ... Stonewall Kitchen's Cilantro Lime Dressing or Artisan's Savory Fig and Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I've found both at my local Whole Foods Store.

Enjoy!

claire's banana bread

golden, gorgeous, smells amazing!

We came home from NH to a bowl of over-ripe bananas; a perfect excuse to brag about my friend, Claire, and her amazing blog, cookwithclaire.org. I have been cooking since college, improving with the passage of time and brave friends but it wasn't until Claire started her blog, that I truly attempted baking.  Before that it was drop cookies, the occasional brownie and sugar cookies at Christmas.  But two years ago this January, Claire began her blog and we dove in with her Heirloom Cake.  Success! And my kids have been requesting her recipes ever since.

This is Claire's recipe for banana bread - her grandmother's - and a favorite here at Chez Stump.  Be sure to check out her blog - her food pictures are wonderfully helpful.  Baking this today made our house smell so yummy!

notice my ipad ... logged on to Claire's blog!

Claire's Banana Bread

adapted from cookwithclaire.org

Ingredients:

⅓ c unsalted butter, softened

¾ c light brown sugar (substituted because we were out of dark)

2  eggs

2 bananas, mashed 

1/2 t vanilla (flavor to make up for light brown sugar) 

½ c half & half (substituted because we were out of whole milk)
1 ½ c all-purpose flour 
1 t salt1 t baking soda

Directions:


Tip: I take the butter and eggs out early in the day so that they are at room temperature when I am ready to begin.  If I forget this step - I simply soften the butter with approximately 2 10-second spurts in the microwave. Then I put the butter in the bowl of my KitchenAid Mixer and use the wrapper to butter the loaf pan.  

my batter is a bit lighter today:
 due to the light brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. If you haven't already, butter a loaf pan. 


2. Cream butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add eggs and bananas, (and vanilla, if using) and mix until blended. 


3. In a small bowl, with a fork, wisk flour, salt and soda together. Add flour mixture and milk to the banana mixture in a couple of batches, ending with milk. Mix until blended.  Bake for about an hour until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.


Great heated - try serving with vanilla ice cream & chocolate sauce!

stuffed mushrooms

yummy bites for a hungry crowd

"Over the river and through the woods ..." to share Thanksgiving with my family, our tradition for more than 10 years.  I have many wonderful memories of sharing this holiday with my Aunt Terry and her brood so it is very meaningful to me that we are continuing that tradition with our children.

I always bring a few dishes to share with our extended family and this recipe for stuffed mushrooms is the most-requested.  They're wonderful for a large gathering - holidays, brunch with friends, football with a crowd ... you name it.  As with many of our favorites, I have a formula and will note ways that I often change it up.  


Many blessings, peace and joy to you and yours ~ Happy Thanksgiving!


Stuffed Mushrooms

Ingredients:


1-2 Italian sausages
2  10-oz packages of mushrooms (cremini or button)

1 large shallot, peeled and rough chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
2 T vermouth, to deglaze 
1 t Italian seasoning
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 c italian bread crumbs
3/4 c grated parmesan cheese (plus extra for topping)

Directions:

1. Remove the sausage from the casings and brown in a fry pan over medium-high heat.  As it browns, help it crumble with the edge of your spatula. 

2. Time to mince the stems, shallot and garlic.  I chopped by hand today, but have been known to use the food processor. Pulse gently - you don't want a paste. 

3.  Remove and drain the sausage on paper towels when cooked through. Add the veggies (stems, shallot & garlic) to the pan, deglaze with the vermouth, add the seasoning and saute for about 3 minutes over medium heat.  Salt and pepper to taste.

4.  Remove pan from heat and let cool a bit.  Transfer to a larger bowl for mixing with the breadcrumbs, sausage and cheese to make the stuffing.  

5.  Stuff the caps - a teaspoon works best - and place on a large, rimmed baking sheet.  I'm using mini-muffin liners to try to stabilize these for the trip to NH.  

- when ready to bake and serve -

5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

6.  Sprinkle the caps with a little extra parmesan cheese, if you desire.  

7. Bake for 15-20 minutes in the center of the oven.  Keep an eye as ovens vary.  You're looking for the top to brown but also for the cap to cook and become tender to the bite. 

Make it yours: 

~ you can alter the cheese ... romano, pecorino or piave, any good melting cheese

~ white wine, red wine or marsala can be substituted for the vermouth

~ apple & chicken sausage or crabmeat both would make a nice brunch filling

~ you can make it vegetarian by substituting spinach for the sausage 

~ add more herbs and spices (like red pepper flakes) for extra flavor

Yummy finger food for your next party!