Baby Steps

Happy New Year!

Do you spend the time to reflect on the past year and dream of what's to come for the next? My husband and I used to sit and write down the good things that happened last year and our goals for the upcoming one. We didn't do that this year. Our lives have been a bit of a roller coaster for the past few months and we've barely had time to think about it. From a baby to moving to starting up a new job, I just hope for a cup of coffee in the morning. We just take one day at a time.

While I'm not going to sit and bore you with everything I'm thinking right now, I would like to share what I hope to blog about in the future.

I've moved back to my family's farm with my husband and newborn. Guess what that means? Brand new material! I do plan to continue my recipe postings and food adventures, but I will begin to focus more on the farm and how that impacts the raising of a child. I can't think of a better way to raise children than on the farm. We're currently about 1-2% of the US population as farmers today. What will my daughter be when she's older? The 0.5%? Time will only tell, but I am thrilled to be back and to have the ability to share our adventures with you.

Happy New Year everyone. Let's make this the best one yet.

Photo credit: Ebert Studios

Walking in Heels

You might be asking yourself a few questions while looking at the photo above. Quite frankly, this was my view of Milwaukee on New Year's Eve. Stunning right? While snow was severely lacking for the holidays of 2011, it was very welcome at about 2:00am during my high-heeled walk home from the bar with my husband (about that resolution to stay active...). I'm just going to throw that out there. Another bonus was the t-shirt my husband caught from the band during our night out - that kept me even more warm on our walk.

I'm off on a tangent. No one cares - they just want to hear about the food. Right? Of the six New Year's Eve attendees, I volunteered to help with the menu planning. We decided to stay in for dinner and head out for drinks. This is how it looked:

Mini Appetizers: http://bit.ly/rMK9NZ (I've chosen a selection of these, not necessarily all of them)

Butternut Squash Soup with Petit Frère

Roasted Potatoes

Lobster/Scallops (whatever Josh and Casey choose)

Grasshoppers with molasses cookies for dessert

We ended up skipping the roasted potatoes and had seafood Alfredo as the main dish. We also ditched the Grasshoppers (unfortunately), because we were all too full. I must say though, the  recipe for the mini appetizers is pretty great. It's not really a recipe - more so instructions. My favorite was the kalamata olive, banana pepper and cured salami bite. The caprese bite was also a big hit. I made about 30 bites for six people and we only had two leftover.

For the soup, use more cheese. The cheese melts beautifully into the soup - I just wanted more. Surprised? 

This photo of my husband and I was taken as we got to the Horny Goat Hideaway, pre two-mile walk. I should have gotten a picture of us after the walk. You're right. I'm glad we didn't.

Cheers to a fabulous 2012 full of food, happiness, good health and lots of friends. My resolution of getting through all of my food magazines is still coming along. I think I'm about halfway done. The next goal will be to cook/bake those recipes! How are you coming along with your food resolutions?

Organizing a Food-Freak

While everyone else is sitting in front of the t.v. watching football today, I've surrounded myself with recipe print-outs and food magazines. They're starting to pile up and it's driving me crazy. Categories range from 'restaurants to visit' to 'cheesy recipes'. I've already observed the fact that I haven't made even an eighth of these recipes, so I have some work to do this year. I probably won't get done with this today, but it's a good start!

What food resolutions have you made for 2012?

The Chili to End a Decade

The snow was falling down pretty heavily today. I sat in an office with a fairly small window dreaming of the fabulous chili I was going to make once I got home. It's amazing how many recipes there are for chili. I usually make my mom's version - which isn't totally chili, more like hamburger/bean dip. It's fabulous, none-the-less.

But today, I found a recipe from one of my favorite cooks - Bobby Flay. The recipe involved beer, so I was sold after reading the ingredients. I didn't completely follow his recipe line per line, so I'm going to write my version below. If you would like the original version, click here. I also made some cornbread pancakes to go with the chili. Yum. My version is called - Chili to End a Decade, fitting right? Pretty sure it's New Year's Eve and I'm sitting here writing a blog. Don't worry, my drink is sitting right next to me. I'm not that boring.

Chili to End a Decade  
Serves 6
2 pounds ground beef
Salt and Pepper
1 large onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 bottle of your favorite beer, I used Hennepin
4 cups chicken broth
1 stewed tomato (I didn't have any canned, so I stewed it myself)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
Avocado Relish, recipe follows

Directions
Brown ground beef in a large pot or Dutch oven over high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Transfer the meat to a bowl and remove all but 3 tablespoons of fat from the pan.
Add the onions to the pan and cook until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chili and cayenne peppers, stir. Add the beer and cook until completely reduced.  Return the beef to the pot, add the chicken broth, tomatoes and honey. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover the pan, and simmer for 45 minutes. [At this point, you can put the avocado relish together.] Add the beans and continue cooking for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add some shredded cheese, sour cream and the avocado relish. Eat with the cornbread pancake. Feel your tummy getting warm and full.

Avocado Relish
1 avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 shallot or 1/2 of a small onion, finely diced
lime juice
salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Cornbread Pancakes
Follow instructions on package for Cornmeal. The only difference is that you make them as pancakes instead of bread, in a 9x9 pan. I halved the recipe and it came out with 6, good-sized pancakes.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!