Saturday, August 09, 2008

Are we hot yet?

Who in their right mind makes chili in the middle of summer?

;-)

Me.

I've been looking for an excuse to make
this recipe for a while, but it didn't turn up until today. The peppers were cheap at the market and there's still those sweet onions I plucked from the dirt a couple weeks ago, so all I really needed to buy was some chicken to roast and shredded cheese to drown everything in.

Why, BTW, is chicken so expensive? $13.00 for 4 split breasts... jeez. Good thing I don't eat meat very often; I could hardly afford it.

Anyway... this chili is nice; not a traditional spicy chili, but something lighter and sweeter. I added some kidney beans and served it with rice... and had an avocado on the side. Delicious.

I like hot stuff, but traditional chili can easily end up tasting like dirt if you're not careful with the spices. I usually make something like
Cincinnati-style chili, sweetened with cinnamon and served over spaghetti. That's probably my favorite way to have it. Susan keeps promising me an authentic recipe. Hint, hint!

While I've sort of veered away the last two weeks from the intent of
Vicki's Saturday Shopping Challenge, a good by-product is that I'm paying a bit more attention to what I spend and I'm actually spending some time in the kitchen on weekends. Generally, I'd rather do anything besides cook!

So... what was on the menu for you tonight?

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Fresh from the market heirloom tomato salad!

John B. said...

I wouldn't be surprised if the cost of the chicken was in response to the cost of corn.

Ann (bunnygirl) said...

Saturday is Indian Buffet Lunch day, and I'm usually not hungry for dinner. I made some granola bars, though, since we were out.

Our grocery bills have actually gone down as prices go up because we've almost entirely quit buying pre-made foods and instead just buy ingredients. :-)

Forest Green said...

From our local farmer's market, I bought small new potatoes, a bunch of baby carrots, yellow beans and fresh peas in the pod. Cooked up, tossed together with fresh parsley and covered in cream this makes a dish locally called hodge-podge. Fantastic!

Jayne said...

I actually cooked yesterday, and now think I really must blog about it as it's such a rare occurrence..lol. This chili sounds yummy Laura.

NCmountainwoman said...

Our Saturday menu never changes unless we have guests. That's our one night of the week to have red meat. Always NY Strip Steak on the grill, baked potatoes, and green salad.

KGMom said...

Since I am reading this Sunday, I'll do that as my "what's for dinner" response.
We had tomato parmesan soup with pasta, and BLTs! I had extra bacon and some fresh tomatoes--so what else could I make.

Ruth said...

I like spicy dishes and often make chili with chicken chunks. I like the idea of all the peppers in this recipe.

LauraHinNJ said...

Diva Kitty: Sounds yummy!

John: ;-) Your comment made me chuckle. Have you read any Michael Pollen?

Bunnygirl: Yep... we really pay for convenience.

Forest Green: Hey! That sounds really nice.

Jayne: (smile) I'm so glad to know I'm not the only one who isn't afraid to admit to an almost disdain of cooking.

NCMountainWoman: I grew up like that... fish sticks on Friday, etc.

Do you really only eat red meat once a week?

KGMom: Oh! BLT's! A major weakness here... and oddly enough a nickname of mine.

;-)

Ruth: Yes! The red and yellow peppers are the main flavor... nice and light.