Lamb Chili

I've never cooked lamb and I'll mostly only eat it if I trick myself into thinking it's something else, But I saw it in the store and though Joshua would really probably love a lamb chili- so I went for it.

I took out the lamb chunks and put them in his bowl (much to his happiness) but the overall flavoring it gave the chili was very tasty!

Lamb Chili:
from here

2 lb lamb; cut into chunks
S&P
1 green pepper; diced
1 red pepper; diced
1 yellow onion; diced
2 cloves garlic; minced
2 jalapenos; minced
1 tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp coriander
1/2 tps cumin
2 cup vegetable broth
1 36 oz can fire roasted tomatoes; diced
1 bay leaf
2 cans black beans; drained
cilantro

1   season lamb with salt and pepper, heat oil in a large skillet (I used my cast iron)
2   brown lamb on both sides and transfer to a large pot when finished
3   in the same skillet cook the peppers and onions for a few minutes
4   add in the garlic and jalapenos and sauté a few more minutes, stirring to get
     all the juices from the meat incorporated
5   add in spices and salt and pepper to taste and mix well
6   place in pot with meat and stir in the broth, tomatoes and bay leaf
7   bring pot to a boil
8   then bring down to a simmer and cover with a lid and cook for 30 minutes,
     stirring occasionally
9   add 1/2 cup water at a time until it is your desired consistency and add in the beans
10 cover and cook for about 10 more minutes
11 serve and top with a generous pile of cilantro

Snowmagedon

...at least that's what everyone called it.

the flowers hubs brought home to me- playing in the snow

I got 2 days off work (didn't know I could get big kid snow days!) and hubs got to come home early those days!! In Cincinnati the weather may have given kids a snow day but that's about it. But Seattle is a scardy cat when it comes to snow plus we have big hills downtown. (I actually saw a car slide down a hill and t-bone a bus; everyone was fine)

fogged up lens =ed awesome photo of hubs sliding

our second snowman together

What was incredible about the storm though was that for 2 days it consitently fell from the sky. The snow wasn't coming down overly hard but it never stopped coming. All day I watched it pile up on the table outside on our patio wondering how it had already gone up an inch

The first day off I went into work and then it was cancelled so that one didn't feel as fun but I went home and did things on our January list. We also went up to our neighbors and had chili and mini bundt cakes and played with her cats. It was nice to just relax and chat with her over comfort food.

But Wednesday felt awesome! I got to do my dream job for a day- bake and cook all day and edit my photos and organize them.

We now have 12 meals already made and ready to take to work - three bean chili, chicken and dumplings veggie soup, and mushroom tomato soup! We're really excited to have it all made and ready to go. Winter just feels like soup and chili and now we don't have to have sandwiches again for over a week!

Then that night our friends Jessica & Kenneth came over for dinner. We were so happy they braved the crazy snowy streets to come eat with us. After dinner we lounged around trying to convince Jessica whiskey was good and ate pastries. Perfect kind of snowy night in with people you love being surrounded with!

Bean and Beef Chili:

1 tbs. olive oil
1 onion; chopped
6 stalks of celery; chopped
5-7 carrots; chopped
4 cloves of garlic; minced
2 red peppers; diced
1 jalapeno; minced
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 lb of ground beef
2 cups of water
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 cans of black beans; drained and rinsed
1 can of garbonzo beans; drained and rinsed
kale; chopped

1   in a large pot heat olive oil with the onion, celery, carrots, peppers with lid on for about 10 minutes
2   once the are tender toss in the garlic and spices and cook for 1 minute
3   then put in the ground beef and cook on high until it is no longer pink at all
4   pour in the water and tomatoes and kale, simmer on medium heat for 30 minutes partially covered
5   put in the beans and cook for 20 minutes partially covered




chicken dumpling soup:

1 tbs olive oil
3 chicken breasts cooked and cut into bit size pieces
5-6 cups of chicken broth
6 carrots; chopped
6 celery stalks; chopped
1 onion; chopped
2 cloves of garlic; minced
kale; chopped
S&P
basil (I used 2 cubes of basil that I froze in ice cubes from the summer)
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp paprika

the dumplings are the same as for chicken and dumplings

1   put olive oil in a large pot and cook veggies until tender
2   pour in broth chicken and kale along with the spices and simmer for 30 minutes
3   while it is cooking make the dumplings
4   drop them in the soup and cook for 15 minutes (if there isn't enough liquid add more broth or some water)

yes it really is that easy! And it tastes pretty amazing!

1 month anniversary = homeade Skyline Chili

 We made it 1 month down! Josh had to work late and since it was my first day at my job I got home early. I made us Skyline- which meant a really expensive trip to the grocery store. Spices'll rob ya.
But it tasted pretty close to the real thing and it made us feel all happy and Cincinnati-ish. Then we went to the second closest food place to us- Full Tilt which makes homeade ice cream (Dangerous? Of course!) Lemon marshmallow, maple, oreo coffee, and chocolate orange. One month- we think it has gone by fast. But we sill miss everyone a lot and ask you to keep us in your prayers that we can find community and listen to God to see what he wants us to be for his kingdom in Seattle.
I sifted through many! skyline recipe's online until I found this one. I made it on one of my co-ops for a chili competition. Now I'm so glad I found this one because it is so close! We are gonna make some and make skyline dip sometime to convince the west coast that it is deserving as Best Chili Ever!

This is the recipe, I don't remember where it is from- promise it's the best one!!!:

1 onion chopped, 1 lb. ground beef, 1 clove garlic minced, 1 tbs. chili powder, 1 tsp. ground allspice, 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. cumin, 1/2 tsp. red cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 tsp. cocoa powder, 15 oz. tomato sauce, 1 tbs. cider vinegar, 1/2 cup water, 16 oz. spaghetti, cheese

1. In large frying pan saute onion, ground beef, chili powder until slightly cooked.

2. Add everything else.

3. Reduce heat to low & simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours.

4. serve over cooked spaghetti.

5. enjoy a little taste of Cincinnati.