Adam’s Yeti Chili

It is fitting that we celebrate National Chili Day every year on the fourth Thursday of February since there’s nothing better than enjoying fiery fare during one of winter’s coldest months. - http://www.nationalchiliday.com

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  large or 2 medium sweet onion(s), chopped
• 8  large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3  large bell peppers, chopped (assorted colors)
• 2  pounds ground chuck
• 1  pounds ground turkey
• 1  pound ground pork or pork sausage of your liking.
• 7  tablespoons chili powder
• 2  tablespoon ground cumin
• 2  teaspoon dried basil
• 1  teaspoon dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon dried thyme
• 1  teaspoon cayenne pepper (adjust accordingly)
• 1  teaspoon Savory Spice Shop Cajun Style Blackening Seasoning, Extra Hot or Slap Ya Mama (adjust accordingly)
• 1  bay leaf
• 1  cinnamon stick
• 2  28-ounce can crushed tomatoes with added puree
• 1  14½-ounce can low-salt chicken broth
• 1  12-ounce bottle dark beer [Great Divide Brewing Company's Yeti Imperial Stout]
• 1  6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1  15- to 16-ounce can prepared beans, I prefer organic tri-bean blend.
• 
  1 to 3 1 ounce square bittersweet chocolates

Garnish

• 1 ½ cup crumbled blue cheese [Rogue Creamery Smokey Blue]

Preparation

1. First things first, pour yourself a Yeti. You bought a 4-pack and only one is needed here.
2. Heat oil in heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
3. Add onions and garlic. Sauté until onions are translucent, about 6 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers until peppers become soft about 4 minutes.
5. Add chuck, turkey and pork and sauté until brown, breaking up meat with back of spoon, about 10 minutes.
6. Add chili powder, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaf and cinnamon stick. Stir 2 minutes.
7. Mix in crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, beer and tomato paste.
8. You've made it through the technical part, and your glass is surely empty. Pour another Yeti.
9. Simmer until thickened to desired consistency, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
10. Mix in beans and bittersweet chocolate and cayenne pepper. Simmer 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
11. Garnish with crumbled blue cheese and serve.
12. There’s still one more Yeti.

For even better Yeti Chili

Prepare 1-3 days ahead. Refrigerate until cold, then cover. Pick up some more Yeti, Rewarm over low heat before serving.

Trying my hand at Pasta di Cacao

From time to time I run across things on Pinterest and think to myself, is this for real!? This recipe was one of those.

So I was puruzing (is that even a real word?) Pinterest like I like to do, and I ran across a picture of this beautiful dark brown pasta. I clicked on it, and it got bigger, why this is necessary I don't know. Again I clicked on it and it led me to Cathi Iannone's blog The Brooklyn Ragazza. The post was called Award-Winning, Chocolate Pasta ~ Pasta di Cacao and I was awed by the beautiful pictures that were upon my screen. I began reading and quickly realized this wasn't some bogus post this was some legit pasta that I had to try. So I did!

Rather than post her recipe I would encourage you to follow the links above and visit her blog, she has tons of other beautiful posts that I intend to try sooner or later.

I will note that I strayed from her recipe a little and used standard King Arthur AP Flour. They make a King Arthur Flour Italian-Style Flour, 3 lbs. (Google Affiliate Ad) that is more like a "00" like she calls for in the recipe but I couldn't find it local.

I also used Ghirardelli unsweetened cocoa because it was the best I could find at the supermarket. I would guess you could find better and it would make this awesome pasta even awesomer.

I followed the recipe and I'll let the cell phone photos speak from here....

I combined all the ingredients in the Kitchenaid until the dough would barely stick together. It will seem very dry but that is perfect. I then made a ball and covered in plastic wrap for a 30-45 minute rest.

Then onto the rollers. Like all pasta, start out on the widest setting and work your way down with every pass. I worked mine down from 0 to 5 on the Kitchenaid roller.

Then onto the fettuccine cutter....

While all of that was going on I tossed a couple of seasoned chicken breasts on the BBQ and started my Alfredo Sauce.

The Alfredo Recipe I use is quite simple and easy to make but it takes time and patience.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ Cup Heavy Cream
• 1 ½ Cup Milk
• 6 Tablespoons Butter (yeah the real stuff, don't even try to cheat)
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Add all to medium saucepan and slowly bring to a boil over medium heat, lower the temperature to a simmer and continue to stir occasionally making sure not to burn the bottom. Simmer until the sauce begins to thicken ~20 minutes. Serve immediately to avoid separation.

Boil your noodles, prepare your cooked chicken, add sauce and enjoy!

In closing this was some of the most incredible pasta I have made to date. Like Cathi says, this is a savory pasta. So it plays with your mind a little, naturally you think of chocolate as being sweet yet this is not. 

While making this your home will be engulfed with the amazing smell of cocoa. And by the time it's ready you'll be starving. My wife was just sure she was going to dislike it yet she loved it and has encouraged me to make it again soon.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers

These spicy bites can be tailored in a number of ways, this is one of the simpler ones. Add ground meat to the mix to add another dynamic or peanut butter if you're feeling nutty.

Ingredients

• 8 Extra Large jalapeño peppers or up to 15 smaller ones
• 1 package softened cream cheese
• 1 cup mild cheddar cheese
• 1 lb sliced bacon
• 1 craft beer*

Preparation Instructions

1. Slice the top off each pepper, slice in half, then remove the ribs and seeds.
2. Blend the cheddar and cream cheese together with clean hands. Season as desired, not required.
3. Stuff a good amount of the cream cheese mixture inside each pepper half.
4. If using smaller peppers take the bacon and cut the strips into 2 pieces (cut the short way, not the long way). If using large peppers you can use a whole slice.
5. Wrap a bacon piece around each pepper, secure it with a toothpick if necessary. I usually don't.
6. Cook using one of the following methods.

Grill:

1. Prepare your grill for indirect grilling at around 375˚F.
2. Place the peppers on the top of a broiler pan (set aside the bottom) or mesh pan.
3. Place the broiler pan on the grill grates.
4. Grill for 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is sorta crispy.
5. Remove from grill and serve hot.

Bake:

1. Place a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet and place the poppers on the wrack.
2. Bake at 375˚F for about 25-30 minutes or until the bacon is sorta crispy.
3.  Remove from oven and serve hot.

*unnecessary but it sure makes assembly more enjoyable.

Italian Sodas

Simple, refreshing and fun.

My girls recently tasked me with making Italian Sodas. I was rather surprised that they new what an Italian Soda was and even more surprised that they thought I was going to pull this off. Quickly I went to Google and Pinterest and did a little homework. I found many recipes and concepts so I took a few mental notes and headed to the market.

I picked up the following...

• 6 oz. Organic Raspberries
• 6 oz. Organic Blackberries
• Club Soda
• Organic Half and Half (Optional)
• Organic Cane Sugar
• Whipped Cream (optional)

Once I returned I quickly made the fruit syrups. In the blender I added 6 oz. of Raspberries, 1 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup of filtered water. On a Blendtec hit the "syrups" button, on all others blend on the highest setting for 60 seconds. All of the seeds should be gone and you should have a very smooth syrup  if you do not pour the mixture through a fine sieve. I did the same for the blackberries and then poured them into small mason jars for storage. These syrups should keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.

Next I broke out some glassware, ice, chilled club soda, half and half and a stirring utensil.

I'm using 8 oz glasses so first pour about 2 oz of your syrup into the bottom of the glass.

Add a scoop of ice. Around 2 -3 oz.

Add 3-4 oz of club soda.

Then top with about 1 oz. of half and half.

Stir, top with whipped cream and enjoy!

Note: Dairy products are optional, these can be omitted and the recipe can be adjusted accordingly. So is homemade syrup. There are plenty of quality premade syrups. Monin's are amongst my favorite.

Easy Dulce de Leche

This is too easy....

I am quite a Pinterest junkie here of lately and I am always finding cool things but I am often skeptical if the post yields what it says it does. The latest one that has peaked my interest is Caramel in a Can. Looks and sounds easy so I had to give it a try.

Things you'll need:

1 - 14oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 - Small pan of boiling water

1 - Lot of time

Normally I would buy Eagle Brand but I opted for the store brand because it was a traditional can and Eagle Brand had an easy open top that I figured would explode. Normal top good! Ingredients should be Milk and Sugar.

Fill your pan full of water and submerge your can of Sweetened Condensed Milk.

Set it on low and let it simmer for around 3 hours checking occasionally, turning the can and adding water as necessary. I forgot about mine and it ended up cooking for almost 4 hours. Apparently over cooking does not have any negative effects.

Remove from the heat and cool. If you are like me and you inner child says "Come on, come on, come on.... Let's open the can and taste it" then I suggest adding ice to the pan and at least getting the temp down below 120F. This way if any shoots out when you open it you won't get burned.

Once cool, open and enjoy!