About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨
We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister an We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister and her family were away. She has settled into a new routine here (ours 😂), and now doesn’t get up until after 9 am, stays up until well past midnight, eats a very late dinner, knows that the kitchen is where the magic happens and sits for a treat after her morning backyard visit. We’ve broken her in nicely but she will be returning with her continued bad habit of suffering from #fomo, playing tag with the cats, and barking every time she hears a door open or sees someone go up the street. We did our best. 😇
The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Gar The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Garlic butter and bleu cheese butter from @njgarlic (the bleu on steak! 😍), empanadas from @catalina_empanadas_2017, half sour pickles from @pickleculture and the quiche and bread were from a vendor I forgot to get the name of. This was all from the @bernardsvillefarmersmarket. Today I hit the @denvillemarket and added full sour pickles from @pickle_licious and a roasted garlic and duck fat loaf and cheese biscuit from @bobolinkdairyandbakehouse. Basically give us all the bread, cheese, butter and pickles and we’re happy campers! Did you hit up a farmers market this weekend? What’d ya get?
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it is with the gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. Skip what their directions tell you and pan fry them in olive oil, add some of their 4-green bag of vegetables, salt, pepper, drizzles of pesto and a sprinkle of parm. So freaking good and dinner on the table faster than you can order take out. 🤤
✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this ✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this one is pretty alright. ✨
Our weekend was crammed with family and fun, but e Our weekend was crammed with family and fun, but even so, I was feeling like I didn’t get enough time with my oldest. I whined a little and he offered breakfast today before he headed back to school. It was just what I needed, those little things aren’t so little. Two more weeks before I get to see him again. 💛
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Sweetnicks

Food and Life

Sunny Anderson’s Interstate Chili

February 3, 2009 · Narrative

Interstate ChiliIt has been simply ages since I really cooked a significant amount of food for the Superbowl.  The last time, though, quite memorably involved a trip to the ER before 30 guests came over, and resulted in 10 stitches in my left hand.  Darn guacamole.  To this day, as much as we love avocados, I still wince just a little when I have to play with them.

Sunday afternoon I was trying to decide what to make, flipping through my backlog of Tivo’d shows and landed on Sunny Anderson’s Cooking for Real.  She was making “gameday food” and one of the dishes was an Interstate Chili, so named because it combined chili flavors she loves from San Antonio, Texas and Detroit, Michigan.  She had me at chorizo.

When it comes to chili, I am not die-hard about it.  There are those that are very serious about it … beans, no beans, white, red … I happen to prefer red chili over white, but can go either way on the beans.  Sunny said she prefers chili without beans, and when it comes to this version, I wholeheartedly agree.  When I printed out the recipe, I nearly bagged it when I saw the list of ingredients (long!), but don’t let that deter you.  We would have missed out on this one.  The chorizo gives the chili a nice, low, lingering heat, but not so much that your mouth is on fire and you’re grabbing for a water glass.   The cooked red and green peppers and onions gave the consistency surprising little soft pieces throughout each bite, and I think that was my favorite part of the whole dish.

Would I make it again?  You bet.  And it’s perfect for this cold, winter-won’t-leave-us weather we’re having.  Last night, an earthquake (in NJ?!) and today more snow, with two more days of snow on the calendar for this week still to come.  Mother Nature is certainly having fun with us this season, and I don’t know about you, but I am over it.  Spring?  Where are you?

In the meantime, bowls ready, spoons poised, dig in.  This chili is waiting.

Interstate Chili
Recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, Cooking for Real

For the chili:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 green bell pepper, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3 jalapeno peppers, minced (I skipped)
  • 3 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons cayenne
  • 1 pound ground beef chuck
  • 6 links Mexican chorizo, removed from casings
  • 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons Gravy Master (I’ve never used this before,but at $1.49 for a small bottle, I sprang for it)
  • 2 tablespoons hot sauce
  • 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 2 to 3 bay leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (8-ounce) container sour cream, for garnish
  • 3 cups grated Cheddar, for garnish
  • 1 small onion, diced, for garnish

For the chips:

  • 1 (10-ounce) bags corn tortillas, cut into 1-inch strips
  • Vegetable oil, for frying
  • Salt

To prepare the chili: Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add bell peppers, onion, garlic, and jalapenos and saute until tender, about 6 minutes. Add cumin, oregano, chili powder, cinnamon and cayenne and continue to cook, another 5 minutes. Add beef and chorizo and saute until browned, about 10 minutes, breaking meat apart as it cooks. Add Worcestershire, Gravy Master, hot sauce and tomato paste. Continue cooking until tomato paste turns nicely brown and caramelized, another 3 to 4 minutes. Add beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook, 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with sour cream, grated cheese, onion and Homemade Tortilla Chips. Chili can be made 2 days in advance and chilled, covered. Reheat before serving.

To prepare the chips: Place oil in a deep pot until it comes almost halfway up the side of the pan. Heat oil to 360 degrees F.

Deep-fry strips, 30 to 45 seconds each side, until crisp and just turning golden. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with salt immediately. Serve with chili.

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Posted In: Narrative · Tagged: chili, chorizo, Cooking, Cooking for Real, Food Network, gameday food, Sunny Anderson, Superbowl

Comments

  1. Blond Duck says

    February 4, 2009 at 7:45 am

    Yup! You can’t go wrong with a good chili.

    Blond Ducks last blog post..Without a Single Word

    Reply
  2. Scott at Realepicurean says

    February 4, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    My belly is empty. This looks really good!

    Scott at Realepicureans last blog post..If you eat pork, you MUST read this

    Reply
  3. Sunny :-) says

    March 11, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    hey girl, glad you liked it! long time no hear! guess what? we have something in common, kinda … growin up my mom severely cut her hand in the kitchen when she went to CATCH a knife that was falling, she caught it alright … anyway, now no matter what it is in the kitchen, if it falls, i wince a bit and step back … i’m not even catchin a stick of butter … btw, great pic of the chili … you could teach me some things …

    Sunny :-)s last blog post..I Want Mussel(s)!!! (long live Grace Jones!)

    Reply
  4. Cate says

    March 11, 2009 at 10:54 pm

    Hey Sunny, nice to hear from you again! Ouch on catching the knife, but totally something I would do too. Thanks for the compliment on the pic – not one of my best, but anytime you need pics, give me a holler. :)

    Reply

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About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨
We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister an We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister and her family were away. She has settled into a new routine here (ours 😂), and now doesn’t get up until after 9 am, stays up until well past midnight, eats a very late dinner, knows that the kitchen is where the magic happens and sits for a treat after her morning backyard visit. We’ve broken her in nicely but she will be returning with her continued bad habit of suffering from #fomo, playing tag with the cats, and barking every time she hears a door open or sees someone go up the street. We did our best. 😇

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About last night … we spontaneously decided to m About last night … we spontaneously decided to make a @crumblcookies run at 8:30 and snagged a front seat to Mother Nature’s show. 😍
I took five books with me when we went on a little I took five books with me when we went on a little vacation in May, and got through two of them, one of which was The Magnolia Story. You are, no doubt, familiar with Chip and Joanna Gaines, but you might not know how they became so popular or how their business exploded. This book, told by both of them, shares their journey from their dating stages to just a few years ago. It’s quite amazing how their path unfolded, with the universe seemingly guiding them every single step of the way. Every time they hit a crossroads, they received clear signs to continue to point them in the right direction. It was interesting to learn more about their story, and a great reminder that you need to trust in yourself and follow your passions, and everything really does just fall into place. Chip has his own book out too, Capital Gaines, which I added to my list after I read this one. If you’re curious about their story or just need confirmation to continue to chase your dreams, read this one. ✨ #catesbookaweek 6/52
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the w “And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” – Roald Dahl ✨
We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister an We’ve been dog sitting Gracie while my sister and her family were away. She has settled into a new routine here (ours 😂), and now doesn’t get up until after 9 am, stays up until well past midnight, eats a very late dinner, knows that the kitchen is where the magic happens and sits for a treat after her morning backyard visit. We’ve broken her in nicely but she will be returning with her continued bad habit of suffering from #fomo, playing tag with the cats, and barking every time she hears a door open or sees someone go up the street. We did our best. 😇
The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Gar The rewards of a weekend of farmers marketing! Garlic butter and bleu cheese butter from @njgarlic (the bleu on steak! 😍), empanadas from @catalina_empanadas_2017, half sour pickles from @pickleculture and the quiche and bread were from a vendor I forgot to get the name of. This was all from the @bernardsvillefarmersmarket. Today I hit the @denvillemarket and added full sour pickles from @pickle_licious and a roasted garlic and duck fat loaf and cheese biscuit from @bobolinkdairyandbakehouse. Basically give us all the bread, cheese, butter and pickles and we’re happy campers! Did you hit up a farmers market this weekend? What’d ya get?
Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it Sometimes rules are meant to be broken, and so it is with the gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. Skip what their directions tell you and pan fry them in olive oil, add some of their 4-green bag of vegetables, salt, pepper, drizzles of pesto and a sprinkle of parm. So freaking good and dinner on the table faster than you can order take out. 🤤
✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this ✨As far as first day of summer sunsets go, this one is pretty alright. ✨
Our weekend was crammed with family and fun, but e Our weekend was crammed with family and fun, but even so, I was feeling like I didn’t get enough time with my oldest. I whined a little and he offered breakfast today before he headed back to school. It was just what I needed, those little things aren’t so little. Two more weeks before I get to see him again. 💛

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