Bite. Sip. Repeat…

When our kids were watching the Peanuts holiday shows, my 4 year old got Charlie Brown’s name a little wrong and said he wanted to watch that “Charlie Barley Show”.  It sort of stuck and that’s now one of my son’s sometimes-nicknames.  I saw the 7 bean and barley mix in the bulk foods aisle at Henry’s market and, of course, had to get it.  The boys were cracking up about me making Charlie Barley Soup.

I started with about a pound of 7 bean and barley mix.  Continue Reading »

I had been planning to grill some chicken, but suddenly had the urge to do something else.  I had some boneless, skinless chicken breasts already thawed.  I also had a leftover green bell pepper.  I broke out the Le Creuset “French Oven”, seasoned the chicken with salt and pepper, and browned the breasts.  I added tomatoes, garlic, onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, and some seasonings.  15 minutes of simmering and dinner was done. Continue Reading »

We fed the boys early and had this dish after they were in bed. It’s very easy, very tasty and vegetarian to boot. Not too much to explain, the recipe is pretty straight-forward. It’s from Good Deal with Dave Lieberman on Food Network. Link here. We served it with a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy…

Here’s the recipe… Continue Reading »

It’s the chili-time of the year and I made a batch last week. Here’s the basic recipe…

• 1 Tbs. canola or vegetable oil
• 1 1/3 lbs. ground beef
• 1 lb. Jimmy Dean spicy sausage
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can of chopped tomatoes
• 2 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 Tbs. chili powder, more or less depending on your taste and the heat of the chili powder
• 1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 tsp. ground cloves
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 15 oz. can of red kidney beans or black beans
• 2 oz. dark chocolate.

Heat the oil over medum heat in a large pot. I use a 12-quart stock pot. Sweat the onions for 3-5 minutes then add the garlic and sweat for 2 more minutes. Turn the heat up to medium-high, add the beef and sausage, break up into small chunks and brown thoroughly. Move the mixture to one side of the pot, tip the pot up a little and, using a turkey baster, remove the accumulated fat.

Add the tomatoes, cumin, chili powder, cloves, and Worcestershire sauce and stir. Turn down to low and simmer for 1 hour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Drain and rinse the kidney beans and add to chili, cooking an additional 10 minutes on low. Just before serving, stir in the chocolate until melted. The chocolate adds a layer of flavor; you can’t taste it, but it enhances the taste.

Serve with any or all of the following: grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped green onion, cilantro or crushed tortilla chips.