Recipe Friday: Super Bowl Chili!

As you probably know, I consider chili to be one of the major food groups. It's yummy. It's filling.
And it's absolutely perfect for cold weather and Super Bowl parties!

I came to love chili while eating at Hard Times in Alexandria, Virgina. Fortunately for my taste buds (but unfortunately for my waist line), I happened to work within a few blocks of that restaurant for the better part of the decade.

I got to know their four types of chili (Terlingua Red, Texas, Cincinatti, and Vegetarian) very well. As for my favorite -- it was a mix of Terlingua Red and Texas.

For those of you unfamiliar with these types of chilis, I'll do my best to describe them:

Texas chili is cooked in it's own juices, contains no tomato, has strong chili powder and cumin flavors, and is one of the spicier chilis. Terlingua Red is slightly less spicy, and has a tomato base (which gives it the red color).

So, a while ago I decided to try to make a hybrid of these two chilis. And after several tries, I think that I've finally got this one correct!

Click Read More for the details:

Recipe Friday: Beef Stew

Though winter is coming to an end, I thought I'd include this cold weather treat before spring fully takes over. I've been making this recipe all winter long. It makes at least 6 servings, and the left overs reheat easily.

Ingredients:
2lbs. chuck beef cubed
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon canola (or vegetable) oil
1 large carrot
1 rib celery
1 medium yellow onion
1/2 lb pearl onions (if you can't find them, look in the freezer section)
1 russet potato
1/2 tsp black pepper corns
1/2 bottle (or more) red wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot)
12-14 oz canned chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup beef broth
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions:
1) In a large plastic bag add 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper, and flour
2) place cubed beef into bag and cover with flour mixture
3) in a deep skillet or pot, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat
4) shake off flour, and place beef in butter/oil mixture
5) brown beef on all sides, and remove from pot
6) Add carrot, celery, onions, and peppercorns to pot on medium-high heat until onions have started to brown
7) Pour in wine, and stir to loosen stuck vegetables
8) Add potatoes, tomatoes, tomato paste, and beef broth
9) Stir for 5 minutes
10) Add browned beef to pot
11) Cook over low heat to simmer for 2 hours.