Tonight: Chili and Homemade Bread

Fall doesn't usually come to Florida very early. Yet, here I sit by an open window, on October 4, feeling the cool breeze of a 64 degree day! I'm so excited for cooler Autumn weather, even if I know it won't last for more than a day or two. It's the perfect weather for chili and some hot, fresh bread.



Is there anything better than the smell of bread baking? Yes. Yes, there is. It's the smell of bread baking, and the knowledge that you didn't break your back kneading dough all day long. I use this recipe almost exactly, so I won't bother to type the whole thing: http://family.go.com/blog/catherinewman/fantastic-fearless-five-minute-bread-889536/

I use 3 cups of whole wheat flour, 1 cup of soy flour, 2 cups of white bread flour, and 1/2 cup of milled flax seeds. I add 4 teaspoons of vital wheat gluten (don't judge me), and this time I threw in a tablespoon of Splenda...Also, my dough never yields 3 loaves. It makes one. Otherwise, I follow the recipe pretty precisely. This bread is so crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. Read Catherine Newman's entire article before the recipe--she's hilarious. Everytime I make this bread now, my husband says, "Is this bread too delicious?" Read the article, and you'll get it.



So, chili. Do you have a recipe for chili, or do you use the seasoning packets? Because--honestly--I am very likely to use the packets whenever possible. Not today, though. I'm going to make it from scratch. One time, our church had a fall festival near Halloween, and we had a chili cook-off. Now, like I said--I normally use the seasoning packets, but you can't cheat in a chili cook-off...so, I made it from scratch, and I thought it was pretty good. But, my friend Candy's was amazing, as were a couple of others. Candy's chili was the spiciest I've ever eaten. I seriously couldn't get more than a few bites down, and I'm someone who loves spicy food. Anyway, everyone sampled each chili, and then voted for their favorites. Our pastor's wife won, and Candy was a close second. No one voted for mine (although my Cincinnati chili was another entry and did get a vote). I was okay with that, except for one thing: My husband voted for Candy's chili! Isn't there some unwritten rule that you always vote for your wife? I read him the riot act, but Candy gave him all of her leftover chili to bring home with him.

Anyway, I've gotten better since then. I'm not good with writing down recipes, so in this case, I won't even attempt it. I use 2-3 lbs of browned ground beef, 2 cans of dark red kidney beans, 2 cans of light red kidney beans, and 1-2 cans of red beans. Then I use about 2 big (28 oz) cans of crushed tomatoes, however much beef broth I need (usually about 1/2 of those little box carton things), and then throw seasonings in wildly. I use maybe a TBSP of worchestershire sauce, 1/4 cup of chili powder (I know, right?), and liberally sprinkle in garlic, crushed red pepper, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and whatever else catches my fancy in the spice cupboard. I also like to toss in about 1/2 cup of jarred jalapenos and a couple tablespoons of pickled cherry peppers. Pickled cherry peppers are the best things ever--we like them on sandwiches, hotdogs, salads, and--you know--everything.



I like to top my chili with chopped onions and shredded cheddar, but I used all of the cheddar in my mac and cheese last night. Somehow, shredded mozzarella on chili just seems wrong. So, share with me some other ways to eat chili. Do you like it on spaghetti or macaroni noodles (I like it with spaghetti noodles, but prefer Cinncinnati chili this way rather than regular chili...I'll share that recipe sometime)? Do you put sour cream on it, or fresh tomatoes? What's your secret ingredient?



Okay, so I took lots of pictures, but I don't know where my data cable is. I'll post them in a seperate blog entry once I find it.