Warm and Cozy for the Weekend

Not much going on around here, huh?

Not so much in real life either. Work has kept me busy doing publication design for the past two weeks (one of those weeks, being alone at the office as well having to deal with other things that popped up). I worked all last weekend, so this week has been especially tough to get through. Being confused on what day of the week it is. Needing to crash early and sleep late the next day. Swearing at people (in my head) who think I can magically make things work with too much copy, ugly ads and not enough pages.

Luckily the publication goes to press Thursday, files to the printer on Tuesday.

Then to top off a long two weeks of work, the beginning of this week made it seem like we bought a money pit. First the dishwasher stopped working mid-cycle (turns out the outlet it and disposal are plugged into is shot). Then the very next morning, after tornadoes up north destroyed our favorite apple orchard and we had just bad storming, we found our basement had taken water, lot of water. Lots of water soaked up by area rugs in Mike's video game area. Luckily I didn't have to deal with it, I had already gone to before Mike saw what had happened.

I spent the rest of the week super cleaning after work. Dishes had piled up. Laundry needed to be done. Christmas stuff had to be put away.

I've made it through the week. Whew! I plan on super relaxing this weekend. Sleeping in, knitting, reading, maybe a bath, and…using my new fondue pot!

As my treat to you for being so neglecting as of late, I give you the recipe for some yummy chili and homemade tortilla chips to keep you warm and cozy for the weekend.

Funny story before I start…
When I was in second grade, my teacher did fun stuff with us regarding food. We made tamales and peanut butter that I can recollect, I'm pretty sure we did more too. The student teacher was telling us about tamales, how they're made and everything and about other Mexican food. She kept referring to tortillas as tor-till-las, so I raised my hand having had tortillas my whole life and said, "It's pronounce tor-tee-yas." She never got it wrong after that…being schooled by a 7 year old.

On to the recipe…this is the third chili recipe I've tried in about two months. This one is my favorite. Perfect (to me) chili consistency and hearty, perfect with chips and a dollop of sour cream.

Chili with Homemade Tortilla Chips
• 1 Tbs vegetable oil + approx 1 cup
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• fresh ground salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 Tbs tomato paste (must invest in the squeezy tube for future reference)
• 2 Tbs chili powder
• 2 Tbs cocoa powder
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 2 cans (29 oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (29 oz) pinto beans, drained & rinsed
• corn tortillas, cut into quarters (I usually do 4 whole tortillas for each person)
• shredded cheddar cheese, for sprinkling
• sour cream, to dollop and dip

1. In a large, heavy bottom pot, heat 1 Tbs oil on med-hi. Add onion & garlic and season with salt & pepper. Cook approx 5 minutes, until soft.

2. Add tomato paste, chili powder & cocoa powder. Cook, stirring about 1 minute.

3. Add turkey, break up, and heat until cooked through. It get a bit tough to tell because the cocoa powder makes everything very dark.

4. Add tomatoes and beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer until thickened. Approx 15 minutes.

5. While chili is simmering, heat remaining oil in large shallow pan until a drop of water will pop off it. Fry 6 or so tortilla quarters at a time. Salt both sides immediately after taking them out of the oil. Set on paper towels to absorb extra oil. Sneak one or two while they are still warm…yum!

6. Serve chili garnish with a sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of sour cream and chips on the side. The fresh chips taste especially good dip in sour cream, their warm, salty crunchiness paired with the cool, creaminess is a great pairing (use low fat sour cream and you won't feel so bad).

Enjoy! Have a cozy weekend. I'll be relaxing, but will hopefully have some new stuff to show you soon. I started a new knitting project so there will eventually be some craft content again.