I've decided to enter my chili recipe in the Ultimate Super Bowl Party Recipe Smackdown that The Recipe Girl is hosting in conjunction with Sam's Club.

I almost always host a Super Bowl Party, even if our favorite team isn't participating! It's just another good reason to have a get together with friends! And I love to cook for a big group of hungry guys! They appreciate almost anything! If you don't fancy cooking, you could always order out by looking for ‘subs delivery near me‘ and cater to your guest's individual food needs.

This year I'm going to make my “prize winning” chili for the Super Bowl. (Okay, it wasn't a famous contest or anything, but I did win second prize and a cute little red ribbon at our recent Chili Cook-off on our dock at the Harbor!)

I've doubled and even quadrupled this recipe, so it's perfect for a large crowd! Here's my version of Chili Con Carne.

 

LilSis' Chili Con Carne

LilSis' Chili Con Carne

3 pounds lean ground beef
One sweet onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 dark beer
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can dark kidney beans (drained)
1 sm. can corn (I use Green Giant Sweet vacuum packed)
4 – 5 tsp. Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice*
2 chopped roasted poblano peppers (optional)
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. onion powder
salt to taste
1 T. olive oil

*The Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice, formerly known as my secret ingredient, is so different from just a regular chili powder. It's the reason why you don't see cumin or a bunch of other spices listed in the recipe. Here are the ingredients in this one amazing spice: ancho chili pepper, tomato powder, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, coriander, onions, red and green bell peppers, Tellichery black pepper, allspice, cilantro, and cloves. If you don't have a Penzeys store nearby, you can order online from the Penzeys Spices website.

Saute the chopped onion in the oil in a large saucepan until onion is soft. Add the ground beef, salt and minced garlic to the pan and brown until beef is cooked throughout. Drain the beef and return to the pan. Add the beer to the beef and simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Simmer for longer if you want the tomatoes to cook down more. Add the tomato sauce, roasted peppers, and Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice. Simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Add the cayenne pepper, onion powder and additional salt if necessary. (This is the stage where you can adjust the seasonings to your own taste. This isn't like baking, so add whatever you want here.)

Once you have your chili seasoned just right, add the can of beans and the corn and just heat throughout. This can be served right away or put in a crockpot to stay warm for hours. It's even better heated and served the next day.

I usually set up a buffet style toppings bar with bowls of these toppings so everyone can add the toppings of their choice.

Toppings:
chopped onion
chopped jalapeno
fritos
oyster crackers
sour cream
grated cheese (I use Tillamook medium cheddar)

And if you really want a great frito pie, layer the bottom of the bowl with the fritos first, then chili, cheese, more fritos, and sour cream. Yummy! It doesn't get much better than that!

Okay, so this recipe probably doesn't qualify as one of our healthy, low fat recipes if we are topping with the cheese, fritos, and sour cream. But we can make an exception for the Super Bowl, right?

~LilSis

Posted under Food

I am happy to say that we earned almost $400.00 today from our Rummage Sale/Bake Sale to benefit Komen San Diego Race for the Cure. My team members showed up with an amazing assortment of baked goods and loads and loads of items for the rummage sale.  I had tremendous help! Most of the team members arrived at the “crack of dawn” to help me set up and stayed for the duration all the way to the point of loading up what was left to haul off to their charity of choice.

My rice krispie treats turned out fine, even though at one point, I was unsure about how the German Chocolate Treats were going to turn out. They looked like a bit of a mess when I was trying to mix.

Sticky Mess!

I made three different kinds, the rice krispie recipe with mini chocolate chips on top, plain rice krispie treats with pink sprinkles on top, and the German Chocolate treats made with the Cocoa Pebbles, coconut, and pecan. Here's what they looked like before cut up.

Three batches before cut up.

Here they are wrapped and ready to go!

We had such a great assortment of goodies.  We had marvelous homemade carmel apples, really nicely decorated pretzel rods, lovely brownies, donuts, cookies, and more.

Beautifully Wrapped Carmel Apples

Krispie Treats & Pink Ribbon Cookies

I loved the Pretzel Rods made by J.

Starbucks donated a large container of coffee, cups and stirrers.

Coffee Table

We're excited about our upcoming Race on November 2, 2008.  If you are interested in participating in a Race for the Cure in your area, it's not too late. Just visit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure website to find the location and date in your area.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

Wow! I can't believe Halloween is only two days away! Where has this month gone? It's been so warm here in Southern California this month that it doesn't even feel like it should be Halloween. How can it be Halloween when HayHay has a surf meet on Saturday? It's just weird!

Luckily, it has cooled off a little bit at night this past week, because for Halloween, I love to make a huge pot of chili to share with friends and neighbors. I'm not sure when I started this tradition, but I know it's been at least ten or twelve years because I did it when we lived in Texas when HayHay was only 3 years old. I've got some great memories of all us parents taking turns either walking the kiddos around the neighborhood trick or treating or staying back at the house passing out candy.

It's not quite the same now since we don't have little ones to walk around the neighborhood, but we still love to get our friends together for a bowl of chili on Halloween!

I originally posted my chili recipe back in January for a Super Bowl party, but I'm going to put it up again today because this is such a great recipe to make for a Halloween get-together.

LilSis’ Chili Con Carne

3 pounds lean ground beef
One sweet onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 dark beer
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (28 oz) can tomato sauce
1 can dark kidney beans (drained)
1 sm. can corn (I use Green Giant Sweet vacuum packed)
4 – 5 tsp. Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice*
2 chopped roasted poblano peppers (optional)
1/4 t. cayenne
1/2 t. onion powder
salt to taste
1 T. olive oil

Toppings:
chopped onion
chopped jalapeno
fritos
oyster crackers
sour cream
grated cheddar cheese

*The Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice, formerly known as my secret ingredient, is so different from just a regular chili powder. It’s the reason why you don’t see cumin or a bunch of other spices listed in the recipe. Here are the ingredients in this one amazing spice: ancho chili pepper, tomato powder, ground cumin, Mexican oregano, garlic, coriander, onions, red and green bell peppers, Tellichery black pepper, allspice, cilantro, and cloves. If you don’t have a Penzeys store nearby, you can order online from the Penzeys Spices website.

Saute the chopped onion in the oil in a large saucepan until onion is soft. Add the ground beef, salt and minced garlic to the pan and brown until beef is cooked throughout. Drain the beef and return to the pan. Add the beer to the beef and simmer for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Add the diced tomatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes. Simmer for longer if you want the tomatoes to cook down more. Add the tomato sauce, roasted peppers, and Penzeys Chili Con Carne spice. Simmer for another 30 minutes or so. Add the cayenne pepper, onion powder and additional salt if necessary. (This is the stage where you can adjust the seasonings to your own taste. This isn’t like baking, so add whatever you want here.)

Once you have your chili seasoned just right, add the can of beans and the corn and just heat throughout. This can be served right away or put in a crockpot to stay warm for hours. And, it's even better heated and served the next day.

I usually set up a buffet style bar and put out all the toppings so everyone can add whatever they like! Enjoy and have a Happy Halloween!

~LilSis

Posted under Food

photo credit: stephcarter

A HUGE kudos to BigSis for completing that first round of P90X, for all the great advice on what to expect from this program, and for the terrific tips on how to stick to it. And since round one didn't kill her, she's actually moving on to round 2! 🙂

I hope her testimonial will encourage some of you to try the P90X Extreme Home Fitness Workout Program. I know she was extremely happy with the results from round one! I wish that I could commit to trying P90X, but at this particular point in my life, I know it would be “almost” impossible for me and I don't want to set myself up to fail.

In my household, it's very rare that I find an hour a day to myself without interruptions. Right now, I've got a hubby that works from home half the day, who requires a lot of admin support from me and a 17 year old with an unique schedule that keeps him running in and out of the house at odd times during the day.

There's never a dull moment in our house!

I do manage to get to the gym twice a week for weight training and I go on my six mile walk four times a week, no matter what, so I essentially live in my workout gear at this point! Soon I am definitely going to buy myself some new womens tracksuits as it's long overdue! However, I haven't been able to get the yoga back into my routine.

Almost a year and a half ago, I started back to my yoga classes three times a week after being out with a foot injury. After getting back into my routine, I don't why, but somewhere along the way, I let the demands of my job and various other pressures interfere with my yoga practice. Gradually, I was only attending two classes a week, then one, and then none!

2010 was a very stressful year for us, “professionally” and it has definitely taken a toll on my body. When I needed it the most, I put other things first instead of listening to my body and realizing how much stress was affecting me. We all know our bodies and know what we need to do to feel our very best, for some, it's using Green Roads CBD. For me, yoga is the only thing that helps me feel better when I've got too much stress.

Stress affects different people in different ways, but these are my worst symptoms:

• Stomach problems
• Knots in my back
• Stiff neck
• Intense anxiety
• Worry
• Chronic insomnia

And we all know what stress does to cortisol levels and how that plays a factor in weight gain, especially “belly fat!” Yep, I've got that, too! 🙁

This article from Mayo Clinic on stress management confirms that stress symptoms can be affecting your health, even if you don't realize it. In the same article, Mayo Clinic lists the five top ways to help manage stress as:

• Physical activity
• Relaxation techniques
• Meditation
• Yoga
• tai chi

For my health and my sanity, I have to get back to my yoga practice. For those that may want to give yoga a try for the first time, this is a good Yoga 101 article from Lululemon Athletica. I love this poster with stories and inspirations from their community.

Even though I've been trying the past three weeks to get myself to class on Mondays and Fridays, something has gotten in the way every single time! I've even been tearing the daily practice pages out of my Yoga Journal magazines each month and putting them in sheet protectors in a cute three-ring binder to try to motivate me. But, I STILL have not been able to make myself find the time to do it at home. Thank goodness I am able to take advantage of resources like a psychologist for stress symptoms in the meantime whilst I try to motivate myself to get back into yoga and burn some of that stress off!

Just last week, I made a little time to sit down and read my February issue of Yoga Journal and that's where I learned about this 21 Day Challenge from Yoga Journal. There's also an excellent article in this issue called Get Back on the Mat, that's worth the read, if you're like me and have gotten away from your practice.

Even though the challenge officially started on January 10th, you can start at any time. I signed up yesterday and received my Day One email this morning. So, after helping hubby with some computer stuff for about three hours this morning; once he finally left, I got my mat out of my car, took my laptop to my room upstairs, locked the door, lit a lavender incense, and did Day One of this challenge. Ahhhhhh…

I didn't know what to expect since I'd never watched any of their yoga videos, but I was pleasantly surprised! Day One was a 45-minute Fun Flow vinyasa sequence taught by Elise Lorimer.

Extended Side Angle Pose (Photo Credit: Yoga Journal)

This sequence was fun and also happened to contain a couple of my favorite poses, like Bound Side Angle. (To modify and bind this Side Angle pose, you just slip the one arm off the foot, wrap under your bent knee and wrap the other arm around behind your back and clasp hands together.) This pose always helps take the tension out of my back, as does extended triangle, which I added at the end of the video.

Extended Triangle (Photo credit: Yoga Journal)

With this Challenge, you'll receive a daily email which has a link to each day's instructional video; a tip to help your practice; and a delicious, healthy recipe. You'll also find a link to the Challenge website, where you can listen to meditation and pranayama (yogic breathing) exercises, plus lessons on yoga philosophy. There's also a community chat page.

Another thing that's nice about this Challenge is that you can pick and choose which sequence you want to do, if for some reason you don't have time to do the one for that day. There are 15 minute, 20 minute, and 30 minute sequences to choose from, depending on how much time you have. The key is to do something EVERY DAY, even if it's just for 10-15 minutes.

While on the mat, I added a couple more of my favorite poses.

Camel

Camel Pose (Photo Credit: Yoga Journal)

and Plow.

Plow Pose (Photo Credit: Yoga Journal)

And, after just an hour, I feel noticeably better so I'm glad that I finally “Got Back on the Mat”!

I think this is just what I needed to kick my fanny into gear! I'm hoping that this Challenge kick starts me into doing a daily yoga practice even if there are days when I only have 15 minutes instead of an hour. Just a few poses and some deep breathing can do wonders for stress.

~LilSis

Posted under Fitness

Each year on this date we take time to acknowledge the anniversary of our Dad's passing.  Today is the fifth anniversary.

It's hard to put into words, but some days it seems like it's been forever since we've seen him or talked to him and on other days, it feels like it was just yesterday.

Our dad was a photographer for most of his life and growing up we even had a darkroom in our garage. It was always fascinating to watch him develop his own photos.

In memory of our dad and his love of photography, today I thought I'd share with you some of my son's photography. We are slowly but surely working on a Haden Bauer Photography website and some day, hopefully soon, you'll be able to see more of his awesome photos, which mainly reflect his love of surfing, sunrises, and sunsets.

 Haden's Pappy would be very proud.

~LilSis

Posted under Family

Are you going to BlogWorld Expo?  We hope so!  We're going and are SO excited about it.  It's just 4 weeks away now…October 15-17.

If you want to go, the discounted registration pricing has been extended to September 21st.  That's Monday, so you don't have long.  Go to the BlogWorld Expo registration page and get yourself signed up asap.  The discounted weekend pass for Friday and Saturday sessions is $395, and will go up to $495 once the discount expires.

There are also some discounted $69 rooms left at the Hilton, but that pricing is only good til October 1st, if the rooms last that long.

Not sold on the value of BlogWorld Expo?  Check out the agenda for this year's sessions.  There are some pretty heavy hitters scheduled to speak:  Darren Rowse, Chris Brogan, John Chow, and Cali Lewis, just for starters!  And the Keynote Speakers haven't even been named yet, so who knows!

For more info, get yourselves over to the BlogWorld site.  You can also check out twitter #bwe09 and flickr tag blogworld09.

If you make plans to attend, please let us know!

~BigSis

Posted under Travel

Being vegetarian, a tomato sandwich in the summertime is one of my staple meals.  Great whole grain bread with mayo, and locally grown tomatoes.  Plus a good dash of salt and Penzeys shallot pepper.  Avocado, pickles and lettuce are optional.  Ah, but there's another kind of tomato sandwich out there. Let me explain.

Take a nice thick slice of GOOD tomato…do NOT use the crummy pinkish faux tomatoes that the grocery stores try to pass off on us.

Add a thick schmear of goat cheese with a spoonful of pesto mixed in.

Top with another thick slice of tomato.

Roll in seasoned flour, then egg, then panko breadcrumbs and saute til golden brown.

Sprinkle with salt.

Gobble down.

Rinse and repeat.

Are you with me?

I heard about this idea from a tomato recipe contest the Washington Post conducted.  Last year's winner used this method, but included bacon (I don't eat Babe), Boursin cheese instead of the goat cheese and pesto, and Italian breadcrumbs instead of the panko.  Besides my pesto version, you could also use a dollop of the Hatch Green Chile and Garlic Goat Cheese that I did a couple of days ago.

Helllooo, my darling Sammie.

Fried Tomato Sandwiches with Pesto and Goat Cheese
(adapted from Mary Joe Sweeney's winning recipe)

1 large ripe tomato
1 nice thick chunk of goat cheese
1 Tblsp pesto
Flour, well seasoned with salt and pepper
1 egg, lightly beaten
Panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil or canola oil for sauteing

Core the tomato and slice it into 4 even slices.  Mix the pesto into the goat cheese.  Add half of it to one slice of tomato, and top with another to make a sandwich.  Repeat with the rest of the goat cheese and the 2 remaining tomato slices.  Dredge in the flour, then the egg, and then the breadcrumbs.  Saute in oil until golden brown, then carefully flip and lightly brown the other side. Remove from heat and immediately salt the sandwiches. Drain briefly on paper towels, and serve hot.  Makes 2 sandwiches.

Like LilSis' little baby quiches yesterday, this is a recipe that allows you to do whatever you want with it.  Use any soft cheese you like, but remember that if it's not soft and gooey, it won't get melty before the tomatoes get yukky.  Add in olives, herbs (chives would be good), garlic, scallions, anything you can think of.  A little shredded parmesan would be good mixed in with the breadcrumbs too.

Fried Tomato Sandwich with Pesto and Goat Cheese

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Valentine's Day generates so much buzz, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to send these random last-minute ideas your way:

• Need a great gift idea for the animal-lover in your life? Sponsor a Snip in their honor…a neutering or spaying, that is!

Do it for the animals!

• Papa John's is making heart-shaped pizza this weekend. You get a thin crust pizza with one topping plus Chocolate Pastry Delights (whatever those are) for $14.99. PJ isn't my favorite pizza (I love you, my dear i Fratelli) but you can't beat this price!

How cute is this?

• Eggs on Sunday has a really cute Valentine's Day breakfast menu. Since the 14th is on Saturday, this is definitely doable!

Valentine's Day Breakfast

• This Green Rice Casserole from Lottie + Doof has nothing to do with Valentine's Day, I admit it, but I'm so dying to have it this weekend! Perhaps it would make an unusual unexpected side dish if you're cooking your Heart Day meal at home? You might serve it next to a crispy roasted chicken, but I'm imagining it piled into a nice tender portabella/portobello mushroom cap, and broiled with more cheese on top!

It's not pink, but still looks delicious!

• And, last of all, in the spirit of loving your neighbor, check out this video!

Bonus Tip : Arrange for a small wine and dine at your place, followed by some adventurous, amorous trysts of lovemaking! Getting in the mood will be the relatively easy part, considering it's Valentines'! You could watch some porn to get the ball rolling. However, it must be understood that few countries do have a ban in place for streaming, or watching porn. But fear not, search online for the best VPN to watch porn, and you might just get a solution to your problems! Also, did I tell you, the watching porn on Valentines' day could apply for singles as well? Self-love is just as important you know!

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! If you're missing your sweetheart this year for whatever reason, we send you our love. God bless you!

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

When we were on our tour of downtown Chicago last week, we happened to pass Rick Bayless' Frontera Grill on North Clark Street. We all wished that we could stop and eat lunch there but we knew that we didn't have time so we'll have to plan that for another visit. Passing Frontera Grill reminded me that I bought Rick Bayless' Mexican Everyday cookbook sometime last year and have yet to cook a recipe from it.

I decided to browse through his cookbook yesterday to find something to make as a side to go along with the Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I had planned for dinner. And since Cinco de Mayo is only a week away, I thought this would be a great time to try one of his recipes.

I ended up making the Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chili. Rick Bayless says that this is one of the most versatile dressings that he makes and that grilled onions and radishes have gone into the roasted garlic-dressed romaine salad at Frontera Grill since the day they opened. He also suggests that it's great on top of a salad of sliced tomatoes and cilantro, which is what I decided to do. This recipe makes about one cup.

This recipe was quick and easy yet had a terrific flavor because of the roasted garlic and chiles. Salad dressing is not the best recipe for photographing, but this dressing was perfect drizzled on top of this tomato and cilantro salad.

Roasted Garlic Dressing with Green Chile
(from Mexican Everyday)

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
Fresh hot green chiles to taste (I only used 1 serrano)
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. balsamic vinegar
Salt

Set a small dry skillet over medium heat. Lay in the unpeeled garlic cloves and the chiles. Roast, turning frequently, until soft and blotchy brown in spots, about 10 minutes for the chiles, 15 minutes for the garlic. Cool until able to handle, then slip the skins off the garlic and roughly chop the chiles (no need to remove the seeds).

Combine the garlic, chiles, oil, vinegar and a scant teaspoon of salt into a blender jar or food processor. Process until smooth. Taste and season highly with additional salt if necessary. Pour into a jar and secure the lid. Refrigerate until ready to use. Shake well immediately before pouring out.

~LilSis

Posted under Food

A month ago, The Humane Society of the United States and Humane Society Legislative Fund urged Congress to pass H.R. 5092.  This bill would provide law enforcement with the tools they need to immediately crack down on animal cruelty “crush” videos.  If you're like me, you don't have a clue about what a “crush” video is.  Let me just say there's a lot of depravity in our world.  A crush video depicts the intentional crushing, burning, drowning and impaling of puppies, kittens and other animals for one purpose…the disgusting titillation of some twisted people who will pay for those videos.

Back in 1999, President Clinton's administration passed the Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act which pretty much eliminated the sale of the videos, but that Act was ruled unconstitutional in 2008.  Since then, the videos have reappeared and are now widely available for sale on the internet.

A day before H.R. 5092 was introduced in Congress, the Supreme Court ruled that the Depiction of Animal Cruelty Act was too broad, and might involve some depictions that are protected by the First Amendment.  That ruling led the sponsors of H.R. 5092 to immediately present it as a specific, targeted bill.

What can you do if you're as horrified as I am about this issue?  Encourage your representatives to support it!  Now that we know about this, we can't pretend that it doesn't exist.  Passing this bill is a no-brainer!

For more information, check out the Humane Society of the United States‘ web site.  You can see a list of the 50+ representatives who introduced the bill.  A good place to start is to thank them!

~BigSis

Posted under Animals