Mmmmmm........Slow Cooker Sweet-Spicy Chili

Confession time........

I've made the same chili for years.

AND, it partially comes from a box.

We like Two Alarm Chili, which comes with all the seasonings you need.

Of course, you add the meat, tomatoes, beans........

However, we had a CHILLY day this week and wanted chili.

But I had no car to go to the store, so that meant I had to make it from scratch.

Whoa.......grown-up chili! lol

I found a recipe from Betty Crocker and figured, basic chili......it must be pretty good.

AND, it was a slow cooker recipe.......even better.

After reading the reviews, I tweaked it a bit (kinda proud of that;)

Rather than being a hot, spicy chili,

it was more of a spicy~SWEET chili, which was totally okay

with us.  (We love Cincinnati chili which is sweeter)

If you don't mind your chili with a bit of hot and a bit more sweet, give it a try.

My 17 year old ate so many spoonfuls while it was simmering, she hardly wanted dinner.

THAT good.

My 20 year old came home from work at 8:30, wasn't sure how hungry she was, 

devoured a bowl.  I imagine young children would LOVE it.  Husband loved it, I loved it.......all in all a great cold-weather meal.

Slow-Cooker Sweet~Spicy Chili

20 minutes prep in the morning = a bowl of chili when you get home from work!

Adapted from Betty Crocker

Prep Time 20 min  Total Time 6 hr 20 min  Servings 8

Ingredients

2 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 large onion, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 

1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 can (16 oz) chili beans in sauce, undrained

(* 1 can red kidney beans.......if you like more beans)

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

3-3 and 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 and 1/2-2 teaspoons ground cumin

3/4 cup brown sugar (trust me)

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon pepper

* * * I didn't have garlic cloves so I used garlic salt in place of regular salt.

1. In 12-inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes,

 stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain.

2. In 4- to 5-quart slow cooker, mix beef, onion and remaining ingredients.

3. Cover and cook on Low heat setting 6 to 8 hours.

It was different for us, but apparently a welcome change since we devoured it:)

XOXOXO

Suzanne

Marvelous Monday. . . . .How to Have a HAPPY week. . . .

okay, i admit it.

for most of my life, i felt that we should just sleep through Monday

and jump straight to Tuesday.

(which, when you think of it, 

would just make tuesday kinda crappy, right?)

maybe it's cause i'm getting older,

and that empty nest is flying right straight at my face,

that i feel we need to embrace every day as a special day,

because memories will be made today.

and tomorrow.

some more memorable than others.

some good, some not so good.

but we can at least try to make them happy,

 and try to make this a happy week, right?

so let's figure this out. . . . .

1.  if you're reading this, you're alive.  

that's good news, right?

you have your vision, your intelligence, and at least one connection

to the internet world if you are reading this blog.

and you're alive, breathing, and happy about that, right?:)

so maybe try telling yourself that you can handle today,

that it is a good day, a day to be happy!

2.  regardless of last week,

today is monday, the start of a new one.

even if you had a blah weekend,

it's behind you now.

take a deep breath, say a prayer, look in the mirror,

and have at it.

you can do this.

you survived last week. . . .this week is going to be better.

i'm not a self help guru,

but it only makes sense that if we cave in to bad thoughts,

it's too easy to cave in to other things.

so think good thoughts...and smile:)

even if it gives you laugh lines!

3. we need to use what God's given us. . . . .

we all have gifts.

some more obvious than others.

but we have them.

maybe your gift is to make someone smile,

brighten a day, 

maybe it's a case of using your talent for good,

caring for our family,

being a trustworthy employee,

or a reliable friend.

sharing what we have with the world is proven to be a

wonderful way to be happy in our own life.

well, it's a start,

three little suggestions that i need to be reminded of,

 and thought maybe you do too.

we have a lot to offer the world,

we have gifts to share,

we have the ability to have a happy week.

let's go for it:)

here is a picture of "oh henry" (like the candy bar:),

 a blind westie dog.

i believe some wonderful family is trying to adopt him,

and i'm pretty sure there will be a lot of happy weeks with

this cute little guy:)

wishing you a very happy week!

Suzanne

Meet Ray. . . . .he will MELT your Heart

maybe you've seen this little guy, named Ray, around the internet.

he is a cutie.

a real, sweet, cutie pie.

and he was recently adopted by a guy named Andrew.

bless you Andrew!

it's easy to hold out for our definition of "perfect" in this world.

whatever that is.

but you didn't. . . .and i bet you will get years of pure joy from your 

sweet little guy.

are you ready to meet Ray?

well, scroll down to see this

C

U

T

I

E

Ray. . . . .

you see, Ray is 9 weeks old and was born completely blind.

from everything i've read, especially because that is all he's known,

he will live a happy, frisky joyful life,

thanks to a kind soul who adopted him.

***note to Andrew, wherever you are.  Thank you.  And be glad you saw him first

because if I had, he would've been mine:)

Happy Friday everyone!

xoxo

Suzanne

P.S.  LOVE the jammies, Ray!

two SIMPLE steps to SIMPLIFY your life.......

seriously.....

only TWO steps.

hard to believe, i know.

because we ALL want a simple, HAPPY life, right?

well, here you go......

as i think about this, it is easy.

but we make it difficult, 

worrying about things.

like what others will think if we don't volunteer as always,

not saying no to time wasting activities,

creating clutter.....

on top of clutter.

i'm as guilty as the rest.

but i really, truly am going to try and remember these two steps.

because this really says it all.....

identify what's important to you and get rid of the rest.

and i know it's not truly easy in the course of every day life.

but maybe, just maybe,

i can make things a tiny bit easier if i remember this:)

if you need more steps to simplify,

check out this list of 30 tips to simplify at 

marcandangel

have a SIMPLY happy day!

Suzanne

a beautiful miracle...

a beautiful miracle......

i bet you thought there was an inspiring story behind this.

no story.....just a few things i've learned.......

or maybe it's more like a way i know i SHOULD live

and strive for daily.

i think we can all influence others and 

leave our "marks" on the world.

some leave great big GIANT marks,

and others of us leave little bitty ones.

but we leave them none the less.

i can truly only speak for myself and say

that i hope to wake up and appreciate every day for the

beautiful miracle it is.

i don't always do that, but i try.

and by doing that,  maybe i leave my mark on the world

 and on others that day.

we all can do this.......

by taking a deep breath of fresh air and thanking God

that we are alive.

by appreciating.....

 the big AND little things.

by noticing.......

every sunset, the birds chirping on a morning walk,

smiling at the clerk in the check out line at the grocery store,

by being grateful........

for what we do have instead of complaining about what we don't have.

wishing you a beautiful, blessed, remarkable week!

XOXOXO

Suzanne

a sweet, sweet story...

A SPECIAL DOG AND HIS "SEEING EYE" COMPANION

Lily is a Great Dane that has been blind since a bizarre medical condition required that she have both eyes removed. For the last 5 years, Madison, another Great Dane, has been her sight. The two are, of course, inseparable.

one very proud mama...

 yep, that's me.....

a happy, proud, excited mama of two

very BEAUTIFUL young ladies.....

beautiful inside AND out! 

so what's up in my world?

read on...

but fist, do you hear it?

the song that is playing on my playlist?

(that is, IF you haven't muted it out. haha)

it's the song from The Nutcracker ballet...

and it is called the

"dance of the Sugar Plum fairy".

 guess who the Sugar Plum fairy is in the 

Naples Ballet Nutcracker this coming December?

my sweet ballerina girl Taylor!!!!!!!!

 AND.....that's not all.

she will also dance the role of the grown up Clara!!!!!!!

woo-hoo!

i mean, yee-haw!!!!! :)

here is the Nutcracker poster for this year.

(that's Taylor as the Snow Queen last year:) 

these are the roles EVERY young dancer dreams of dancing someday.

Congratulations Taylor......

you work so hard, bring joy to everyone who watches you dance.....

and i'm a very proud mama!!!

but that's not all!

remember my precious girl Jordan and her swim for MS?

well, she is one inspiring, AMAZING girl.....

 and now i'm not the only one who thinks so.

the Naples Daily News found out about her swim and did a

feature article on her last week.

you can read it by clicking HERE.....

not only has she raised over $1500 so far,

but she has had so many people tell her how she has

INSPIRED them to work for a cause that

is important to them!

there were times this summer she was wiped out from playing tennis,

working on her summer courses,

or we were lazily floating in the Gulf.....

and the last thing she wanted to do was swim laps.

but she knew what she was doing and WHY....to help others....

so she kept swimming.

and you know how i feel.....

i am SO proud of her!

 she started out doing this for ME.....

but ended up helping so many others. 

way to go Jordie!

I love you, my shabby chicks!!!!!

you are wonderful examples of all that is GOOD,

in my life.....and in this WORLD!

i am truly blessed!

XOXOXOXOXO