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

Comfort and Joy on a Rainy Day. . . .

we've had a few really rainy days around here. . .

but i'm not complaining.

that's what happens when you live in the sunshine state.

a rainy day once in awhile is like a snow day:)

so what does that mean?

see. . . .just like a snowy day,

only in Florida,

and in the rain:)

rainy days mean comfort food.

and what is more comforting than a 

teddy bear egg and rice breakfast:)

awwwww. . . .almost too cute to eat:)

and when it rains,

out come the colorful boots and umbrellas.

okay, now for lunch.

i LOVE a good grilled cheese.

and i also love caramels, apples and brie cheese.

so how about a Grilled Caramel Apple with Brie Cheese Sandwich?

Y.U.M!

Caramel Apple Grilled Cheese

Yield: serves 2

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 slices multigrain bread

2 tablespoons butter

4 ounces brie cheese

1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced

3-4 tablespoons of your favorite caramel

Directions:

Heat a large skillet or griddle over medium-low heat.

Butter the outside slice of each piece of bread, placing two of the buttered-sides down once the skillet is hot. Spread a bit of caramel sauce on the bread, then top with an ounce of brie cheese on both sandwiches. Add a bit more caramel, add the apple slices, and then more caramel and remaining ounce of brie for each. Spread the top piece of bread (sandwich-side down) with caramel too.

Grill or cook on each side until bread is golden brown and the cheese is melted.

source; howsweeteats.com

sigh. . . .i love a rainy day:)

did i say that already?

almost done.

dinner on a rainy day should be soup, don't ya think?

like Lasagna Soup!

You can get Bobby Deens healthier soup recipe HERE.

before i go,

look at these cute, precious kitties:)

gotta run through a puddle!

xoxo

Suzanne

Nice People, Great Food and Country Music......this must be Nashville, TN!

hey y'all. . . . . . .

it's me, Suzanne.

you probably don't remember me, it's been so long since i

wrote anything on this blog.

but it's been kinda busy.

and to help matters, we all had that lovely little thing called

the FLU!

(not fun:)

for those who don't know, 

in the life of a ballet student (and her mom)

this time of year is "audition season".

they audition for a spot at summer programs and possibly 

a spot to perform/train all year long,

all in the hopes of someday becoming a professional ballerina.

if you're lucky, you live in a big city where auditions are held.

we are not, although we're close to Miami, so a few of Taylor's

auditions were held there.

however, Nashville was not coming near us this year,

and since they were interested last year and vice-versa , we took a little

trip up to Nashville last weekend.

(I had to leave my youngest chick home
 with a relapse of the flu.
BUMMER!)

first let me say, the audition for Nashville Ballet went well.

okay, on to the rest of the trip. . . . . .

it was so much fun!

it was fun to be with my 18 year old. . . . . . . 

and kinda bittersweet too.

i mean, we were there checking out a potential new home.  sniff, sniff:)

but it was a great trip.

here she is going to see Nashville Ballet perform on Saturday night. . . . . 

it helps that we LOVE country music.

they play it everywhere!

one of my pet peeves is to be in a public place (store etc. . . .)

and the music over the speakers is some grossly offensive pop or rap star

that we wouldn't listen to for anything,

but they force it on you.

so this was a nice change. a very nice change!

probably the one thing that i will ALWAYS remember about Nashville is

the people.

oh my goodness. . . . .i thought i could be friendly and talk to strangers,

but they have me beat!

they make you feel like their new best friend!

i don't mean one or two people, but every single person, from the car rental lady,

to the valet at the hotel, the receptionists, sales clerks, waitresses. . . .

everyone!

what a great impression to leave with someone.

then, besides the music and the nice people,

i was struck by the food.

like, down home finger licking good food!

we had the BEST hot fried chicken of our lives at Hattie B's.

the BEST biscuits at the Loveless Cafe.

YUMMY sweet potato pancakes at the Pancake Pantry.

i'll stop there before i really embarrass myself with how much we ate.

let's just say, when you are getting a rental car and the lady says

"you know you'll gain weight here, don't ya?" you should listen.:)

cause she knows what she's talking about!

we had to go to the Grand Ole Opry.

we almost didn't. . . .just tired, you know?

but we went anyway and i'm so happy we did!

we can now say we were on stage at the Opry,

 saw the dressing rooms. . . . . .

and learned a few things we never knew.

we even saw where Hee Haw was filmed. lol

yep, it was a good trip!

if you get the chance, you should go.

put on your best boots and scoot down to Nashville.

hopefully you like country music at least a little bit.

and if you haven't tried it in awhile, check it out.

there's a reason it's becoming so popular these days.

a really good reason:)

by the way, stop by Two Old Hippies in The Gulch. . . . .

my new favorite store:)

glad to be back on my blog. . . . . .

see you around!

xoxoxo

Suzanne

Warm, Cozy and Yummy. . . . . .

brrrrrrrrrrr. . . . . .

it's been just a bit chilly outside, hasn't it?

even down here in south florida,

although nothing like up north.

and frankly, i like this chilly weather.

we don't get much of it you know, so we have to take advantage!

like, pull on a sweater, wear some cute boots, make some hearty

comfort food.

stuff like that.

but i know what a cold winter is like,

really, i do!

so i've put together a few things to warm you up a bit.

i hope:)

to start with, i hope you're all bundled up in a cozy blanket

maybe reading a book by a

roaring fire!

maybe you're on the computer,

doing a little online shopping or looking at all the fashion sites.

gosh, i'd move north just to wear these cute clothes!
or maybe not:)
but i still love the clothes!

don't you just LOVE this button purse and the cute booties?

i do:)

it's a good time to cuddle someone. . . . .

or something you love:)

go ahead, say it. . . . . .awwwwwww!

now, we can't forget something warm to drink.

hot cocoa is always a good choice.

especially hot cocoa with marshmallows.

especially hot cocoa with chocolate chip marshmallow eyes:)

my favorite warm drink happens to be a drink at starbucks.

but my girls figured out how to make it without buying some pricey flavored syrup
and whatever else they use.

the drink i'm talking about is a 

warm caramel apple drink.

and it is soooooo good!

it's super easy.

simply heat up a mug or pan of apple juice.

stir in caramel topping you would use for ice cream, to taste.

garnish with a bit of whipped cream and caramel on top.

y.u.m.m.y!

ok, i don't know if i've mentioned this or not,

but we are trying to eat a bit healthier around here.
trying.

so when i saw this recipe for stuffed peppers without rice on table for two blog,

i knew we had to try it.

last night, jordan made a batch.

and let me tell you,

these are SOOOO good!

light comfort food.
quick and easy.

not bad, huh?

you have got to try these!

Easy Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground beef or turkey

1/2 large sweet onion, diced

1 cup frozen corn

1 Tbs or so taco seasoning

3 large bell peppers, seeded and halved

1 cup shredded cheese (i used two kinds...cheddar jack and pepper jack)

olive oil

~on a large baking sheet, place your pepper halves on them and drizzle olive oil all over them.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes, or until the peppers are bubbling up a bit and translucent around the edges.
~While peppers are baking, saute onions in a tsp or so of olive oil until soft.
Add in the ground beef or turkey and cook till browned.
Mix in the taco seasoning.  Stir, then add in the corn.
~Cook for 5 min. more then remove from the heat.
~Place the (cooled) pepper halves in a casserole dish, then spoon the filling into the peppers.
Trust me, it's okay if you stuff them a bit much:)
~Sprinkle cheese on top of the filling, then place it under the broiler till cheese is melted and bubbly.
~Serve immediately.
***Makes 6 pepper halves. . . . .but these are soooooo good and light tasting,
you should plan on doubling the recipe.
I would give ANYTHING to have leftovers for lunch today:)

well, are you getting warm yet?
need more help???
here is one more....
Crockpot Chicken Teriyaki

 1lb chicken, 1c chicken broth, 1/2c terriyaki or soy sauce,

 1/3c brown sugar, 3minced garlic cloves... 

Optional... a can of drained pineapple, peppers

There was no cooking "time",

but if you use a crockpot, it's either on low for 6-8hrs. or high for 3-4 hrs.

(hope i got that right:)

if you like, serve over brown rice and add sesame seeds.

well, i've rambled long enough, right?

let me leave you with a thought for your day. . . . .

happy friday!!!

Suzanne