Annie's Freaking Chili

So as I've mentioned before I come from a long line of great cooks, my grandma has a few staples and her chili is definitely one. When Buppy and Nanny lived in Port Angeles she made chili ever single Saturday night for the races and it flew out of the concession, none of that can crap for us. She also made it for her the PIG Club at the tavern, but that's a whole different story and honestly we don't have time for that. Let's just say my grandparents are 2 of the funnest people that ever hit Port Angeles! Nanny's chili became some what famous and her friends even gave it a crud name so I've made it a bit more kid friendly.

I figured this was a good time of year to post a chili recipe, especially boy friendly served over a hot dog. I also hear it's football season (I hate sports on TV) so this could be a great thing to serve at a football party, or if you are like my kick butt girlfriends you like boy food too, the messier the better!

Enjoy my grandma's chili and I take no responsibility for the noises it may make, hehe!

Annie's Freaking Chili

Equal parts canned diced tomatoes and red kidney beans
Large Onion, Chopped
Large Green Pepper, Chopped
 Note: Depending on the size of your cans of beans and tomato you may need more veg. If I have mushrooms in the fridge I throw those in there too.
4-6 tbsp of chili powder (this is to you/your families taste)
Approx. 1lb of ground beef
 Note: depends on how much chili you are making

Directions:

1. In large pot brown ground beef.
2. Once cooked through add onions and peppers, stiring occasionally until softened.
3. Add beans and tomatoes (liquid and all), stirring until well mixed. 
4. Add Chili powder and simmer ... the longer you the simmer the better. 

Serve over of a cooked hot dog and fresh bun with shredded cheese and chopped onion. You will need a knife and fork! 

This doesn't photograph well, but MAN does it taste good!

Giada De Laurentiis Pasta w/Brown Butter Sauce

Holy smokes, it's been a VERY long time since I blogged. I've missed this loads, but between the craziness of summer, which is sadly a distant memory, and a September/October that left me a bit under the weather, I'm ready to take the reins back and share my favorite favorite recipes and disasters with you!

I've taken a few days off work and yesterday thought I should make my hubby a delicious but easy pasta dish by one of my favorite chefs, Giada De Laurentis. I saw this made on Giada At Home last spring and made it for my Dad and Margaret one night when they were here, that night I served it with lemon chicken, which is one of my favorite meat dishes. However last night I wanted something a little less labor intensive, so went with a mild Italian turkey sausage from the red barn market. As usual I changed the way I did a few of the things from Giada's recipe, but that's the joy of cooking, making it your own.

Enjoy!
Danielle

Pasta with Brown Butter, Arugala, Pine Nuts and Lemon Dressing


Dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

•    NOTE: I only use a splash as the butter provides enough grease

• 1 large lemon, zested and juiced

• 2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• Pasta:
• 1 pound of your choice of pasta

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

• 4 cups baby arugula

• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup grated Parmesan

• 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts 

• 2 tablespoons capers, rinsed and drained.

•    NOTE: I like to pan fry my capers to take some of the liquid out of them and give them a little bit of a different texture. If you've ever had the Caesar salad at Haro's in Sidney, this is a trick I learned from that! 

Directions:

For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.

For the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water (I don't do this).

In a high-sided skillet, whisk the butter over medium heat until melted. Simmer until foamy. Continue to cook until the butter has a nutty aroma and turns a caramel color, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pasta, dressing, arugula, tomatoes, Parmesan, pine nuts, and capers. Toss until coated, adding the reserved pasta water (I don't do this), 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen the sauce, if needed. Transfer to a large bowl and serve. Serve with extra Parmesan and a protein on the side for a well rounded meal.