Chili

February 2, 2013

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This recipe has evolved over the years with varying input from the family. Since Bill likes it chunky, big chunks of beef were added. The kids like small black and white beans but I like the kidney and lima beans, so we put them all in. But it became too much. Now we limit them to two or three varieties. Because it was too spicy for the kids, the cayenne was reduced. As you can see, this chili recipe can be changed and in the end it will turn out delicious.

Chili

Ingredients

2 pounds of beef stew meat (cut into 1 – 2 inch cubes)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 Tablespoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
1 green pepper, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds ground lean beef
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (more if needed when the chili is done)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more if you like spicy)

2 or 3 (16 oz) cans beans, drained and rinsed (kidney, black, white, or lima beans)
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 Tablespoon mollasses
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
8 cups beef broth

STEP 1 In a sealable plastic bag, mix flour, 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp black pepper. Add beef stew chunks to the bag and shake to lightly coat the beef. Add 2 Tablespoons canola oil into an oven safe pot and heat it on medium-high. Brown the beef chunks in batches (do not over crowd the pot). Use the last Tablespoon of canola oil as needed. Set the brown beef chunks aside in a bowl, they will still be pink on the inside. I don’t brown all the sides, just the top and bottom (see pic 1). Repeat this step with the rest of the beef chunks.

STEP 2 In the same pot without the beef, add olive oil and sauté onion, green pepper and garlic over medium heat until soft (5 minutes). Turn the heat back up to medium-high and add ground beef, bay leaves, chili powder, oregano, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp salt and cayenne and cook for another 5-7 minutes.

STEP 3 Add the beef chunks back into the pot along with beans, tomato sauce and paste, molasses, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth.

STEP 4 Bring the heat up to high. When the chili starts to bubble, turn the heat off and cover it with a lid.

STEP 5 Put the pot in the oven at 350° F for 2 hours.

STEP 6 The liquid will be reduced down and thickened and the beef chucks will be very tender.

Garnish your chili with cheese, avocado, green onions, cilantro, corn chips, lime or extra hot peppers.

enjoy!

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posted by: Bill & Kay 3

3 comments

Super Bowl Snacks and Crafts

January 30, 2013

Football season will be coming to an end a few days from now and the Super Bowl game will determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL). Bill and I grew up watching football every Sunday, the New England Patriots for Bill and the Denver Broncos for me. And as for our kids growing up in Washington state, the Seattle Seahawks. Here I have put together a few snacks and crafts for Super Bowl Sunday: a big bowl of popcorn, pizza, treats and your favorite drinks all on a football field table cover.

The football field table cover project came from Karin Lidbeck-Brent’s Fall tailgate party ideas. This was fairly easy to make using brown Kraft paper, masking tape to make straight lines and a black Sharpie pen to write the numbers.

The football favors are fun to make. Copy the image onto your computer and adjust the size. I printed the image on one side of the paper and fold it in half. Keeping the image on top and as a template for the other half and cut the pieces out. A total of 4 football pieces and one lace. Use a glue stick, to glue the edges together to form a football. Fill it with treats and seal it up. football template {click here}

I had my little helper Caleb put together the pizza, all I did was rolled the pizza dough out and put it in the oven. We made 4 pizzas from the two bags of Trader Joe’s pizza dough.

Ingredients

Trader Joe’s Pizza Dough (1 bag makes 2, 12inch pizzas)
1/4 – 1/2 Cup Pizza Sauce
8 – 10 oz Mozzarella Cheese
Pepperoni slices

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the lower third of your oven. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Line the counter top with parchment paper and sprinkle with flour. Take the pizza dough out of the bag and divide it in half. Roll them into balls and let them rest on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes.
Roll out the pizza dough with the rolling pin to about 12 inches in diameter.
Spread a thin layer of pizza sauce on the pizza dough (almost to the edge). Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese and top it with pepperoni slices.
Lift the parchment paper with the pizza and set it on top of the pizza stone in the oven (a cookie sheet will work just fine). Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes.

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After I finished putting together the football field table cover and started to gather the food for the table, my 8 year old son Caleb came to me and said he wanted to help. I said, “That will be great!” Right away he went to work without ever asking what he could help “me” with. Our dining table is about nine feet long, lots of room for us to share. While I was working on one end, my son was at the other end of the table quietly working on his Lego project. As you can see, we had two visions of what to do with the paper football field, you either eat on it or play a game of Lego football. He had a great setup with grand stands, fans, mascots, announcers, and a field with goal posts and players. I thought he was pretty clever.

enjoy the Super Bowl!

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posted by: Bill & Kay 2

2 comments

Let’s Celebrate!

January 19, 2013

A few simple essentials to celebrate special occasions throughout the year

Basic fruit punch • confetti • all-purpose tissue flags • birthday calendar reminder

Fruit Punch

This is my favorite punch to serve kids. It’s a simple recipe and very forgiving if you want to change the flavor or the color of the punch.

Fruit Punch

1 (12 oz) can frozen apple juice
1 (12 oz) can frozen pink lemonade or lemonade
1 (6 fluid oz) can unsweetened pineapple juice (optional)
2 (2 litter) bottles ginger ale
ice

Directions

In a punch bowl, mix together apple juice, pink lemonade and pineapple juice (optional). Add ginger ale and ice then serve.

* Make ahead, mix the first three ingredients and refrigerate it. Just add ginger ale and ice when ready to serve.

diy Paper Tissue Flags

Supplies:

tissue paper • curling ribbon • 6″ skewers • double sided tape • scissors

Directions:

1. Cut tissue paper in a rectangle shape with fringe on the two ends. 2. Cut three (4 1/2 – 5 inch length) ribbon pieces and wrap it around a skewer once then tie it 1/2 inch from the top. 3. In the middle of the cut tissue paper, place a piece of double sided tape and attach it to the top of the skewer.

These little flags are great for picking up hors d’oeuvres and snacks or topping off cupcakes, cakes, drinks and gifts.

The inspiration for this paper tissue flag project came from Chelsea Fuss at {frolic}

Confetti

Supplies:

tissue papers • scissors • glassine bags • decorative tape

Directions:

1. Take one sheet of tissue paper and fold it a few times until it’s about 4 to 5 inches in width & length. 2. At one end start cutting a long strip to the opposite end, repeat this every 1/2 inch. 3. Stack half of the strips together and clip them into little pieces 1/2 inch or smaller. Repeat this step until finished. 4. Fill a glassine bag with confetti and fold the top down and tape it.

Birthday Calendar

Use this birthday & anniversary calendar as a quick reference and stay informed of all the special dates.

This free printable, calendar was designed by Jordan at Polkadot Prints {click here for the printable}.

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source: girls & confetti photo, Rachel Mcginn photography // punch recipe, Lynn Morris

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posted by: Kay 0

0 comments

Mountain Home Retreat

January 12, 2013

If Bill and I were to combine the different elements in the homes we love, it might look like the featured home from the January 2012, Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles magazine. Seeing it again a year later, we still like it just as much and wanted to share these photos with you. The home is located in the North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains. The combination of the New England colonial, rustic mountain and country farmhouse together with dark gray exterior paint suited this home perfectly. The interior is open, warm and inviting. “Our number one goal was for it (kitchen) to be charming and comfortable, but sophisticated.” was the designer Nancy Warren’s description of the kitchen. I think that same description is evident through out the house.

click here to see more images >>

architect D. Stanley Dixon, designer Nancy Warren and photographer Emily Jenkins Followill

images Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles // Taylor & Greenwalt Interiors

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posted by: Bill & Kay 0

0 comments

Valentine’s Day Gifts… {Post-it note tags & popcorn heart treats}

January 9, 2013

Lynn Morris gave simple Valentine popcorn heart treats to our family many years ago. Now we are making them and giving others these wonderful treats for Valentine’s Day.

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POST-IT NOTE GIFT TAGS

These gift tags are quick to make using mini Post-it notes. A fun craft project with kids and in the end there will be plenty of gift tags ready to be used anytime.

Supply list

mini Post-it notes (2″ x 2″) • decorative tapes • ribbons • scissors • hole punch • stickers

Directions

1/ Take two Post-it notes and place them together with the sticky sides facing each other at the top end.

2/ Cut a piece of tape (1 1/2″) and tape half of it down at the top center of the Post-it note. Fold the other half over and down the other side.

3/ Punch a hole in the middle of the tape and thread a ribbon through.

4/ Add fringe, starting at the left bottom edge of the Post-it note, cut 1/2 inch up. Repeat this all the way to the other end. Use your fingers to separate the little cut pieces.

5/ Add fun stickers to the tags.

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POPCORN HEART TREATS

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
1 {10 oz} package marshmallows
12-14 cups popped corn {air popcorn popper works great}

Directions

stovetop directions
1. In large saucepan melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add popped corn. Stir until well coated.

3. Butter hands {spray hands with PAM cooking oil will work fine}. Take a handful of popcorn mixture and shape it into a heart and place it on parchment paper. Repeat step 3 until the popcorn mixture is gone.

microwave directions
1. In a large microwave-safe bowl heat butter and marshmallows on High for 2 minutes, stir the mixture. Put the mixture back in the microwave one additional minute if not completely melted, stir until smooth.

2. Add popped corn. Stir until well coated.

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Attach tags to gift bags filled with heart shaped popcorn treats.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thank you Lynn Morris for this yummy popcorn treat idea.

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posted by: Kay 0

0 comments

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Chili

Ingredients

A few simple essentials to celebrate special occasions throughout the year

Fruit Punch

Fruit Punch

Directions

diy Paper Tissue Flags

Supplies:

Directions:

The inspiration for this paper tissue flag project came from Chelsea Fuss at {frolic}

Confetti

Supplies:

Directions:

Birthday Calendar

This free printable, calendar was designed by Jordan at Polkadot Prints {click here for the printable}.

source: girls & confetti photo, Rachel Mcginn photography // punch recipe, Lynn Morris

posted by: Kay 0

architect D. Stanley Dixon, designer Nancy Warren and photographer Emily Jenkins Followill

images Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles // Taylor & Greenwalt Interiors

posted by: Bill & Kay 0

posted by: Kay 0