Author: Lauren


Buffalo Chicken Chili with Blue Cheese Biscuits


This post was sort of a disaster in the making. I’ve been meaning to finalize this recipe and take photos for the blog for a few days, but things kept getting in the way. Finally I decided that I’d had enough and nothing was going to get in the way of me getting the post ready. It was 8:30 by the time I got home after working late and running some errands (I had an expiring Groupon – couldn’t let it go to waste!), but I set out to make the chili anyway.

I shouldn’t cook when I’m exhausted.

I forgot to add the beans! It’s delicious without them, but it was kind of soupy and something was clearly missing. Now, looking at the photos 3 days later, it’s clear that it was the beans. If you make this recipe, your chili will be thicker. Trust me, you want it that way.

So anyway, I finish cooking my accidentally bean-less chili and take a few photos to test my lighting… and my camera battery died. So the photos are a little washed out and the chili looks like soup.  Oy.

Despite the comedy of errors, it’s a delicious chili and perfect for the Superbowl. The chicken and beans are tender, the sauce is spicy and rich, and the celery and carrots tone down the heat and round out the flavor. Blue Cheese Biscuits are perfect for dipping – or for eating on their own. Don’t leave them out; they really make the meal. They’re also incredibly addicting. I told myself I would only have one, but I ended up eating 4. Oops. Oh well, after the night I had, I deserved every last bite.


 

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Sauerbraten Meatballs & The Food-Lovers Cleanse

I’m alive! January has been an insane month, and I’ve been running around like crazy doing what feels like twenty million things at a time. Because of that, dinners have not been very exciting lately. I do have fun recipes planned though and will post them as soon as I have the time to work out a few last details and type them up. Think soba noodles with sautéed chicken and roast mushrooms, cornmeal crusted tofu with quick ratatouille, and a buffalo chicken chili that I’ll try my hardest share before the game this weekend.

In the meantime, how do sauerbraten meatballs sound? Sauerbraten is a great dish – a little bit sweet, a little bit spicy, and extremely rich – but it takes days to make. I’ve figured out a way to replicate the flavors in a quick stovetop sauce that’s delicious served over meatballs for a delicious and easy twist on the original. Check out my recipe on the ShopRite PotLuck blog! (Speaking of ShopRite, you know how I said I’ve been running around like crazy? Their Shop at Home service has been a lifesaver. I place my grocery order online, then pick it up at the store a few hours later all packed up and ready to go – and for no extra charge! What would easily take me an hour in the store can be done in 15 minutes online – plus it keeps me from putting all sorts of random impulse buys in my cart.)

Photo copyright Bon Appetit

I also wanted to mention that I spent the earlier part of this month doing Bon Appetit’s Food Lover’s Cleanse and I loved it! It’s a two week plan meant as a kickstart to healthy eating. The recipes are great and I loved that it included three meals a day plus a snack and dessert. I didn’t have to think about or plan my meals at all. We both loved the recipes and some – like the brown rice and carrot pilaf, cumin roast sweet potatoes, and pumpkin-shrimp curry will definitely be seen again on my kitchen table. It also really got me thinking about preparing things ahead of time so that meals are quicker to prepare – I now have a freezer full of cooked lentils and caramelized onions and I have no idea how I used to survive without it. It you want to check out the cleanse for yourself, you can find it here.

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