Kick-Off To Fall

I'm so not a fan of the cold weather months, so this recent fall cool down we've been experiencing is not a welcome feeling for me. Yes, it's nice not breaking into a sweat everytime you walk outside. But knowing that fall has arrived has always been bittersweet to me because I know winter and nearly freezing temperatures will be here before I know it. One of the few things I enjoy about fall and winter is that it's cool enough that I can actually enjoy eating chili and soups. For whatever reason I've always left the soup and chili cooking to my Big Bad Dad, but last week I decided to tackle chili making myself, with a recipe I found from Cooking Light. I made a few changes to the original recipe, adding a bit more cornmeal for thickening as the specified amount did nothing to actually thicken the chili, and I used diced tomatoes prepared especially for making chili which had peppers added. Also, I started cooking so that it was ready about an hour early, then I just cut it off and left the pot on the burner so that the flavors had a little more time to develope. That part was key, although I'm sure if you didn't have the extra hour to spare the chili would have still been good. It wasn't the best I've ever had, I think the spices need a bit of tweaking, but I will definitely make this recipe again. As an aside, since there are just two of us and the recipe makes a decent size pot, I decided to use some of the leftovers for making nachos. They came out delish and were super quick, I just heated the chili then layered corn chips in a baking dish, added some of the chili, then some salsa and cheese, then another layer of the chips and so forth. I popped them under the broiler for a few minutes to heat everything through and get the cheese all bubbly. Yum! Beef and Beer Chili Cornmeal helps thicken the chili to a satisfying consistency. Serve with a chilled lager. Time: 41 minutes. 1 1/2 cups chopped red onion (about 1 medium) 1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 small) 8 ounces extralean ground beef 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano 1 (19-ounce) can red kidney beans, drained 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained 1 (14-ounce) can beef broth 1 (12-ounce) can/bottle beer (I used Miller) 1 tablespoon yellow cornmeal (I used 1 1/2 Tbsp) 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (omitted) Combine first 4 ingredients in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook 5 minutes or until beef is browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar, and salt; cook 1 minute. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through beer) to pan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in cornmeal; cook 5 minutes. Stir in juice.

MmMMmmMm Muffins!

What do you do when life gives you almost rotten bananas?? You make banana muffins! Yeah, I've been known to buy produce on more than one occassion, only to have it spoil before I finally decide on a use for it. Generally, I buy bananas in two's so that this doesn't happen, but last week I assured myself that a third banana would not go to waste - afterall I was craving them. Two bananas eaten, one left to rot, I found myself making Donna Hay's Banana and Cinnamon Muffins. The recipe is easy, relatively healthy and yummy! I used fat free sour cream, and a mixture of whole wheat and all-purpose flour. I also sprinkled some cinnamon sugar on top of the batter before baking for a delicious touch! Banana Cinnamon Muffins 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 brown sugar, packed 1 cup fat free sour cream 2 eggs 1/3 cup vegetable oil 1 banana, mushed Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift flour, baking powder and cinnamon together, then stir in sugars until combined. Place sour cream, eggs, and oil in seperate bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir the sour cream mixture through the flour mixture until just combined. Gently stir in mashed banana, careful not to overmix. Spray 12 medium muffin tins with non-stick cooking spray, fill 2/3 way full. Bake 12-15 minutes, or until tooth pick comes out clean. Optional: Sprinkle muffin tops with a bit of cinnamon sugar before baking.