Fireman's Chili

Ok so this is my second post today, which is more than I usually post in a week. I'm finally getting caught up!

Halloween is officially two days away now, and guess who still has no costume and no plans... I promise I'm not a Halloween Scrooge. I actually love Halloween, but I don't normally have the time or effort to put into executing the holiday successfully. So far I have bought candy for trick or treaters (which I may or may not have succumbed to opening last night), and Mr. G and I bought pumpkins from a local pumpkin patch that we carved last night. It was my first time actually carving a pumpkin (my dad always did it in the past), and to be honest, it was a bit of a struggle. Thankfully, Mr. G is much more skilled than I at the art of pumpkin carving, so he helped me out a bit (ok, a lot). Here are our masterpieces:

Mr. and Mrs. G in pumpkin form

In honor of the cool autumn weather, I decided that it was also the perfect time to make chili. I have never made chili before, so I thought it would be fun to try. I wanted to find a recipe that looked yummy without being too complicated, so I ended up selecting the Fireman's Chili recipe from my Notably Nashville cookbook that I received as a wedding present. All of the recipes in the book are submissions from local Nashvillians, so it would also serve as a nice reminder of home. :)

Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, minced (I just bought minced garlic to use)
• 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef (I substituted ground turkey since Mr. G loves it and I forgot we bought beef... oops)
• 2 (16-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can beef broth
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, drained (I skipped these because Mr. G hates beans)
• Garnish: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped onions (skipped), and fresh cilantro

Directions:

• Saute the onions in the heated olive oil in a large saucepan for 8 minutes or until tender.
• Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes.
• Add the ground beef (or turkey!) and cook for 4 minutes or until brown, stirring until crumbly.
• Remove with a slotted spoon and drain the beef mixture and the saucepan.
• Return the ground beef mixture to the saucepan and stir in the tomatoes, beef broth, chili powder, cumin, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat (this is when I transferred everything to the crock pot, but you don't have to use a crock pot).
• Simmer for 2 hours or until the chili is thickened and the flavors blend (I was too antsy to let it sit that long, so we ate it after an hour and it was still good!)
• Stir in the beans (if desired) and adjust the seasonings. Cook until heated through. 
• Ladle into soup bowl and garnish.
• Enjoy!

As you may imagine, this was my most challenging cooking attempt to date. I had never used a crock pot before, nor had I ever cooked with so many ingredients. I burned myself three times, and once it even caused me to fling chili all over the kitchen. Beyond that, everything went fairly smoothly... It was a long process, but it was definitely worth the wait (and the burns). The chili was absolutely delicious! I was very proud, and Mr. G was very impressed. I will definitely make this dish again, though hopefully with fewer injuries... 

Here are some photos:

Sautéing the onions

Cooking the ground turkey, onions, and garlic

Simmering

Finished product! Yum!

If you have any good, cheap Halloween costume ideas, please comment and let me know! This is getting to be an emergency...

Also, I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve the flavor of baked chicken. Mr. G and I cook chicken a lot, but it's always a little blah... even with breadcrumbs and spices. Hit me up if you have any tips!

Thanks!

Happy cooking and Happy Halloween!

- Mrs. G

Pico de Gallo

Hey all!

I have a day off today, so I thought I would post more recipes and give you a quick update on life up here in the polar north.

For a while now, Mr. G and I had been trying to figure out a way to visit our families over Christmas. We really wanted to see them both, but due to my strict work schedule, we would have to fly back and forth between TN and MN in a mere five days, and one of those flights would be on Christmas day. It wasn't the best, but we were willing to do it if it meant we got to see everyone. However, the biggest obstacle in our way was turning out not to be logistics but rather cost. It would cost us over $1,000 for our flights, and even with our families chipping in, that's not really something we can afford right now. We agonized over it for days, trying to come up with a way to make it work (and starting to accept that it wouldn't), when we found out about a deal through Southwest where we could purchase three one-way tickets for dirt cheap - the only catch is we would have to fly after New Years; the deal wasn't valid over Christmas. But we couldn't let an opportunity like this pass us up, especially when it's less than half the cost of the other tickets, still close enough to Christmas to work, and more convenient for both of our work schedules. Pretty amazing, right?

So the sad news is we won't be spending Christmas with our families, which will be a first for both of us. It's going to be a Connecticut Christmas this year. But the good news is we still get to see everyone shortly thereafter without having to pay much at all, if anything, since our families are contributing to our travel expenses as their Christmas presents to us. Also, it means I am now fully justified in decking the halls of the apartment and getting a nice tree. ;) And if you think Molly (our lab/collie) isn't getting a stocking, think again! I am happy she will be with us on Christmas, which wouldn't have happened if we were traveling. Although, I think we will also be watching our friends' dog at that time, which means we'll have a full house. And a smelly one, because he's very gassy (all candles will be lit).

In other news, we got Mr. G's car fixed (which ended up costing most of his bonus... boo), and I am now considering applying to grad school. Part of me thinks it's crazy since I barely made it through my undergrad thesis without (completely) losing my sanity, but at the same time, I can't ignore my still-burning desire to attend an Ivy League school, nor can I ignore the fact that one just happens to be located within a few minutes of my home (Yale). Coincidence? Possibly... if I believed in coincidences. This could just be a phase of mine, though, so we'll see how it pans out.

I guess that wasn't a very quick life update... but you should be all caught up now. On to the food!

As many of my friends know, I have a slight (ok, major) obsession with Mexican food. Since moving up to CT, though, the only Mexican I've had are the chicken enchiladas we occasionally make at home. Recently, I had a serious craving for some pico de gallo, but I wasn't satisfied with the selection at Stop n Shop. Whenever that happens, I naturally conclude that I have to try my hand at it myself. So I found an online recipe by Emeril Lagasse without too many ingredients and decided to give it a whirl. Here's how it goes:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup diced red onion
• 1 tablespoon diced jalapenos
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• Juice of 2 limes
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and enjoy!

I had never seeded or diced vegetables before (at least not into teeny tiny pieces), so this ended up being a little more challenging than expected. I did it, but it took me forever haha. If I had a Magic Bullet, I would have been finished in no time. Also, I followed this recipe exactly - I made no substitutions or changes. The pico ended up being delicious; Mr. G and I ate it all in one night! After looking back, though, I would reconsider the garlic. I liked the tanginess it brought to the pico, but it was a little overwhelming. I would put in less next time, or maybe just skip it altogether. Also, I would double the ingredients so it would last longer for the two of us or better serve a group of people.  

Here are the ingredients I used and my finished product:

My next post will be on Fireman's Chili!

Happy cooking!

- Mrs. G

Pan Chicken Parmesan

I realized today that Mr. G and I lead an interesting lifestyle. We are similar to what Chris Rock calls "ghetto snobs." What I mean by that is we have some really nice things, but we don't have a lot of money. For example, we just bought iPhones as early Christmas presents to each other, and we have two cars - one of which is an Audi - yet we buy store brand groceries and pretty much only go out once a week for free wing night. What's wrong with this picture?

Thankfully, some of our financial stress was alleviated today when we found out that Mr. G's bonus is going to be three times what we anticipated! We both felt a huge weight lift off of us - it was such an answered prayer, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Now we can get new tires! It's funny what you get excited about as a grown-up...

Regardless, I am obsessed with my iPhone, and one of the many apps I downloaded (all of which were free, of course) is a healthy recipe finder called Spark Recipes. In celebration of Mr. G's much-deserved and much-needed work bonus, I decided to buy a bottle of wine and cook a nice Italian dinner since it was my day off. I chose the Pan Chicken Parmesan recipe from Spark Recipes since it didn't require a lot of ingredients and I had never made chicken parmesan before. And in honor of my new toy, I am going to post the recipe!

After purchasing a ridiculous amount of groceries today (store brand!), I came home and started on the dish. I didn't know it was possible to sautee chicken - and for a while, I didn't think it would be - but that's what I did. It was different, but it worked. After cooking the chicken with the spices, I baked it in the oven for a few minutes with the Italian sauce and mozzarella cheese, and it was done! Quick and fairly easy, and it was delish!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 4 5 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 4 .88 oz. slices of mozzarella cheese (I just piled on the shredded stuff)
• 1/2 cup Prego Traditional Italian Sauce
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Dried rosemary leaves (I just used the rosemary from my spice rack)
• Ground oregano
• Dried basil

Directions:

• Season chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste (why would you taste raw chicken? Just sprinkle the spices on).
• Heat skillet with olive oil.
• Cook chicken until done and transfer to a baking dish.
• Coat each chicken breast with 1/8 cup Prego sauce (I didn't measure), 1 slice of cheese (or shredded mozzarella), and dashes of herbs.
• Bake in oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned.
• Enjoy. :)

And since this is a "healthy" recipe, here are the nutrition facts:

Amount per serving:

• Calories: 283
• Total Fat: 11 g
• Saturated Fat: 4 g
• Cholesterol: 101 mg
• Sodium: 432 mg
• Potassium: 485 mg
• Carbohydrates: 4 g

I think ghetto princess describes me better... Let's go with that.

- Mrs. G

Banana Birthday Cake

Hey all!

Sorry for the delay after the first post... I have been working non-stop! The bad news is I haven't had a chance to cook much lately since my job requires me to work evenings. The good news is I have a few recipes I've attempted in the last few weeks that I can fall back on until trying something new!

The first one I'll introduce you to is actually an original (and secret) recipe developed by my mother-in-law for banana cake! It's Mr. G's absolute favorite, and his mom used to make it for him every year for his birthday, so when his birthday came around last month I decided to take a page from her book and try my hand at it. I called up the original Mrs. G to get the recipe, spent too much on ingredients, and put my (complete lack of ) baking skills to use.

Have I mentioned I've never made a cake from scratch before? Even the icing was handmade. It was quite the undertaking for someone who didn't even know what shortening was (Mrs. G #1 enlightened me). Believe it or not, the cake turned out delicious! I was quite impressed with myself... and so was Mr. G! Score one for the wife. ;)

Unfortunately, I can't unveil the family recipe I used because I would like to stay on good terms with the in-laws. BUT here is another one I found if you would like to try it at home. :)

- Mrs. G

Welcome!

Hi everyone!

I'm a Southern girl recently relocated to Connecticut after my wedding last month. I have the most wonderful husband in the world, and the sweetest lab/collie named Molly. Seeing as I don't have many friends up here yet, I need an outlet of communication other than Facebook, so that's how this came about! The main reason I wanted a blog was to document my cooking attempts - however disastrous they may be.

I grew up in a textbook Southern house, which means that my hardworking, Christian mother came home after work every night and cooked a full meal for my dad and me. I always looked forward to dinner, but I never really got the chance to learn how to make anything myself. My mother is an amazing cook, but it was definitely her kitchen - I usually just got in the way. When I moved into an apartment of my own, I had a pretty regimented diet of sandwiches and pasta. I didn't cook my first chicken until close to graduation - which was this year, by the way - and since my wedding on September 4th, I am now responsible for providing sustenance not only for myself but also for my constantly hungry husband. He helps me sometimes, but I want to learn how to cook by myself. It's a goal of mine for several reasons: one being that it's useful, two being that I enjoy the satisfaction of cooking a decent meal, and three being that I won't feel fully female until I'm no longer a novice in the kitchen - it may be an outdated stereotype, but I do feel the need to fulfill my gender role in some areas.

In short, this blog is about my attempts at domestication while also providing some insight into my life as a Southern wife in New England.

Join me on my struggle-tastic cooking journey, but be prepared for lots of burn stories. :)

- Mrs. G.