Last week felt especially fall-like, complete with crunchy leaves and crisp, cool weather – unlike this weekend, with baking hot sun and 85 degree temps. Obviously last week was the appropriate time to make chili. Thank goodness I did it before this heat wave. I knew I wanted chili, but I was looking for something new. I’ve liked most chili recipes I’ve tried, but I have no real chili loyalty, so I’m always on the lookout for something new. Food Network had a bunch of Perfect-For-Tailgating chili recipes on their front page, and that’s how I found this one.
I was intrigued by the beer and the use of ground chiles. It sounded like it ought to be flavorful – that’s Bobby Flay’s thing, right? Big flavor? I hate when recipes say things like 2lbs beef. I don’t buy meat very often, and I know nothing about what cuts are good for what type of things, so I’m always winging it. I think I bought some type of brisket for this. It probably could have used a more tender cut, but after reheating the next day, it was perfect.
This had great depth of flavor, and it had a slight kick to it, but I wouldn’t call it overly spicy. I followed the recipe exactly, except I might have had a bit less meat – like 1.5lbs and a bit more beans. I used Sam Adams Black Lager for the beer, and I was really happy with the way it came out. I would definitely recommend this next time the weather turns cool. I didn’t use the crema or the relish, but those both sound good, so if you’re not feeling lazy and cheap like me, you should probably include those. Oh, and I recommend making some cornbread to go with it. I did not do that, and I really wished I had.
Monday, my first day of school was a full day and I didn’t feel much like cooking so I dug into the freezer for some black bean burgers and homemade bagel buns. Brent made some cabbage-carrot slaw and we had some corn on the cob as well.
We had some realtor meetings along with some other boring meals throughout the week, but tonight I finally actually prepared something that took more than 5 minutes. I made 
I made a few minor changes to the recipe: 2% milk in place of cream, veggie broth in place of the chicken broth, and I was out of breadcrumbs so I just sprinkled a bit of Parm on the top. I would say the recipe made closer to 6 servings, rather than the 4 indicated. I put the casserole into two small baking pans, baked one and froze the other.
I had way more than I thought. I actually made a whole inventory of it, (like I said, I love lists), so that I could refer to it when menu planning. 
My totally empty pantry. I kind of hate it, but I love the rest of my kitchen, so I make do. 🙂 And then I loaded it back up! 
It won’t stay like this for long, which Brent quickly pointed out to me. I’m going to try though, especially with all those spices. My baking stuff actually occupies the lazy susan cabinet in the corner under my stand mixer. It definitely needs its own area.
I have to admit I was concerned after I made the sauce. It was HOT! I could barely handle it. It was definitely mellowed by the cheese and sour cream though. I really enjoyed these and it was fun to make something I normally wouldn’t. I don’t make much Mexican, except for the occasional fajita. It was a nice change. 
When I discovered how spicy the sauce was, I really loaded on the cheese and sour cream! 😀 This week should be interesting. My little sister is here visiting until Saturday. My mom, as usual, was concerned about the “weird food” I might feed her, so she sent Sarah with a box of Fruit Loops, a bag of Doritos, and a package of Chips Ahoy. Thank goodness the girl won’t starve!
This was the first time I used a food processor for the burgers, which made them a bit more homogenized, but I didn’t pulverize them because I wanted to see some whole beans still. I’ve realized that the burgers stick together best when I refrigerate them for 20-30 before cooking.
The recipe calls for five cups of coconut oil for frying, but that seemed waaayyyy too expensive (the jar I bought was $9 for 2 cups!), so we just used canola oil. In about 4 minutes we had super browned and crispy fritters.
I did not make the hot pepper sauce to go along side these. Instead I just used some Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce and Brent used sriracha!!
So… the overall consensus on these fritters was, to quote my husband, “a less flavorful hushpuppy.” I actually liked these, but I agree they could definitely use more flavor. Probably the accompanying hot pepper sauce makes up for that, but I could have used some spice and flavor in the fritters themselves. I asked Brent if they were a make again and his response was, “Probs not dude. Might as well just make hushpuppies instead.”
I made 
