What's for dinner?

Stacy,

Try cornbread. Now you have to decide if you like sweet or savory. I like both.

Hey, the beer bread sounds good. I tried beer cheese soup at a renaissance festival once. Loved it!

Barb,

Oh, your granddaughter sounds cute! I don’t have grandchildren. I have great nieces and nephews though. They do have tons of energy!

My great niece used to bring her pogo stick over at every sleepover at my house. I swear that kid was a jumping jack! She never stopped jumping.

She also had her scooter and skateboard too, violin and keyboard. Her dad, my nephew (godchild) is a musician and I watched her a lot when she was younger while he was playing music. She slept over frequently because he played late night gigs.

So funny, he plays guitar, metal, blues, rock and jazz. His daughter, now a teenager is classically trained, violinist and pianist, has played several venues herself, including international concerts.

Ahhhh, Covid. The music scene has pretty much died.

What is your granddaughter’s favorite food?

I took that half can of tomatoes left over from my soup and made one pot spaghetti, comfort food at it's best.

No corn in my chili. I tend to use minimal amount of ground beef in my chili or go completely veggie so beans are a must. I've tried recipes with chocolate and cinnamon and different varieties of peppers but I like my plain old everyday chili the best - meat and/or beans, onions, garlic, bell peppers, celery, once in a while mushrooms, tomatoes and spices. And Send - I like those chili seasoning packages just fine.

Beer bread is flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, butter. The bottle of beer acts as the fluid and yeast. It tastes best with a darker beer like Samuel Adams Oktoberfest or Guiness.

I am not good trying new things, cornbread is not a typical thing here, it is Southern, kinda like okra. I just dont know about it.

Roasted Chicken thighs, left over ziti with meat sauce and spinach. And vodka. It is going to be a bumpy night in Downtown Brooklyn.

Had my 4.5 YO grandaughter here all day. She is delightful, but exhausting!

Stacy, why does corn bread scare you? I am just wondering.

What is beer bread? We don’t have that.

I have never had corn bread, it is one of those foods that scares me. Yes, corn in chili is common with beer bread on the side. I use homeade spicy frozen salsa as a base.

Pesto chicken pasta and a mixed green salad.

I roasted a chicken yesterday so I can make a few different dishes with it. I always have salad.

I do not put corn in my chili but I do put fresh zucchini and beans in it.

No corn or beans here. But a lot of people eat cornbread with chili.

Is it good with corn? Is that a common way to serve it by you?

Just out of curiosity, I thought everyone put corn in their chili. Does no one else do that?

Dinner:
Potato pancakes with a dollop of sour cream.

Jerk chicken lettuce wrap with cummbers and homemade blue cheese with wild rice on the side.

eb -Lunch here is roasted butternut squash. I'm having vegetable days. My IBS disappears when I am on vegetables.

nhwm - I saw someone eat and enjoy a maple bacon ice cream sundae. Actually it looked good. I'm allergic to dairy so I couldn't try one.

Golden,

Mexicans use chocolate in sauces and is delicious. Have not thought about it in chili. The only way to find out is to try it.

I like spicy so I would have eaten your extra spicy chili 😋.

We actually have an ice cream shop that uses chili spices in their chocolate ice cream. My husband thought I was crazy for trying it. LOL

What’s up with the bacon craze? Bacon in brownies, cupcakes, donuts, etc? That’s a trend that is going to pass one day, just like fried eggs on everything! I don’t want a fried egg on my burger. Hahaha 😂.

Lunch:
A nice bowl of Chili. A square or two of corn bread I just made and it was so easy, made it in 5 minutes. This recipe is a keeper.

Has anyone made a chocolate chili? I did once and it was interesting. There are recipes online - Mexican Chocolate Chili, Spicy Chocolate Chili...I prefer a regular chili, but I might make it again sometime for a change. Normally I just wing the spices and taste my way through it. When it tastes right it is ready!

Years ago I once accidentally dumped much more than usual chili powder into the pot. No one complained but I noticed there was more than usual left over. Maybe one can't eat as much of really spicy food especially if you are not used to it.

Oh, almost forgot the chopped white onion. I guess i am a chili purist. Plain coffee, no flavor, coffee purist too. SIMPLE THINGS.

Nutmeg in chili? Nope. But whatever you want to throw in. I always start with a recipe then decide if it needs anything more.

Maybe next time, the blueberry pancakes did look ugly.
But hubs liked them. 🥞🥞

Ok Glad, Now that I know how, I will make it. Going to check on my Cumin supply. What about Nutmeg?

cwille,

That sounds yummy. I like the variety of veggies. I love lentils. I had lentil soup in my freezer before the hurricane. Had to pitch everything when the power stayed off for awhile. Will have to restock and cook more.

Soup is so easy store in single servings. Make a quick salad or a half of a sandwich and lunch or dinner is ready very quickly.

Chili from a seasoning packet? Never! Always just use cumin, garlic power, chili powder (of course) a bit of sugar to reduce the acidity of the stewed Mexican style tomatoes, ranch style beans and ground beef. Yum! I make it 3-4 times through the fall and winter. Super easy.

True, ITRR. I am paying attention to nutrition at this time. I ended up doing roasted veggies with it. I still haven’t stocked up completely since losing power in the storm. My freezer is empty at the moment. I did finally get to the store to get basics.

That sounds wonderful Shell.

What a daddy you had.

NHWM, I highly recommend fresh cranberries when you are serving roast bird. Just works. I am so happy that fresh berries are available, I stock up and freeze them for use throughout the year.

Stovetop stuffing with fresh parsley or finely chopped kale is a good side.

We also love brussel sprouts or asparagus with bird, both of them are improved by adding fresh herbs before serving and it amps up the nutrients.

Herbs are 10x more nutritious than fruits or veggies, so you can get good nutrition in just about anything. You and hubby will both benefit from added nutrients right now.

I hope that both of you are doing well.

Blueberry pancakes are my favorite pancakes. When I was young and my family would be camping my dad would make Blueberry pancakes for us because he knew they are my favorite. He would use fresh blueberries and drop them into the pancakes as they were cooking so every pancake had the same amount of blueberries.

Hey Ali,
I am going to celebrate that my ballot has arrived today in the mail, and make some blueberry pancakes right now. On hand, Bisquick and frozen wild blueberries.

It has been just another fight to keep from 'disappearing', as my driver's license had expired due to Covid restrictions, and the Co. registrar needed my signature and all sorts of things, even though I voted in the last primary. My hubs was sent his election materials and a ballot, which after I waited, and thought about it, something was wrong.
At 16, it was easier to obtain my driver's license than it will be to renew it with the extension to 2021.

Still, I am grateful. And especially for all of you!

Ali,

Yum! My favorite pancakes. I make blueberry. I do like banana pancakes too.

My niece introduced me to chocolate chip pancakes!

Okay, maybe I spoil her just a touch! LOL. She’s my great niece and her dad, my nephew is my godchild.

I am laughing at your description of your pancakes being ugly! Hahaha

Did they taste good? That is what matters the most!

Ali, there is a breakfast spot that I love to go to that makes one giant round pancake! The batter is poured to fill the entire pan. I can never finish eating it but this chef makes fantastic pancakes. I always get blueberry or banana.