Life is Like A Bowl of Chili

As the year comes to an end, I must say this has been an exciting year of new experiences. From beginning a blog, to attending cooking events and meeting people who share the same passion such as myself. I truly felt this was my "do what I’m passionate about year". I've learned so many rewarding things from following my passion. It is not easy to follow your passion with the combination of dealing with everything else in life, but I now understand that doing what your love is one of keys to living a fulfilling life.

It was only right to end with a chili recipe. Look at your passion as a chili; you need quite a few ingredients in order to make the dish complete. All of which are important to make the dish flavorful. However, you are not sure how well the ingredients will blend together in the way you intended. But as you begin to cook, you either add more or less seasoning and taste a little hear and a little there, so that the ingredients & flavors compliment each other.  Whether it's spicy or mild the dish is a component of different flavors; peppers for the kick and seasonings to tone down the heat but the warm, hearty delicious flavor leave you with a satisfied end result. If not, you recreate the dish learning from the last batch of ingredients. Simple!

So with that, I say follow your passion, take risks, face your fears; you only gain by pushing yourself to try different ingredients.  

Ingredients

Seasoning

Chili Powder (2 tbsp) 

Oregano (1/2 tsp)

Coriander (1 1/2 tsp)

Kosher Salt (as much needed)

Black Pepper (as much needed)

Cayenne Pepper (1/4 tsp) 

Ground Cumin (1 1/2 tsp)

Garlic, fresh or Seasoning (2 cloves minced) 

Chili 

Chicken Broth (2-3 cups)

Tomato (2 cans diced)  

Green Pepper (1 diced) 

Habanero (1 diced)

Yellow Onion (1 chopped) 

Cannellini Beans (2 cans) 

Cilantro (1/4 cup tbs fresh chopped)

Jalapeno Pepper (1 medium diced)

Garlic cloves ( 3-4 finely chopped) 
Kidney Beans ( drained and rinsed)
Chicken thighs, boneless skinless (2 1/2 lb) 
Sour Cream for serving

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Directions

Chicken

~Cut boneless skinless chicken breast into 1/2in pieces. 

~Season with salt & pepper.

Chili 

~Drain and rice canned cannellini beans and kidney beans. Set aside for later. 
~In a 4-7 quart crock pot add can diced tomatoes, chicken, both  cannellini & kidney beans, cumin, chili power, coriander, habanero, green peppers, onions,  garlic, cilantro, salt & pepper and add chicken broth then mix together.
~Stir together and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
~Serve in a bowl and topped with sour cream.  

Chicken Chili

Egg Bruschetta

Sundays always seem like that relax but handle things you put off during the weekday day. So while multitasking I created a simple and quick brunch appetizer. Egg Bruschetta.

We all are familiar with the popular Italian appetizer, bruschetta. So why not include eggs! It can be enjoyed practically any time of the year, and with just a few ingredients your mid-day taste buds are satisfied.

Ingredients

Bruschetta

Egg (1)
Baguette ( sliced) 
Garlic (2 cloves) 
Tomato (1 dice)  
Mozzarella (sliced)  
Basil (fresh chopped)
Kosher Salt (1/4 tsp)
Black Pepper ( 1/4 tsp)
Balsamic Vinegar (1/2 tsp)
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 tsp)

          

Directions

Bruschetta

~Preheat oven to 375 degrees or place oven broiler on high. 
~Cut bruschetta in slices, rub garlic then place on baking sheet and toast in over for 2 minutes or light golden. 
~Take slices of mozzarella and place on the baguette slices until melted. 
~In a food processor add tomatoes, basil, balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil and pulse.
~Leave mixture slightly chunky
 ~Add salt & pepper and taste. 
~In a small bowl, whisk one egg.
~Place egg in medium heat pan and cook. 
~Place scramble egg and spoon tomato mixture on top of melted mozzarella and Enjoy! 

Egg Bruschetta