Steak Chili

There was a restaurant in Blacksburg we loved that had the best steak chili- it was thick and hearty, smoky and a little bit spicy.  Really we loved everything there, but I decided I wanted to re-create the chili at home.  Last year for Nick's birthday, I made a big pot of steak chili and we took it to the New River for a picnic dinner- such a fun memory!

I could seriously make and eat soup every day of the year, but Nick much prefers to wait for cooler weather.  With fall officially here, Nick agreed that it is finally soup season!  Although it's not quite cool here, we still really enjoyed this chili (even if we did have to eat it with our air conditioning still on- ha!)

Steak Chili 
based on this recipe from Chef Lance Torro

for the steak-
2 lbs beef of your choice- I used stew beef already cut in pieces
flour, salt and pepper to coat the beef
about a cup of red wine or beer

Pat beef dry with paper towels.  Season with salt and pepper and dredge in flour.  Heat a dutch oven over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Brown meat in pan working in batches if necessary.  Once all the meat is browned, add just enough beer or wine to cover the bottom of the pan.  Reduce heat to medium low.  Stir, scrapping any brown bits on the bottom of the pan.  Stir occasionally, adding more beer/ wine when needed.  The meat will absorb the liquid.  Keep doing this for about an hour or so.  The beef will become really tender and able to be shredded.  Can be done ahead of time.  Once tender, shred the beef using forks or your fingers.

for the chili
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion diced
1/2 green bell pepper diced
1/2 red bell pepper diced
1 chipotle chili in adobo sauce, minced*
3 cloves garlic minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2-4 cups beef stock
6 ounces tomato paste
2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
juice of 1/2 a lime
salt to taste

* These are smoked jalapenos found in a can in the mexican food section of the grocery store.  They are really smokey and spicy and add great flavor.  You can freeze what you don't use in a plastic bag.  I find one to be the perfect amount, but feel free to add more or less depending on the amount of spice you like

Toppings- whatever sounds good to you! We love-
sour cream
shredded cheese
cilantro
tortilla chips

In a large pot (use the same pot you cooked the beef to get all the flavor) heat oil.  Saute onion, peppers and garlic until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add chili pepper and spices and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.  Add in tomato paste, stock (start with 2 cups), beans and tomatoes and shredded beef.  Reduce to a simmer.  Let simmer, stirring occasionally at least 30-45 minutes but it just gets better the longer you let it simmer. We like this chili pretty thick, but if you like yours thinner add more stock.  Stir in cilantro, lime juice and taste for seasonings adding salt or whatever you think it needs.  Turn off the heat and let sit for about 15 minutes before serving.  Top with any toppings that sound good to you!  Enjoy!  It gets even better the second day.

Salad Lyonnaise

Last summer while Nick and I were backpacking through Europe we stopped in Lyon, France.  Lyon is the second largest city in France.  Nick's cousin and his family live there, so it was the perfect opportunity to visit with them and see more of the country.  Computer access was hard to come by when we were in Europe and so I never blogged about this particular stop.   

This is the view from a high point in the city- in person you could see the Alps off in the distance.

Isn't this beautiful?  Hard to believe we were there...

It was the first really nice weather we had in days and we had the best time soaking in the sun.  We decided we were going to go out for a real french meal for lunch.  Lyon is famous for their Salad Lyonnaise.  There were little bistros everywhere, so we chose one downtown and ordered a local wine and the special salad.  The salad is basically a poached egg, bacon (or lardons as they are called in France) tomatoes and croutons with a simple dressing.  Easy but delicious.

We have recreated this several times since and each time we are instantly transported back to that day.  I made this for dinner one night last week and knew I needed to share it.  The picture I took was sadly lacking because it was dark, but we will just pretend mine looked this good!

Salad Lyonnaise

serves two

A couple handfuls of frisee lettuce or curly endive torn into pieces

4 strips of bacon sliced thin

french bread, cubed

tomatoes diced

2 poached eggs (fresh eggs work best for poaching- I learned this after many failed attempts)

juice of one lemon

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 a teaspoon of dijon mustard

salt and pepper to taste

Cook bacon over medium heat and drain on paper towels.  Drizzle cubed bread with olive oil and toast in the oven (about 400 degrees) until lightly browned. 

Mix the dressing using the lemon juice (or white wine vinegar), evoo, mustard and salt and pepper.

Poach the eggs.  Here are some helpful tips on poaching eggs.

Layer lettuce, bacon, croutons and tomatoes on a plate. Pour dressing over the salad and top with the egg.  

Pretend you are at a French bistro and enjoy!!

Chicken Salad- two ways

One of our favorite treats for lunch is chicken salad from our favorite bakery in Blacksburg.  We love picking it up on the way to a picnic and every now and then Nick surprises me with it at school.  Each day they have a different flavor and we love all of them.  While not terribly expensive, eating out does add up so one day I became determined to recreate the chicken salad at home.    I knew one secret is that they use rotisserie chicken, which you can buy at the grocery store.  It's delicious and easy!  I also knew they probably used homemade mayonnaise.  Mayonnaise only takes a few minutes to make and its so much better than the store bought version.  Plus I always have eggs and oil on hand to whip some up.

So far I have tried two versions and I have to say they were both pretty delicious.  Nick's favorite is they curry version, while I preferred the more traditional one.  They both start out the same way and with most of the same ingredients.  

Curried Chicken Salad adapted from Ina Garten

1 rotisserie chicken- meat shredded (use your fingers or two forks)

1 cup mayonnaise- if you want to make homemade click here for the recipe I use 

1/4 cup chutney (Major Grey's in the regular grocery store)

1/3 cup dry white wine 

3 tablespoons curry powder

2 stalks celery finely diced

1/4 cup crasins, chopped

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

1 cup roasted cashews

Mix the mayonnaise, chutney, wine and curry powder with a whisk.  Combine chicken with enough dressing to moisten (according to taste).  Fold in the celery, crasins, and scallions.  Season with salt if needed. Top with the cashews before serving.

Classic Chicken Salad

1 rotisserie chicken- meat shredded (use your fingers or two forks)

1 cup mayonnaise- if you want to make homemade click here for the recipe I use 

2 stalks celery finely diced

1/4 cup crasins, chopped

1/4 cup scallions, chopped

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Combine chicken with enough mayonnaise to moisten (according to taste).  Fold in the celery, crasins, scallions and parsley.  Season with salt and lots of pepper. 

Enjoy!  

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

I made these granola bars this week (twice actually!) and we have loved them!  They are delicious, so quick, and so much better than what you can get at the store.    I thought I would share so you could enjoy them as well!  

Peanut Butter Granola Bars (adapted from How Sweet It Is)

makes 12-16 granola bars

4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup unsalted chopped nuts (I used mixed nuts because that's what I had)

3/4 to 1 cup of peanut butter, melted

1/2 cup honey

mix ins-  

coconut

chocolate chips

dried fruit

anything that sounds good to you!

Mix all together in a large bowl, adding in any mix ins that sound good to you.  I am loving them with chocolate chips and coconut.  I ended up using almost a cup of peanut butter on my second batch and they held together much better than the first time I made them with the 3/4 cup. 

Press into a greased 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350 for 25 minutes.  Let cool completely and cut into squares. Enjoy!