December 1st - My Musings and a Recipe

Well, I for one cannot believe we have reached December 1st! Time just goes so fast!! It's beautiful here in MN today. From what I heard on the weather this am, it may very well be our last near 50-degree day before the cold hits. I'll be outside quite a bit today with the furry kids!

I made a really good chili last night. I found the recipe through my friend, Jeanne. She made this at the retreat I went to a couple weeks ago. The recipe is from Cafe Latte in St. Paul, and I'm going to give it to you as done by Cafe Latte. Afterwards, I'll tell you what I did differently. I wouldn't be a good Slovakian-Finnish woman if I didn't add my own twist!!

Cafe Latte's Chicken Salsa Chili

• 3 T. olive oil
• 1# chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
• 1-1/2 c. chopped onion
• 1/2 tsp. chili pepper flakes
• 1 T. fresh minced garlic
• 2 tsp. minced fresh jalapeno peppers
• 1-1/2 c chicken stock
• 3 T. Chili powder
• 28-oz whole tomatoes, undrained and broken up
• 29-oz. tomato puree
• 2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained
• 15-oz can hominy, drained
• 1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 T. freshly squeezed lime juice

Warm olive oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Saute chicken until cooked. Add onions and reduce heat. Cook for 3 minutes or until onions are tender. Add all remaining ingredients. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.

When serving, top with sour cream, additional onion, grated cheese, and tortilla chips.

Good recipe, huh? It's like a mix of taco soup and chili. Jerry could pick out the lime flavor, and said it was the perfect twist. So be sure to add it! Here's what I did a little differently:

• I increased the chili pepper flakes to 1 tablespoon (I think - I don't use measuring spoon).
• Instead of chicken stock, I used vegetable base.
• I decreased the chili powder to 1-1/2 T. Seemed more reasonable.
• I didn't have any tomato puree, so I used a 6-oz can of tomato paste + 15-oz tomato sauce
• I always use cilantro paste by Gourmet Garden. Sometimes fresh herbs go bad quickly, so the pastes are a good option.

If you make it, let me know how your family likes it!!

I'll bet your wondering what I thought of Adam Lambert's American Music Awards performance. I haven't said anything yet because I have become quite reasonable when it comes to rock and roll. (We can thank my son for that!!) Adam is an unusually gifted performer. There are few out there that can cause as much of a stir as he has so quickly. I don't know if there is a grey area with his music. You love him or you hate him - BUT, I would never discount him because of one poorly judged performance. After all, didn't we see MANY good displays on American Idol? I side with Adam on this one. He pushed the envelope, but it wasn't too well received. It made me uncomfortable at certain points, but in the end, it was what it was. That being said, I have watched his Early Show (too bad ABC cancelled him), Letterman, and Ellen performances. You know, I really think he is a genuine person. And who could resist that smile? If you let him, he'll teach you acceptance through his music. Much like Lady Gaga and Pink.

So if you love him, go buy his CD. If you don't like the cover, flip over the insert. But if you like the likes of Queen and good rock & roll, you'll like it. You might not like some of the lyrics here and there, but the end result is a fabulous CD with a bunch of great music. I heard yesterday that it's sold nearly a quarter of a million copies in a week!

I'm off for a walk now. Hope you are having a good day in your neck of the woods!!