Vegetable Chili

So weather in the negative digits usually calls for something warm and comforting. You will find us eating tons of soups and drinking coffee by the gallon these days. There is nothing like it on a cold day when you can not seem to get warm no matter how much you bundle up. You need something thick that sticks to your insides.

This chili recipe has been a constant in my family for the past four years we always seem to go back to it no matter what. Why? I am not sure but it is just perfect. Perfect texture, thickness, meatiness[despite no meat!?], and spice. It's super quick and there is nothing to disinfect afterwards[once again, no meat!]. Last time I made it I decided to go all out and make the designated Pico de Gallo and Guacamole as well. Totally worth it? Yes. I didn't think this chili could get any better.

Not really dreaming of a White Christmas...but it's nice I guess.

Despite having the lack of motivation to blog this Winter, I am happy to say I am still cooking up a storm. Thankfully, I have not reached that point of laziness yet. You know how it is, I suppose sort of like exercise, you forget to do it one day and then next thing you know one day turns into one month...or one quarter of a year. I am also sad to say I have literally repeated this trend with the gym. Oops. Okay, but when the windchill gets down to negative 57(no exaggeration), can you blame me?! 25 degrees seems like Spring, honestly!

I find myself reaching for easier recipes during the week because Camden has school and we seem to be in go, go, go mode these days. However, our Christmas was amazingly relaxed[other than an asthma attack from Roman and Jason getting sick, but we'll ignore those downers because, they didn't seem to impact our spirits]. Jason was home - and OFF duty. Granted, he is currently on night shift so he was a bit groggy. Really it was great. I wanted to blog this before it got too late and I forgot.

We spent the day opening presents, had our typical Christmas morning breakfast(Biscuits and Gravy, anyone?), called our families, played with the kids, and then ended the evening with this amazing meal. I made a Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce on the side - my first time ever and definitely WILL NOT be the last. I never knew beef could be so buttery! On the side we had fresh made Parker House rolls, a Citrus Holiday Salad(which was the second show-stopper of the evening), Scalloped Potatoes, and Corn Casserole. Yuuuu-my! Why can't it be Christmas everyday?


We ended the meal with this Port Cherry Trifle(not the exact title of the recipe), I ran across the recipe while randomly searching for something else and couldn't get it out of my mind. It was definitely worth every calorie!

*sigh*

I have the Winter Blues. I am sorry for all the sporadic posting; I have not felt so inspired lately and with the sun going down at six each evening it is nearly impossible to take decent pictures. The blog is always in the back of my mind so I am trying to get some vision as to what I want to do with it. I will keep you posted.