Slow Cooked Chili

Chili is the ultimate comfort food and perfect on a cold winters day. I make this chili 3 or 4 times a year. It’s easy to make (love my slow cooker), and can be adjusted to suit anyone’s tastes. Leftovers get placed in individual portion size tupperware and frozen for my lunches. 

Slow Cooked Chili (6 quart slow cooker)

2 pounds ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey

1 1/2 cups chopped onion

1 chopped green pepper

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, undrained

2 16-oz cans kidney beans, undrained

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon ground pepper

Optional: Tobasco/cayenne/red pepper flakes to add heat - customize here

My slow cooker pot can be used on the stovetop, so I follow the below steps in my slow cooker pot, if yours cannot be used on the stovetop, use a large pan.

1. Preheat pot over medium heat. Add ground meat and brown. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic and cook for a few minutes to release some of the juices. 
2. Transfer to the slowcooker and add tomatoes, beans and spices. Stir to combine. Cover and simmer at Setting #3 for 7 to 9 hours. 
3. Top with cheddar cheese.
4. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Eclipse, Celebrity Cruises

The Gala Brunch Buffet in the Dining Rm

It has been a busy week getting back to work and getting myself back into a routine. My cooking and blogging has suffered for it. This post is all about the cruise ship food. The ship was beautiful, the food was excellent and the beverages (which I may have partook in a bit too much) were creative and beautiful. Where do I even start trying to explain some of the food? I might have to skip some of the more flowery descriptions and just tell you as much about the food as possible.

The main dining room is called Moonlight Sonata served most breakfasts, lunches and all dinners. The breakfasts and lunches were nothing special and not worth talking about. The dinners however where beautiful and delicious. I literally took only a few pictures. (Sad, I know. I’m a terrible blogger!). Fall off the bone lamb shank, fall off the bone Osso Bucco, Sesame encrusted Ahi Tuna, perfectly cooked Beef Tenderloin, Tilapia in Curry Sauce, etc. I can’t even remember everything I ate. 

Dinners are 4 courses; appetizer, soup or salad, entree and dessert. All the courses are creative and fun. I was in heaven. 

The cruise ship also has 5 specialty restaurants; Blu (the healthy place), Qsine (ordinary food done extraordinarily), Murano (beautiful French food), Tuscan Grill (Italian carnivore delight) and Bistro on 5 (Crepes and paninis). The specialty restaurants cost additional money, but they are worth it as the food is cooked for you only. Mom and I tried out Qsine, Murano and Bistro on 5. They are blog posts unto themselves!

I’m posting a few pictures of the food. It’s impossible to describe everything. I highly recommend Celebrity Cruise ships if you love food. 

Paris, France

I only had a few hours in Paris and I tried to cram in as much as possible. I could have spent a week there exploring, but I didn’t have a week. I did, however, make the most out of my time there. I was dropped off at the Eiffel Tower and I took millions of pictures, then I wandered to the Seine and then walked down to the Louvre. The line was too long to get into the Louvre and I didn’t have enough time to go in, instead I continued wandering. Eventually I was hungry and thirsty, so I picked up a croissant, baguette, and cheese. I then had myself a little picnic overlooking the Seine and absorbing the Parisian culture. 

The day I was there happened to be a Bank holiday for France so the city was teeming with tourists from around France. I found the people to be really nice. I don’t speak much French, but I was able to get around without much difficulty. All in all, Paris is a beautiful city and I can’t wait until I get a chance to go back and explore it properly.