#3 (but #1 if Paul would listen to me)

Last night, our Sunday School group's monthly social was a chili cook-off. There were 13 or so people in attendance and seven types of chili, all very different and very tasty. I think a good time was had by all (at least I hope so since this whole thing was my idea). Because I don't have a tried-and-true chili recipe, Paul and I found a basic one and then spiced it up ourselves. I'm not a fan of bell peppers in my chili so we omitted that and the green chiles since Paul can't eat them. This recipe ended up quite good, although there are things I'll change about it next time we make it.

Our friends were laughing at Paul and me as we tallied the votes--because we were the organizers (and the buyers of the prizes), Paul thought we shouldn't accept our third place finish but rather award #3 to the person who actually finished #4. Being just a wee bit competitive, I wouldn't do it. We placed third fair and square. And we would have been first if Paul had voted correctly because I know his handwriting and I know he voted us #3 rather than the #1 I think he should have (because I think you should always vote for yourself). But I was trying to be not-bossy so I didn't say anything to him when he was filling in his ballot. So, because he is nicer than me, we finished third.

And in case you're in the market for a good chili recipe, here's one for the shoulda-been first place chili. The seasoning amounts can be adjusted to taste. These are the amounts we used and it was pretty spicy. Paul said he would have kicked it up a bit more but we could probably kill a mere mortal with how spicy-hot we eat stuff.

Paul & Carrie's Chili

2 lbs. "chili" ground (ground chuck)
1 medium onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
*1 or 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
3 cans tomato sauce
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (about 1/2 of a 6-oz. can)
2 cups beef broth
3 Tbsp. hot chili powder
1 Tbsp. Worchestershire sauce
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground red peppper
2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper seasoning
3 tsp. hot sauce (we used chipotle hot sauce)

1. Cook first 3 ingredients over medium heat, stirring until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Drain well.
2. Combine meat mixture, beans, and seasonings in Dutch oven; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 3 hours or until thickened. Garnish as desired.

*Technically chili shouldn't have beans but some people like beans in their chili. I don't have a preference but it does stretch the dish if you have more to feed.

I'm fairly certain some of our guests will agree with Paul

I recently found the new comforter for the guest bedroom. The color of the room--a blue-green turquoise that is darker in person than it photographs--definitely narrowed my choices. I really can't remember what the world was like before Internet shopping--all that endless time spent driving from store to store. No more. I searched various stores online and narrowed my choices to a few at Linens 'n Things. One I really liked wasn't available for full beds--darn that Nate Berkus. Another selection had a blue that I think would look bad with the wall color. So through the process of elimination, this was my final selection. Paul suggested that this one might be "a bit girly" with all the flower patterns. I can only imagine what he would have said had I brought home the coordinating sheets with the pretty pink posies embroidered on the edge (although I did purchase the pillow cases). But I like my choice--it's bright and cheery. Like me. :)

The dresser in the background was made by Paul's paternal grandfather, Ralph. Ralph was a principal at various schools in rural Kansas. During the Great Depression, he often filled vacant teaching positions himself--this dresser, complete with cedar drawers, was made while he was a woodshop teacher. It was given to us by Paul's parents shortly after we married when we were in need of furniture (apparently the French Provincial set I'd owned since I was seven was "a bit girly" for Paul). It's definitely my favorite piece of furniture that we own.

We're still not sure he actually won

On a recent quiet, otherwise uneventful, evening, Jubjub took on one of his many nemeses--the dreaded Plastic Sack.

"What? What is this? A sack? On me?"

At first, it appeared that the sack would have the upper hand...

Pausing just a moment to catch his breath in this Battle Royale.

He plots a new scheme to overcome his attacker.

Perhaps this angle will be more productive...

"Ah ha! I will use the coffee table to overpower it! It cannot outsmart me! For I am JUBJUB!"

Of course, this one was of no help whatsoever in the Battle of the Sack.


Tune in another evening when that hateful Emery Board gets it.

Hot Chocolate Cake

I could make up a whole story about how this is an old family recipe dating back generations, replete with stories about how as a child, my mother would make this for us on those special days or just to cheer us up. And not that my mom doesn't rock as far as moms go (and she's reading this so I have to say that but really, she did/does rock in many ways), but I can never remember her baking just for the sake of baking. Holidays, yes. Tuesdays, not so much. She was always the mom who got us the bakery cakes for our birthday which we thought totally rocked especially since you could get a free cookie when you went in to order the cake. I can still remember going to the little bakery in Dumas--not Golden Spread but the other one that was run by a little old lady. Crap. Why can I not remember her name? Ida Belle? That sounds about right. I remember she had two names and was over near the TG&Y in a little house.

But I digress. The real story isn't glamorous or exciting or memory invoking. I clipped the recipe for Hot Chocolate Cake from the February 2005 Real Simple. I made it as a single layer cake and in ramekins. I overcooked it as a single layer cake--I think it's one that would be better a bit gooey. And I used my kitchen blow torch on the marshmallows because that was way more fun than the broiler.

I ended up not making any of the desserts I was originally considering and just went with a really simple homemade chocolate cake. And because it was just one layer, we both had two slices because we decided that would be the same as eating one piece of a layer cake. We're nothing if not rational.

We've now used our snow shovel more this year than the past five combined

Happy Valentine's Day a.k.a. Snow Day #4.

Paul roused out of bed a little before 6 o'clock this morning and took a peek outside. Seeing that it was still snowing, he suggested I check the television for the status of the school day. At 6:15, it was reported that there was a two-hour delay. Not unexpected given the conditions and I happily shuffled back upstairs, turned off the alarm and snoozed for another hour or so, when the cat decided we should be up and he should be fed. The non-stop insistent meowing and knowing we'd probably need to shovel the driveway before leaving for work, I got up to start the day. However, another check of the news showed that school had, indeed, been cancelled. These unexpected days off are always nice until it comes time to make it up. Because the three extra days taken at the end of Winter Break have already used the scheduled snow make-up days and added an extra day to the calendar, this snow day means extended school days starting some time in April. And, more immediately, there are all the school things that were scheduled for today--Student Senate carnation sales, yearbook group pictues, basketball games, and other meetings--that the other sponsors and I will have to reschedule when school resumes tomorrow.

I did have a bit of work stuff that I would be able to do today had I brought my laptop home. But not realizing that that this was even predicted (or the meteorologts were actually going to be correct ), I don't have it with me. Eh, well. It wasn't anything that couldn't wait. Paul has decided that he needs to go in to work this afternoon for a bit and stop by to get a leaky tire checked out. I don't like that because it usually means he's out longer than I think he should be. He did offer to stop by Sonic to pick up a fountain drink for me. That's love.

Paul and I had no plans for this evening--we're not typically ones to do anything for Valentine's Day (or VD as Paul loves to call it). I usually make a fancy dessert of some type as a treat for the day. I haven't decided yet what I'm going to make--it's a toss up between a chocolate-almond torte, devil's food mini-bundt cake, or hot chocolate cake. I don't have marshmallows for the hot chocolate cake (and what good is hot chocolate without marshmallows?) so it might just between the first two. Or maybe something totally different because now, I have all day to think about it.

And after this last six inches, it is official that I will never voluntarily live some place where snow is a common winter occurrence. I'm pretty much done with snow this year. I'm ready to go back to the 15 degrees above average that we had last week. 65 and sunny--that's what winter should be about. I'll consent to the occasional overcast and rainy day because those are nice to have to mix it up. But this winter stuff is for the birds.