The Temptress - Stout Beer Chili

Lakewood Brewing Co Temptress Chili

Chili Pot

Bowl of Temptress Stout Chili

This chili recipe is adapted from my dad's chili recipe

About 3 years ago, I had him show me how he made his chili

Back then I used whatever beer was in the house (miller lite)

I think I even used bud light lime once 

Over time, I've tweaked it into something of my own

He hasn't tried it yet, but I think this is the recipe to share with him 

Now.. here in Texas.. a good chili recipe is GOLDEN

Not many are likely to share if you're competitive

But the whole purpose of this blog is for me to share my recipes with the masses

So I can't possibly keep this to myself

So, if you make it and you like it and you enter it into a chili cook-off

and you win.. 

just cut me in! (JK)

Sandi & Pat's Stout Beer Chili

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/2 lb stew meat
• 1 1/2 lb ground chuck
• 2 white onions, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced (optional - I just think it looks pretty)
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 3-4 jalapeno peppers, whole
• 1 1/2 - 2 bottles of Imperial Stout (I used Lakewood Brewing co. Temptress)
• 2 1/2 tablespoons chili powder (I use gerbhardt)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Dice the stew meat into smaller, bite size pieces (remove any fat) - Salt and pepper the meat
• In a large pot, heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil over medium high heat, brown the stew meat; once browned; remove from pan and set to the side
• Turn the heat down to medium, place the ground chuck (salt/pepper) and diced onions in the pot; once the meat is browned, drain the excess fat.
• Return the stew meat to the pot; add all the green, red and poblano chopped peppers.  
• Now, depending on how hot you like  your chili, add the number of jalapenos (whole not chopped).  You'll be tasting it alot, so if it gets too hot, just remove them.
• Add the beer.... now the beer I used is very strong- but I used it all.  It tastes really strong at first, but I promise as it cooks, the flavor of the beer gets better
• Add the seasonings - chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and cayenne pepper)
• Stir together well, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer on low for a hour and a half to 2 hours; stirring and tasting about every 15 minutes or so. You want the stew meat to be tender before serving. Also, you might want to remove the jalapenos if it's too spicy, or you may want to add.   If the chili becomes dry, add more beer (or you can add water)

Italian Drunken Noodles

As with most of the recipes I post lately, I found this one on Pinterest

I used to clip recipes out of magazines, now I just go see if it's online

if so, I pin it to my recipe board

Pinterest ROCKS...

This latest recipe originated from the cozy apron blog

What caught my eye on this recipe was the pappardelle pasta

I've been wanting to cook with them for a long time

Just had not really found a recipe

Besides,  I use italian sausage in all my italian dishes that call for meat

Also, I love the brightness of onions, red, orange & yellow bell peppers

Finally, who doesn't love cooking with wine?

Pappardelle Pasta



Drunken Noodles with Italian Sausage, Peppers & Onions

Drunken Noodles
(recipe from the cozy kitchen)

INGREDIENTS

• 8 ounces Pappardelle noodles, uncooked
• olive oil
• 4 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed (I had mild italian sausage that I seasoned with cayenne pepper)
• 1 1/2 teasp salt
• 1 teasp italian seasoning
• 1/2 teasp cracked black pepper
• 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press, or minced
• 1/2 cup white wine (preferably dry, like chardonnay)
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
• 2 tablesp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, julienned, divided use

DIRECTIONS

• Place a large, heavy bottom pan or braising pot over medium-high heat
• Add 2 tablesp olive oil, once the oil is hot, crumble the italian sausage into the pan in small chunks (you want to keep the sausage fairly chunky); allow it to brown in the oil for a few moments on each side; once it's browned, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon, place into a small bowl
• Add the sliced onion to the pan with the sausage drippings; allow it to carmelize & become golden for roughly 5 minutes or so, stirring to keep it from burning (add a touch more olive oil if necessary)
• Add the salt, italian seasoning, & cracked black pepper - stir to combine
• Add in the bell peppers & allow those to saute with the onion about 2 minutes until slightly tender and golden
• Add the garlic, once its aromatic (just takes less than a minute), add the white wine and allow to reduce for a couple minutes until almost completely reduced
• Add in the diced tomatoes in their juice
• Return the italian sausage to the pan
• Gently fold to combine all ingredients
• Allow to simmer for about 3-4 minutes to blend the flavors, then turn the heat off
• To finish the sauce, drizzle in about 2-3 good tablesp of olive oil to create a silky reach flavor
• Add in the chopped parsley and half of the basil, stir
• keep warm while preparing the noodles
• Prepare the noodles according to the package instructions (I actually did this step after I browned the sausage)
• Drain the noodles very well, add them directly into the sauce, using tongs to gently toss and combine them with the sauce; check seasoning for salt or pepper
• To server, add equal portions of the "drunken" noodles to bowls, garnish with remaining basil.   You can even top off with shaved parmesan, if desired
• Add an extra drizzle of olive oil 

Zabars - Kate Spade Tote Bag



Kate Spade Tote Bag



Last month, I was reading this article

on Kate Spade's blog

about Zabar's

I've only been to New York once

back in 1998 for one evening

So, I've never been to Zabar's

but I know it's a place I want to go to when I do 

visit New York someday

So, of course, I simply had to order this 

Kate Spade Tote Bag from Zabar's 

The bagels are amazing.  I ate one the next day, then put the rest in the freezer.

I still have one left.

I took the Chocolate Babka to a winery with a friend.

It was lovely with red wine and conversation

 

I am not a coffee drinker, but my son loves it

My 11 year old niece and I shared the NY cookie - so awesome!

The tote is too cute for school...

I love carrying a piece of New York with me to the market

This was so fun that I ordered one for my bestie in North Carolina!!!  

Using Chalkboard Labels

A while back I shared with you my

DIY Pepper and Spice Blends

I decided to take the "suga" shaker theme

&

continue it throughout my kitchen



Chalkboard Labels from World Market



I've seen on the cooking shows how everyone has clever bottles to store their oils.

I'm sure it to hide the product name but still it's cute none the less

I bought the veg oil and olive oil bottles

at Target in the bath section for 12.99

The labels were like at World Market for 3.99

I just use a gold marker that I got to write on wine glasses

The vanilla bottle was bought at Ross for 1.99

I made my own vanilla about 2 years ago

I've been doing so every since! 

I've started using these labels on all containers in my kitchen

(flour, suga, dawg biskits, etc)

Test Kitchen - Cooking with Local Dallas Beers

Woke up Sunday morning with that slight chill in the air that represents Fall

I've been over the heat and humidity now since August

So much so that I put out my Halloween decorations Labor Day weekend

in hopes of nudging that cool air along

That chill in the air makes me want to cook soups, stews and chili's

I hesitated thinking that maybe it's not quite that cool yet

but remember we're doing all we can to nudge that cool air in 

Beer Chili sounded really good to me!

craft beers and local breweries are all the rage right now

(All who know me  KNOW I'm more of a wine girl with little interest in the better beers)

  

Lately, I've gotten adventurous and starting trying out different beers

(other than miller lite or michelob ultra)

My new favorite is Blood and Honey by Revolver.



Temptress Beer Chili - Punkel Pumpkin Cake - Blood & Honey Jalapeno Cheese Muffins



So, I actually did a little research

I knew I wanted to make

chili, jalapeno muffins and a pumpkin cake

I needed to determine what type of beers would go best in each

and then...

find the local beer that would be perfect

One of my favorite sites right now is

The Beeroness

She not only provides the "411" on all things beer

but uses beer in very interesting ways in recipes

I learned quickly that I've been using the wrong beer in my chili

miller lite just won't do

It's needs to be STOUT

Boy, is the Lakewood Brewing Co's Temptress

the BEST beer for chili

I made the chili from scratch. I will provide the recipe in a post later in the week

I love jalapeno corn bread with cheese

I was at Sissy's Southern Kitchen for dinner a couple of weeks ago

The jalapeno cornbread muffins were amazing

They were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside

I tried my own version using Revolver's Blood & Honey

I admit that I cheated and used a box mix

I cooked them in melted butter so they were crunchy and fluffy like Sissy's

but

 they came out very sweet

next time I will make them from scratch

I have all Fall/Winter to perfect them



Blood & Honey Jalapeno Cheese Muffins



The pumpkin cake is also from a box

Pillsbury  has been making seasonal cake mixes lately

I cannot help it, I see something new in the store, I have to try it once

This is a perfect test kitchen tool

I wasn't sure which pumpkin ale I was going to try

Decided to go with Lakewood Brewing Co's Punkel

as I already had them on my list for the chili

I substituted the 1 cup of water with the beer

I also tried something I had read on The Beeroness site

cooking the beer down to an extract

I poured the rest of the bottle of Punkel into a pan

I let it boil down into a syrup

I mixed 2 cups powdered sugar to about 1/2 cup of milk

then added the beer extract

I'm not going to lie

It was VERY strong.. but the sweetness of the icing calmed it down



Punkel Pumpkin Cake