Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Chili Recipe

I entered a chili cookoff and ended up getting second place. A few people have asked for the recipe, so here it is!


Chili a la Hot!
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons oil
1 onion
1 green bell pepper
1 Red bell pepper
2 lbs hot Italian sausage
2 lbs lean ground beef
3-4 Tablespoons chopped garlic
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans white beans
4 cans Mexican stewed tomatoes
2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
1 7 oz can chipotle peppers
2 Tablespoons ground cumin
2 Tablespoons oregano
4 teaspoons basil
2 Tablespoons chili powder
Directions
1. Dice up onion and bell peppers. Saute in skillet with oil, approximately 7 minutes. Remove from skillet for later use.
2. Break sausage into chunks. Remember, we are making chili, not taco meat, we want chunks. Start browning in skillet.
3. Break hamburger into chunks. Add to the sausage. Brown all meat but don’t overcook. Once all meat is cooked, drain grease. Add garlic and sauté another minute.
4. In a large pot, put onions, bell peppers, and meat mixture over medium heat. Cut tomatoes in can with knife to make smaller. Add beans and tomatoes.
5. Chop the chipotle peppers very fine.  Add to pot, along with spices.
6. Cook over low heat as long as possible, at least 1 hour.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Easter

I am just doing a quick post to check out a google feature.... here is a quick picture of Joseph and James....3 months and 23 months. Boy, time sure flies!

Happy Easter!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Maria's Birthday!

Maria is 15 today.
How in the world did 15 years fly by so quickly? I am so blessed to have a daughter like Maria. She is an awesome big sister to her three brothers. She is out and about with one of her best friends, Sonja, to celebrate her birthday. They are going to the movies, eating at Red Robin, hanging out at the mall, and then coming home for a sleepover....not that there will be a lot of sleeping going on!

Here is a picture of her holding Joseph as a newborn....it is amazing that he already looks different in less than 4 weeks.

Friday, January 15, 2010

Rest is good

Life continues. It is amazing what rest does to restore oneself. I find if I am able to get a nap in the middle of the day, the nights are much more bearable. Plus, going to bed earlier when Joseph goes to sleep for the first shift is also good. It is hard though....there are other things that I want to do....but I need to remind myself continually that this is such a short season and I just need to enjoy the time with a newborn. So, resting, reading, relaxing, gazing at Joseph, playing with James, and maintaining the basics of the household are what occupy the bulk of my time nowadays. And, I couldn't do it without the amazing help of Maria and William. They are both so incredibly willing to serve and to either hold Joseph or play with James....it is a wonderful thing to watch.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Today was a harder day....not as much sleep and James was BUSY! I think this is probably more the reality I will be living in coming up as opposed to the easy first two weeks.

Here is a picture of Joseph next to a black and white picture of William when he was a newborn. See any resemblance?




It sure is fun to watch James love on Joseph. My sister Annabelle has summed them up correctly....Godzilla and the Potato!



James definitely loves his baby brother....and even is starting to say his name!

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Here is a video taken December 31 of James and Joseph. The video isn't long....but it is obviously done by an amateur!

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Christmas in January

Today we celebrated Christmas with my sister Annabelle, her hubby Ethan and their daughter Sarah. It was kinda fun to have Christmas in January....plus it was the first Christmas for Joseph.

Earlier today we went to Joseph's first doctor's appointment, where everything checked out great. That is always reassuring. We then went to Costco to pick up the birth announcements and the timing was impeccable...they had just finished printing by the time we got to the front of the line. We were able to get the pictures into the envelopes and send them out today. Some of you reading this blog may even be getting one in the mail.