Chunky Chicken Chili

Chunky Chicken Chili

The way this chili mixes sweet and spice is appealing to kids…and will keep you warm on these wet autumn days.

1 Medium white onion, chopped

1 Red pepper, chopped

1 Yellow pepper, chopped

1 Jalapeño, chopped, (seeds discarded, unless you want lots of hot spice!!)

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 Tablespoons chili powder

2 Tablespoons ground cumin

½ Tsp dried oregano

½ Tsp kosher salt & pepper each

1 Cup water (used reserved water from boiling chicken)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes

1 Box chicken stock, low sodium

1 (12oz) jar chili sauce

3 (15oz) cans beans (mix any kind you like: kidney, great northern, black, white, etc.)

In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil, then add the chicken breasts and boil for 10 minutes.  (Reserve water) Cut up chicken in to small bite size pieces. (Some of the chicken may still be slightly pink, but it will continue to cook when added to the chili pot)

 In a separate stock pot, sauté onion, peppers, jalapeños and garlic in olive oil for 5 minutes. Add diced chicken, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper, cook for another 5 minutes. Next add 1 cup reserved water, Worcestershire, Dijon, tomatoes, chicken stock, and chili sauce, simmer for 10 minutes. Next add beans, simmer 10 more minutes. Serve chili with your favorite toppings: plain Greek yogurt or sour cream, fresh cracked pepper, Tabasco sauce, diced onions, cilantro, chives, and/or cheddar cheese.

Jubilee Farms Dinner

Jubilee Farm, where we harvested produce for the dinner

Melissa Peterman (of Honeybeesting.com) foraging edible nasturtiums blossoms

Table of onions

Cracking open fresh hazelnuts with the butts of our knives

The Amuse, prosciutto wrapped watermelon with Jubilee Farm basil simple syrup

Delicious sweet corn soup, crab and tarragon oil

Watermelon granita with mint and borage flowers

Slow roasted crispy pork belly over farro and Jubilee Farm summer squash risotto, Jubilee Farm roasted beets and sauteed swiss chard

Jubilee Farm strawberry and blackberry hazelnut crisp, cinnamon scented mascarpone

Bacon Bloody Mary's

Bacon Bloody Mary's

Serves 1

It’s football season and I love to offer a Bloody Mary bar while having friends over…it’s a meal in a glass.

2 Shots vodka

1 Cup low sodium V8 or bloody mary mix

1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon cocktail onion or pickle juice (from jar)

1 Tablespoon green olive juice (from jar)

2 Shakes Worcestershire sauce

1 Shake Tabasco sauce

2 Strips bacon, very crispy

Ice cubes

Garnish (use a combination or all): celery sticks, dill pickles, pickled beans, pickled asparagus spears, cocktail onions, lemon wedges, and green olives

Preparation: Mix all ingredients in a pint glass and top with garnishes.

Oaty Bars

Your kids will love to help choose the extra ingredients, help measure, mix and most of all, use the masher to level the surface of these homemade granola bars. I really like to make a different batch each time. I recommend Trader Joe’s Unsalted Blister Peanuts because of their amazing crunchy texture and they are delicious, even though there is no added salt.

Healthy Sticky Chewy Pull-Apart Oat Bars

Makes 9 Bars

Ingredients:

¾ stick unsalted butter (or 1/3 Cup)

½ Cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp honey

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ Cups oats

2 Tbsp flour

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp cinnamon

1/2 Cup shredded, sweetened coconut

¼ Cup chopped peanuts

Then you can add a handful of some or all of the following: chopped dried apricots, golden raisins, chopped dried cherries, chopped dried cranberries, toasted pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, toasted walnuts, toasted hazelnuts, and/or mini chocolate chips.

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8” square baking dish. Melt butter, brown sugar, honey and vanilla over medium low heat. In a large bowl, add oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, coconut, peanuts and any extra dried fruits, nuts or seeds you want to add and mix together. Once melted, pour the warm butter mixture into the oat mixture and stir well to incorporate. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and press it down using a masher to level the surface. Bake 20 minutes. Allow to cool completely, cut into squares and enjoy.

Herb Farm Kitchen Garden

I have the privilege of volunteering some of my Saturday mornings this summer at the Herb Farm kitchen garden. I'm hoping to be inspired by all the new varieties, flavors and textures I find. Just today, I helped harvest two different types of spinach leaves. The Herbfarm restaurant asks the head gardener Bill and his gardeners for things to harvest for that night's meal. Its a way of eating I'd love to follow someday from my own garden. As I help harvest, I can only imagine the dishes that will be made. Its peaceful, beautiful, and wonderful to work with your hands and your thoughts. This gem of a garden in Redmond Washington is approximately 5 acres filled with so much loveliness such as quails, chickens, ducks and woolly pigs, greens, herbs, garlic, heirloom strawberries etc...I only saw a sample of what will grow there this summer. I can't wait to learn more about growing and harvesting edibles. A special treat from today was a bag full of spinach and bordeaux spinach to bring home to my family..Bill had to cut them back because the leaves grew too big for the likeness of the restaurant. Spinach right out of the ground actually does taste better.

its been a while.........

Well, I must say, I feel like I've missed you, food loving identity. Its all been about my babies recently. Luckily we all have to eat and I have to think about food all the time anyway. My newest creation that my whole family loves is my granola. I have given out for Christmas gifts, and then the following year, provided the recipe for others to give it out as well. Hope its good karma. Its delicious cold or warm, or mixed into pancake or muffin mix ...for once, something sinful tasting is good for you too.

Chef Schu's Granola

2 sticks unsalted butter

2 cups steel cut oats or old fashioned oatmeal (not instant)

1 cup spelt berries (found in bulk section)

¼ cup whole flax seeds

¼ cup wheat germ

¼ cup whole hazelnuts, rough chopped (or any other nut you want)

½ cup dried rainier cherries, chopped

½ cup unsweetened whole coconut flakes

¼ - 1/2 cup honey

¼ -1/2cup brown sugar

2 Pinches of kosher salt

Preheat oven for 300 degrees. In very large skillet over medium high heat, melt butter; add steel cut oats, spelt berries, & flax seeds. Toss with a wooden spoon often until the flavors smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Do not burn.

Next add wheat germ, chopped hazelnuts, dried cherries and coconut flake. Drizzle and mix in honey and brown sugar and salt. Mix until everything is evenly melted and dispersed and spread on a baking sheet. Put in oven and bake for about 30 minutes. Make sure to toss granola a few times during the baking process, the edges will brown quickly....take out of oven, let cool slightly and crack out of pan.