Brooklyn SND - Pulled Pork/Chicken, Coleslaw and Goat Cheese Polenta

Hullo friends! I spent a fab weekend in NYC with my sisie for her birthday, so I now present to you Brooklyn Sunday Night Dinner! Sis wanted pulled pork for her birthday SND, so I came up with a kick ass marinade....which I proceeded to pour some beer into 'cause it would be delicious. Fail. For those of you that don't know, Sisie is allergic to all wheat and gluten. Ah, balls.

But wait! It all turned out okay - I made the gluten soaked pulled pork BUT ALSO some kick ass pulled chicken! Huzzah! Here's how I did it all:

For the pulled pork, I did an all night marinade. I used a three pound bit of pork shoulder that had a lovely fat cap on it. In a large glass bowl I whisked together 3 tablespoons of salt (kosher, people!), 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper, 1 and 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup red wine vinegar, 3 smashed cloves of garlic, 1.5 to 2 tablespoons of cayenne pepper (yup! make it as spicy or not spicy as you want though - but don't be wussy) and the leaves from three sprigs of fresh thyme. Next add half to three quarters of a bottle of your favorite beer - I recommend a summer brew or a hefewiezen to counter act the cayenne; I used Honeymoon by the makers of Blue Moon. Dude, it's delish! Whisk everything together and put your pork shoulder in. Make sure the pork is covered with this delightful mixture, then cover with saran wrap and refrigerate overnight. If you can't do overnight, I'd recommend at least three hours so the flavors can penetrate (heh) the meat.

Okay, fast forward to the next day, time to cook! I heated a three count of olive oil in a heavy bottomed frying pan (Sisie's Le Creuset risotto pan to be specific) and browned that gorgeously marinated piece of pork shoulder. After I got a good sear on all sides, I put the meat along with the liquid marinade into a handy dandy crock pot and covered. I went with the high setting for three hours, then set it down to low until we were ready to eat. The liquid was poured out and discarded (thank you delicious gluteny marinade!) Take two forks and shred that meat - it will fall apart and you'll be taking taste after taste because you won't be able to resist! After the meat was shredded, I poured some BBQ sauce over it and it was AMAZING. Use your favorite flavor of sauce - Sweet Baby Rays would be good, especially with the cayenne pepper that you used. Serve on some buns and you're in pulled pork heaven.

Hold on! If you are allergic to wheat and gluten, here's what I made for sis! I bought three leg/thighs combos from the butcher - bone in skin on. Gotta go dark meat here, sports fans, if you want the falling apart consistency. Prepare the chicken by giving it a good ol' spice rub. Use your favorite BBQ spice rub, or make one up! I used chili powder - probably a tablespoon total and just massaged it all over the meat. Next, take one leek and thoroughly clean that sucka. Dirt loves to hide between those leaves. Slice up the leek and and throw it in a frying pan that has a cover with a three count of olive oil. Saute the leek for three minutes (add some S and P), then add two sliced carrots. Cook for a few minutes more, then make some room and add the chicken skin side down. Once the chicken is properly browned, add enough rose wine (NOT white zinfandel, shudder) to deglaze and simmer the chicken in. There should be about a half inch of wine covering the bottom of the pan - I eyeballed it, probably a third of a bottle. You could also use white or red wine, or your favorite beer. Cover the pan and turn the heat down to low and simmer for about an hour. You'll know when it's ready - the meat will be fall off the bone, just poke at it with a fork. Once it's ready, turn off the heat and let it cool a bit so you can debone and deskin the chicken. After you've removed the skin and bones shred the chicken back in the pan with the veggies and mix with your favorite sauce! For Sisie's chicken I used a spicier sauce because the chicken was cooked with sweet carrots and the wine. We served her sammich on a delicious gluten free roll and she was in birthday heaven!

I also made a yummy cole slaw. I threw ingredients together into a bowl until it tasted right. It was mayo based, so all you mayo haters out there just need to GET OVER IT. Mayo is freaking delicious. Use one cup of mayo, and whisk in in the bottom of a salad bowl with a 1/4 cup of white or red wine vinegar, two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, a squeeze of honey or maple syrup, a pinch of cayenne or chili powder and some S and P to taste. Whisk and taste, whisk and taste until it's right. A squeeze or two of lemon would be great too. Add some shredded cabbage and carrots on top of your dressing (we used shredded broccoli too, yum) and toss. Now, if you're super cool, you'll put coleslaw on top of your pulled pork or chicken and eat the sammich like a pro.

Serve this all up with some goat cheese polenta and you've got a Brooklyn SND for the ages!

-D

PS I realize I've written this post in several different voices/tenses. Deal with it. It's Sunday Night Dinners not Sunday Night Grammar. Boosh.

Stroganoff Shmoganoff!

Sup duders. I feel like I have fond memories of Mom's beef stroganoff. Ma, did you make that a lot for us? I don't remember, but when I stumbled upon Tyler's Ultimate stroganoff the other day I got super excited. I must make this! So I did, and it was totally yummy, but I was left a little underwhelmed. I'll tell ya'll how I made it and let me know how you would alter? Thanks, BFF!

The absolute best part of this recipe is the beef - Tyler's Ultimate Stroganaff recommends you use beef short ribs cooked lowww and slow. It takes a couple of hours, but it was sooooo worth it. The meat fell apart and was like buttah.

Start with three pounds of beef short ribs. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Now you're going to make a yummy yummy herb paste for those suckers. Chop up five cloves of garlic - you don't need to mince here. Throw those into a bowl with a good dose of salt and pepper - use your judgment here. I probably used a half tablespoon and it made a delicious salty crust. Tear the leaves off of a couple of sprigs of rosemary and thyme, and roughly chop up a small handful of parsley. Add the herbs to the garlic and s/p, then add enough olive oil to make a sort of paste. Use your fingers to mix here, this is the time to get good and dirty. Place the ribs bone side down on a cookie sheet (a sheet of aluminum foil to catch the drippings is a good idear). Rub your herb/salt paste all over the top of all the ribs and toss those guys into the oven for two to two and a half hours until that meat is buttery and falling apart. When the meat is done, let it rest for ten to fifteen minutes and it will be easier to slice. Cut that yumminess off of the bone and then slice into servings to put on top of your noodles and sauce.

Sauce! Start with one pound of crimini mushrooms and one pound shitake mushrooms. Slice them up and throw into a large frying pan over medium heat with a five count of olive oil in it. Salt and pepper those 'shrooms and cook until the they brown. Add a 1/3 cup of minced shallot and two cloves of minced garlic and stir to combine (or do the fun pan toss). Cook that for a few more minutes (but don't burn that garlic!) then add a 1/4 cup of cognac. Be super careful when adding the cognac so you don't catch on fire! Maybe take the pan off of the heat when you add the cognac if it makes you nervous. De glaze with the cognac for a few minutes, then add the silky deliciousness of two cups of heavy whipping cream. Awww damn. I said it. Remember - this is SND! You can splurge! Calories don't count on Sundays, I swears on the precious. Turn your heat down a bit and simmer until the cream is reduced by about half. Add one tablespoon and a half of Dijon mustard and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Turn off the heat and stir well to combine - be sure to be tasting your sauce for seasoning and adjust as necessary. Remember, your short ribs have a salty crust on them, and your sauce should be silky and a little sweet from the cream to counter act that. Toss on some freshly chopped parsley and you're done!

Serve by cooking some egg noodles and tossing those guys with butter, then top with your beautiful mushroom sauce, and your salty amazing short ribs on top. A nice crisp salad on the side or some fresh peas would be a nice accompaniment.

And go! Make this up this Sunday and let me know: what would you change to pump this up? Or was it just right?

Kisses,

D

Julia Sunday Night Dinner!

Hello again friends. The subject of this post has already been blogged about by other people, but that doesn't mean I can't follow suit! This is the first Julia (but not the last ohhhh no) recipe that I've done for SND. Mr. B. gave me Volumes I and II of Julia et al's masterpiece a while ago, and I've been waiting for the perfect time to make..... Boeuf Bourguignon. Guhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh it was sooooo gooooooooood. I INSIST you make this right now. It really is the Ultimate SND. Start to finish it took me a good four hours and me oh my was it worth it.

So, BB. This is a multi step process. I'm going to tell you how I did it, and it probably wouldn't hurt you to look up Julia's recipe if you're going to make it as I'm writing this from memory.

First things first - you gotta boil some bacon. What what what, you say! I know. Bizarro. But Julia knows what she's talking about people. If you don't boil the bacon, the smokiness will overtake the flavor, and this dish is a symphony of flavors not to be overpowered by one (albeit delicious). So chop up half a packet of bacon (6 ounces) into lardons around an inch wide. Simmer the bacon for ten minutes and then drain.

Ooh! Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees! Now!

You need to use a oven and stove-top proof pan for the majority of the cooking. I used a smaller dutch oven, but anything that will hold 5 or so cups of liquid plus the meat and veggies will do. It needs to have a lot of surface area for browning, so no saucepans/kettles. Pour in a three count of olive oil and fry your boiled bacon for around five minutes - render some of that fat and get it lightly browned. Take the bacon out of the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on some paper towels.

Next you need the main attraction: the beef! Use three pounds of 'stewing' beef. I got mine at Costco, and it was already cubed into 2" cubes. Thanks Costco! You're the bestest. Before you toss the beef into the hot pan, pat each piece dry with a paper towel - it won't brown if it's damp. Brown the beef in the bacon fat in shifts until you have some nice color on all sides. I was sorely tempted to salt and pepper these, but that comes later - I promise. Trust me and Jules. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside.

Again using the same fat, brown one sliced onion and one sliced carrot. This took about seven minutes or so over medium heat. If there is a ton of excess oil, drain that from the pan and return the beef and bacon to the pan. Toss everything with one teaspoon of salt and a quarter teaspoon of pepper (I used a pinch more of both). Sprinkle on two tablespoons of flour and toss again. Set your pan on the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and roast for four minutes. Use a timer, my dear friends. That is a hot oven and you do NOT want to burn. After four minutes take the pan out and carefully give it shakey shake and put it back in the oven for four more minutes.

Remove the pan and turn the oven down to 325 degrees. Add three cups of Chianti (insert Silence of the Lambs reference here), and around two cups of beef stock. Pour the wine in first, and then pour the beef stock in until the meat is juuuuuuuuuuust covered. Then add one tablespoon of tomato paste (I added a bit extra, prolly a tblsp and a half, sorry Jules), 2 minced cloves of gahlic, 2 teaspoons of thyme (I took it off of the stems and roughly chopped) and a crumbled bay leaf. Bring this pot o'delicousness to a simmer, cover, and put in the oven. The rack should be in the lower third of the oven this time. This should cook in the oven for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Be sure to check on it often - you want the liquid to simmer NOT boil. If it's boiling turn the oven down until you reach a nice simmer.

Whew! That's a lotta work, right? Well friends you are about halfway done. You can take a breather at this point and enjoy a glass of wine and some nibblies. Don't rest too long though because you've got braised onions and sauteed mushrooms to make!!

Okay, so watch your timer. The braised onions take about thirty to forty minutes, so plan accordingly. Lovely Julia says to use 18-24 pearl onions. I used 24 and fervently wished for more later. They are soooooo delicious that I'll probably use forty or so next time. You can use fresh pearl onions if you so desire, but they are kind of a pain in the ass to peel (drop into boiling water for 2-3 minutes; drain; cut of the tops and peel). I used frozen pearl onions that are already peeled! Hurrah! I just took them out of the freezer as I began to prep, and they were thawed by the time I was ready for them.

Back on track: melt 1 and 1/2 tablespoons of butter in a three count of olive oil. I'd say over medium heat, and use a frying pan that has a cover. Drop in your baby onions with a little salt and pepper, and roll those guys around until they brown. As Julia says, "You cannot expect them to brown uniformly". That cracks me up, I don't know why. Anyhoo, after you've browned your onions lightly, add 1/2 cup of beef stock and (this is a Dana addition) 1/3 cup red or white wine (I used white cause that's what I drink). Cover the pan and lightly simmer those beauties for thirty for forty minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Mushroom time! These take no time at all, so cook them when the meat has ten or fifteen minutes left. You need 16 ounces of mushrooms for this - I used porcinis but you could go with shiitake as well. Clean them by wiping the tops lightly with a damp towel and quarter. Melt two tablespoons of butter in a three count of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Don't let the butter burn, but get it nice and bubbly. Add your mushrooms with some salt and pepper and toss in the pan to get everyone nice and coated with delicious butter. Use a wooden spoon if you don't have the frying pan food toss down yet (it took me a little while and some spilled food, but it sure is fun!). Keep the mushrooms moving so they don't burn, but do get some good color on them - this will take ten or so minutes. Finely mince one shallot and throw in the pan for the last minute of cooking. Remove everything from the pan and set aside with the braised onions for later.

All righty....we're getting there!! After about two hours in the oven, test your meat with a fork - it should pierce the beef easily. If it's not tender enough, back in the oven it goes. If it is....you're so close to done! Strain the contents of the pot into a saucepan, then put the meat and vegetables back into the pan. Add the braised onions and mushrooms on top of the meat. Skim the fat off of the top of the sauce (or use the handy dandy fat separator gadget from Crate and Barrel!). You should have around two and a half cups of sauce, and it should coat the back of a spoon. If it's too thin, you can boil it down a bit - but I'm too impatient for that. I put around a third of a cup of beef stock in a bowl with a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch and whisked it together, then added it to my simmering sauce. It tightened right up. If your sauce is too thick, add some more stock. Taste for seasoning, then pour the sauce back over the meat and vegetables. Top with some chopped parsely and whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa you're done! Eating time! Oh man I promise all this work is worth it.

I served this amazing-ness with some boiled potatoes - just some new potatoes boiled until soft, drained, then tossed with a little butter (ha, more butter) and salt. I put the potatoes down first in a bowl, then smothered with the meat/veggies/sauce. And enjoy!

Srsly, please try this. Yes, there are a lot of steps - but the end product is so satisfying and happy making. Even more so since it took lots of hard work to make. As always kittens, let me know how it turned out and if you added/changed anything.

BFF,

D

(Pretty) Easy Lemon Chicken

Oh hai everyone! Listen I don't want to hear it. It's been a while but c'mon. Planning a wedding is a LOT of work! Now I'm a married old lady, and Sunday Night Dinners are back bitches.

Okay, so Lemon Chicken. This is an Emeril Lagasse recipe that I've jacked just a little bit. His recipe calls for just white meat but I'm a big fan of dark meat too, so I've added that and made it a bit saucier.

First thing: full disclosure. I hate making rice with the fire of 1000 suns. Hate it. Maybe because I'm super bad at it. I always mess it up. So I have Adam make it. Since you guys don't have Adam, you should make it in a rice maker. Or just be better than me at making it. But make it first, mmkay? Just keep it warm without overcooking. Good luck with that.

All right, so then you should make the lemon sauce, it'll save you time later. Mix 1/2 cup of lemon juice with 4 tablespoons (plus a pinch more cause I like it) of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, 2/3 cup chicken stock, and the zest of one lemon. Wisk it up and set aside for the right moment.

Finely chop up four teaspoons each of fresh garlic and fresh garlic, as well as 1/2 cup of green onions. Set aside FOR LATER. Trust me.

Okie now, take one package of chicken breast tenders and one package of chicken thighs. The tenders are the right shape and size that you need, so slice the thighs into thinnish strips to match the tenders. Next, put 1/2 cup of cornstarch in a shallow dish, and beat two eggs into another. Dip each strip of breast and thighs into the cornstarch, egg, then cornstarch again. Your hands will get all gooey but get over it. It washes off. Set those aside to set up for about five minutes after you're done.

Ooh! One more thing to do as prep! Mix three teaspoons of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water. Wisky wisk that and then set aside. It's totally worth it later to do the prep work first. And clean as you go, right Mom?

Take a large frying pan or wok and heat up 1/4 to 1/3 cup or so of canola or peanut oil until almost smoking over medium high heat. Fry the chicken strips for three minutes on each side. They should get browned but not super dark. Set aside to blot on paper towels. Pour out most of the oil, and put the pan back over medium heat. Toss in the green onions and fry for one minute. Add the garlic and ginger and fry with the onions for thirty additional seconds. Next you're going to add that delectable lemon sauce mix. Give it another wisk then put it in the sauce pan with the ginger, garlic and green onions. Bring the sauce to a boil and then add your cornstarch/water mix and wisk in. The sauce should thicken immediately. Add the chicken back to the pot, cover all the chicken with the sauce well, and turn the heat down to low.

Serve this deliciousness with some veggies if you'd like. I like to buy a fresh "stir fry" ** packet at the market - it's carrots, snow peas, and broccoli all cut up and cleaned neat and proper like. I just heat up a bit more canola or peanut oil in a separate pan with some red pepper flake and more chopped ginger, garlic and green onion. Sautee those veggies for a bit to soften but make sure they still have some crunch. ** Be sure to buy the fresh vegs, not frozen. I purchased the frozen packet once it was an epic fail.

Serve your fantastic meal with over your properly made rice, and enjoy!

It's good to be back! Let's continue this super ride, and hit me back and let me know if you made this or any of my other dinners. I'll take Sunday Night Suggestions, too!

Kisses!

-Mrs. B.

Matzoh Ball Soup

Yeah yeah I haven't posted in a while....blah blah blah. I got engaged, what do you want with me? I'm busy planning a wedding here!

Oh yeah, Matzoh Ball Soup. This is a really good, super easy Sunday Night Dinner. Thanks to my dear fiance for teaching me this delicious recipe. Make it anytime you or your loved ones feel sick, you'll feel better in no time. If you like chicken soup with dumplings, you will love matzoh balls. Trust me, kids.

Start yourself off with a big stock pot. As you heat a three count of olive oil, roughly chop one yellow onion, 4-5 stalks of celery (leaves and all), and 3-4 carrots. You don't have to be too concerned with size or nice little conform pieces, you are going to strain these veggies out later. If you plan on eating your veggies (and you should, Grandma says so), then chop them into bite sized pieces. Toss the veggies in the olive oil and sautee for a few. You don't really want to get much color here, you are just softening the veggies. Add some salt and pepper, and if desired some fresh or dried dill. I'm not a huge fan of dill, but Adam is and says it is a major part of the recipe. Meh. I put in a pinch of the dried dill. The things we do for love.

Anyhoo, once you see a little color on the bottom of the pan, pour in three glugs of white wine and deglaze that stuff. Next add a 64 ounce can of chicken stock. I usually empty the can into the stock pot, then fill the can about up almost to the top with water, add that to the pot, then add four or five chicken bullion cubes. Bring this all to a boil, then cover the pot and lower to a simmer. Cook that for at least an hour, but the longer you cook it, the better it will get. Be sure to taste often for seasoning, you'll probably want to add some salt and pepper.

Once the soup has cooked for at least an hour, get your rotisserie chicken out that you bought at the market. If you want, you can poach some chicken in the broth, but I'm not a fan. I really think it tastes dried out. The rotisserie chicken is really flavorful. Pour the juices from the chicken into your stock, and then take the skin off, de-bone, and shred. Strain the veggies out of the soup and set those aside, then add the shredded chicken to the broth.

Time for the matzoh balls! Matzoh is made from un-leavened bread cracker crumbs. You can buy matzoh ball mix at the market, there is a brand called Manischewitz that is great. Be sure to get the Mix, not just the meal, or you'll have more work on your hands. While you're at the market, get the Manischewitz yolk-free noodles too.

So, after you've strained the broth and added the chicken, get out your trusty matzoh ball mix, and follow the directions carefully. The directions for the matzo balls say to boil some water to cook them in, but you should ignore that part and bring your freshly made stock to a boil and cook them in there. It's super easy, I know you can do it. In a separate pot, boil some water with a bullion cube for the noodles. Cook, strain, and set noodles aside. They only take 2 or so minutes, so be careful.

Okay! So you've followed the directions on the matzoh ball mix box and you're done! Get your bowls out, put some noodles in the bottom, followed by some of the strained veggies, and then broth, chicken, and of course one or two matzoh balls! You will have traveled back to delicious town, and will be welcomed with open arms. Enjoy, and Mazel Tov!

Better late than never Sunday Night Dinner

I totally made Sunday Night Dinner, but I had a cold so I forgot to write it up. I swear. But here's what I made and it was yummy. Give it a go.

Chicken with Riesling

Rice Pilaf

Mixed Green salad with mustard vinaigrette

Okay here is how it went: the chicken with Riesling is a Mark Bittman recipe, from his cook book called "The Minimalist". I totally recommend picking it up, it's an amazing book, along with Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". It's the cooking encyclopedia.

Anyhoosers, start with a whole chicken (bone in, skin on), cut up. In a heavy bottomed dutch oven (le crueset people!), heat a three to four count of olive oil over medium high heat. Salt and pepper the chicken, then sear all of the pieces in batches in the oil. Don't overcrowd the pan, get some good color on both sides of all pieces and take it out of the pan. While the chicken is done browning, slice four onions. Yeah that's right I said four. To avoid stingy onions tears, refrigerate the onions beforehand. It's the only trick that's ever worked for me - it seems as if the onions are cold they don't release as much of the tear inducing air. That's science right there, peeps. Theater degree, what.

After removing the last of the chicken from the dutch oven, put all of the sliced onions in with a good dose of salt and pepper. I also added five or six shakes of garlic powder, one bay leaf, and a good handful of fresh thyme wrapped in butcher's twine. It's easier to do the thyme that way because you don't need to scrape all of the thyme leaves off - they fall off in the sauce and you can remove the stems in one fell swoop. Stir the onions often and get them nice and soft. I let them go a bit farther than soft, because I like a little carmelization on the onions, but don't let them burn. Once they are to the color and texture that you like best, add half of a bottle of dry Riesling. Be sure to look for a Riesling that says "dry" on the bottle, because you do not want this dish to be too sweet. Add the browned chicken pieces back to the pot, and settle them in the sauce - make sure all of the chicken is mostly covered by sauce. Add more wine if necessary. Cover the pot and reduce the heat to simmer, and cook that deliciousness for about forty five minutes. As I like to say: taste taste taste. You really need to balance the sweetness of the Riesling with salt, so be sure to taste and season to your liking. When it's done, the chicken on the thighs and legs should be falling off of the bone.

As the chicken cooked, towards the end I made two boxes of Near East Rice Pilaf. I know that's cheating, but like I always say - take the help where you can get it. You know that the boxed rice pilaf will come out perfect every time, so why not do it. I also made the mustard vinaigrette for the greens: two tablespoons of Dijon mustard, a splash of the Riesling that you cooked the chicken in, three tablespoons of red wine vinegar, salt/pepper and a 1/4 cup of olive oil. Whisk all ingredients together and set aside. Right before serving, toss your greens in the vinaigrette. Ha, toss it.

Once the chicken is done, remove it from the pan and then get out my favorite kitchen tool. Say it together people: "immersion blender". Awww yeah. Immersion blend that sauce until it thickens a bit, then add the chicken back in and heat through. Again, if you don't have an immersion blender, dudes, buy one. Orrrrrrrrrr blend it in a blender, sheesh.

Serve the chicken with the rice pilaf and the pan sauce, along with your salad with mustard vinaigrette. A baguette to soak up the sauce is also helpful, and everyone loves bread! It's a delicious, slow cooked meal worthy of the coldest of days. It will warm the cockles of your heart. Haa, I said cockles.

As always, let me know how it goes.

BFF,

Dana

White Bean Chili Sunday Night Dinner

Hey kids, sorry for the absence last week. I was super busy....getting engaged! Woot!

But back to the grind. There was a bit of chill in the air today, fall is finally coming. Well, fall in California terms anyways. So of course I immediately thought of chili! However, instead of a heavy red meat chili, I went with a white bean and chicken chili. It's creamy without having any cream, and it still has the nice burn down the throat that you want from chili.

So, start with a rotisserie chicken from the deli. Like I've said before, take the help where you can get it, even when you are making a Sunday Night Dinner. Take the skin off, de-bone, and shred the chicken. Set aside for laters.

In a stock pot, pour a five count of olive oil and add on large onion, sliced. Add some salt/pepper and let the onions sweat out a bit. Next add four chopped garlic cloves and one can of diced green chiles (the brand is Ortega, it's a small-ish can; you can usually find it in the salsa aisle at the market). Let those flavors meld a bit, and when the onions start to get some color, add a few glugs of white wine or light beer to deglaze. Cook that down for a bit, and then add a box and a half of chicken stock and two and a half cans of white cannelloni beans. You will use the rest of that half can later. Give it all a stir, and then it's time to add the seasonings that make chili taste like chili! I really eyeball this when I make it, so I apologize for not being able to give you specific measurements, but you'll just have to deal. Man up, and add some chili powder, cumin, and cayenne pepper. Go eaaaaaaasy on the cayenne at first, maybe five or six shakes. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. You can go heavier on the chili powder and cumin, but remember that cumin can overpower a dish quite easily, so be careful. You'll probably need some salt at this point, so season away and taste taste taste. Let the chili bubble away for about twenty minutes at this point so all of the flavors can meld. Keep tasting and adding more cayenne if you want more heat. You could also add a few shakes of tabasco or sriracha.

Okay now we want to thicken this chili up so that it resembles chili and not tortilla soup. Get that handy dandy immersion blender out and blend it up! If you are super lame and don't have an immersion blender, go get one. Or use a normal blender, but blend in batches and don't burn yourself. Then go buy an immersion blender.

So now that your chili is nice and blended, add your shredded chicken along with a can and a half of white cannelloni beans, and half a bag of frozen corn. Let this all bubble away while you make some corn bread.

Oooh I love me some corn bread. I am not a giant fan of baking, so I used a mix. Just follow the directions on the box and bake - it was delish. But if you want to make it from scratch, good on you.

Now, no bowl of chili is complete without some accoutrement on top. I shredded some pepper jack cheese, chopped some avocado, and put out a bowl of tortilla chips. Please add whatever you love best on top of your bowl of chili, and do it now! Try this recipe, it's a really great twist on traditional chili but it still gives you that chili love that I know you are jonesing for.

Let me know how it went!

Thanks for the great recipe, momma :-)