Chili

This chili is easy, delicious, and perfect for Superbowl parties! There are many types of chili, but this has just about everything in it: ground beef, sausage, tomatoes, beans, and a variety of vegetables. It can even be Kosher, depending on what sausage you use!

I wanted my chili to have balanced but complex flavors. To do so, I cooked the vegetables and meats before I combined everything. That simple technique allowed the meat to brown and caramelize and the flavors of the vegetables to mingle. Once I mixed everything together, the flavor of the vegetables infused the rest of the dish, and the meat didn't completely dissolve.

In chili, you have to use chiles. It's in the name. There are plenty of bell peppers in the recipe, but I also added an Anaheim. They are sweet with a slight kick, so you can add more spice via other chiles (i.e. jalapeños or habaneros) or dried, ground up chiles (I used a few spoonfuls of cayenne). Canned diced green chiles add a gentle heat.

This specific batch of chili was meant for a Superbowl party at a Temple. Everything needed to be Kosher, so I used sweet Italian Beef Sausage. If that's not available or if you prefer something else, that is perfectly acceptable, but I do recommend sticking with some sort of Italian sausage. If you want even more heat, try a spicy variety!

As for my opinion on the chili vs chile debate, I refer to the dish as chili and the ingredients and country as chile.

1 1/2 lbs Ground Chuck
3/4 lb Italian Sausage
45 oz Canned Kidney and/or Navy and/or Cannellini Beans, Drained & Rinsed
42 oz Canned Petite Diced Tomatoes with Juice
4oz Diced Green Chiles
4 oz Tomato Paste
1 Yellow Onion, Diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, Diced
1 Red Bell Pepper, Diced
4 Cloves Garlic, Minced
1 Anaheim Chile, Diced
1 Jalapeno, Minced
3 T Chili Powder
1 Cup Chicken Broth
2 tsp Oregano
1/2 T Cumin
3/4 tsp Basil
3/4 tsp Salt
3/4 tsp Pepper
2 T Cayenne
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Sugar
1 T Worcestershire
2 tsp Hot Sauce

Heat some oil in a large pot. Add the sausage and brown on all sides. Set aside and slice into coins when cool.

Return the pot to the heat. Add the onions and bell peppers, season with salt and pepper, and cook until almost tender, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, Anaheim chile, and jalapeno and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the ground beef and sliced sausage and cook for 5 minutes or until browned. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.

Add the chicken broth, worcestershire, and hot sauce. Combine the chili powder, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir into the chili. Add the beans, tomatoes with juice, and green chiles.

Cover the pot and simmer on low for at least two hours.

Serves 8
Recipe Adapted from www.allrecipes.com

Chocolate Orange Cookies

Orange is a new flavor for me. I'll admit it; fruits and vegetables aren't exactly my favorite foods. However, if you pair certain things with chocolate, I'm willing to eat it. When I saw this recipe for Chocolate Orange Cookies, I knew this was a great way to eat some citrus and satisfy my chocolate craving.

There are three different types of orange in these cookies: zest, juice, and candied orange peel. I happened to stumble upon candied orange peel at a store in New York City, but if you can't find it, simply search it on the internet. Basically, you dip strips of orange peel in sugar syrup and let it dry.

Oranges and chocolate both have the potential to be quite bitter, so you have to balance the flavors. If done right, these cookies will be sweet, tangy, and bitter. If not, you'll have bitter from the chocolate blended with a sour bitterness from the orange. I had to adjust the proportions of everything from the original recipe to fit my taste, so change the amounts of chocolate and/or orange if you want to.

2 Sticks Butter, Softened
1 Cup Powdered Sugar
Zest of 1 Orange
1 T Orange Juice
1/4 tsp Salt
1 oz Chopped Candied Orange Peel
1/3 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 Cups Flour
1/2 Cup Cocoa

Combine the flour and the cocoa. Beat the butter and powdered sugar together. Add the salt, orange juice, and orange zest. Fold in the orange peel and chocolate chips. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined.

Gather the dough into a ball and split in two. Roll each half into a 1" diameter, 9" long log. Wrap in plastic and chill for two hours.

Heat oven to 350F. Line cookie trays with parchment.

Slice the logs into 1/4" thick slices. Bake for 15 minutes or until set.

Makes 50
Recipe Adapted from www.sweetsensation-monchi.blogspot.com

Strawberry White Chocolate Mousse Tart

Ok, so I really shouldn't be posting this in January, but this tart is absolutely fantastic. It is totally worth splurging on fresh berries, and it tasted even better when I made it over the summer with berries I had picked literally hours before. It is composed of buttery, flaky pie crust, sweet, fluffy white chocolate mousse, and succulent strawberries.

It is crucial that you use fresh strawberries in this recipe. I love using frozen fruit in smoothies, muffins, and some other baked goods, but strawberries are the star of this tart. Frozen berries tend to be somewhat deformed in addition to being extremely juicy, and those juices will ruin the pristine white mousse. Furthermore, since the strawberries are so prominent, you want to taste the freshness and the vibrance that only fresh berries have.

The original recipe was topped with a sticky strawberry glaze, but, after reading the reviews, I decided not to include it. The acidity broke down the mousse, and I didn't think that was worth the bit of extra flavor it added. If you want to risk it, simply melt down some strawberry jam in a small saucepan and add some lemon juice and sugar to taste.

As for the mousse, the recipe uses white chocolate. However, you can use milk or dark chocolate instead. The white will show off the colorful berries, but who doesn't like a dark chocolate covered strawberry? The bitterness plays off of the sweet tartness of the berries quite nicely. All chocolate is delicious, so use what you have or what you prefer.

If you use white chocolate in particular, I like to melt a few ounces and spread it on the crust once the crust cools but before adding the mousse. White chocolate has such a subtle flavor that the tart could definitely use an extra layer. It also protects the crust from the moisture of the mousse, so your crust stays crisp and flaky for hours.

I use my go-to pie crust recipe for this; it is buttery and flaky and SO good! If you use dark or milk chocolate, you can make a chocolate pie crust to boost the flavor. Simply use 1/4 cup of cocoa and 1 cup flour instead of 1 1/4 cups flour.

1 1/4 Cups Flour
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
1 Stick Butter, Chilled
1 Egg Yolk
2 Egg Whites
10 oz White Chocolate
1 1/4 Cups Cream, Chilled
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 lb Fresh Strawberries


Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter and pulse until small pieces remain. Combine the egg yolk with a tablespoon of cold water and add to the mixture. Pulse until just cohesive, adding more water as necessary. Chill.


Heat oven to 375F. Grease a 9-11" round tart pan and a sheet of foil.


Roll out the dough to fit the prepared pan and press gently to adhere. Press the foil, greased-side down, onto the dough and fill with pie weights (dried beans or peas work if you don't have any). Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until golden, about 5 minutes more. Cool.

Melt 3 oz chocolate and spread over the cooled crust.


Combine 7 oz chocolate and 1/4 cup cream in a glass bowl. Place over a pot of simmering water and whisk until melted. Remove from the water and cool. Whip remaining cream and vanilla in a bowl until stiff peaks form.


In a new, clean bowl, whip the egg whites with the cream of tartar until stiff. Fold into the chocolate, then fold in the whipped cream. Pour into the cooled crust and spread to an even thickness. Chill until firm.


Meanwhile, wash and hull the strawberries. Slice thinly and place on the chilled mousse.

Makes 1 Tart
Recipe Adapted from Bon Appetit