A Gilt Nutmeg

Last Tuesday, on May 8, the world lost a great presence.  Those of you who don’t know me personally won’t know that my other burning passion besides food is for children’s book illustrations (it doesn’t really come up on a food blog, after all).  I have Beatrix Potter prints in my apartment, my cell phone background is E. H. Shepard, and if I had an extra $3,500 would, without hesitation, buy my favorite Garth Williams illustration of a little sparrow eying a biscuit from “Stuart Little”.  And because of this love of illustration, Tuesday’s passing of Maurice Sendak was especially saddening.  Most people are familiar with Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are”, but I never really cared for that book as a child.  Instead I preferred–as anyone who loves cooking might– “Chicken Soup with Rice”.

Image Borrowed from Foodie Parent

The book is a tribute to eating chicken soup throughout the year, with a poem for each month.  I couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate Maurice Sendak’s life than to make a batch of Chicken Soup with Rice and read the book again.  The recipe is a great one that comes together very quickly, yet tastes like it’s been simmering for hours.  It will be perfect for every month of the year.  Maurice, you will be sorely missed.

In May
I think it truly best
to be a robin
lightly dressed
concocting soup
inside my nest.
Mix it once
mix it twice
mix that chicken soup
with rice.

Chicken Soup with Rice
Adapted from “Mad Hungry” by Lucinda Quinn via Martha Stewart
Makes 4 servings

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 Tbsp olive oil (divided into 1 Tbsp and 1 Tbsp)
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 6 spring onions (or scallions), white and light green parts only
• 3 medium sized carrots
• 2/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 48 oz box of low sodium chicken broth (6 cups)
• 1 cup cooked rice

1. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a stock pot; while it’s heating slice the chicken into approximately 1/2″ slices and then throw them into the pot to brown.
2. While the chicken is browning, thinly slice the scallions and peel and slice the carrots into what my mom would always call “pennies”.
3. When the chicken is cooked through and golden brown, move it to a bowl and set aside.
4. Add the remaining Tbsp of olive oil and the butter to the pot and melt.  Add the onions, carrots, parsley, thyme and bay leaf.  Saute for about 3 minutes.
5. Add the chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes or so; in the meantime shred the chicken.  The easiest way to do this is to take two forks, stab one fork towards the end of a piece to hold it in place and drag the other fork across the chicken to pull it into long shreds and pieces of various sizes.
6. Add the chicken and rice to the soup and simmer for another 5 minutes or so until the chicken and rice are heated up.
7. Remove the bay leaf and enjoy while reading the appropriate month’s poem in “Chicken Soup with Rice”.

**Note: the soup is delicious, of course, as leftovers, but the rice does tend to get a little mushy the next day.  Best not to let it sit in the fridge for more than 24 hours before eating the rest of it.  Also, the broth is my favorite part of any soup, so when I reheated it, I added an extra little bit of water to the bowl–it gave me a little more broth without diluting the flavor.

There are a couple of things that make this post unbelievable.  The first is that I made cheese, a task I always thought best left to the professionals.  The second is that I made ricotta cheese and the third is that I actually liked it.  I’ve always shunned things like stuffed pasta shells and traditional lasagna because ricotta cheese is grainy and dry, but this ricotta….this is rich and dense yet somehow light at the same time, and I’m pretty sure there will be tears when this batch is gone.

All of the credit must go to SmittenKitchen, who did all the cheese-making research and figured out how to make this incredible ricotta.  And, really, it can’t get more simple to make in your own kitchen than this: heat milk in a pot, add lemon juice, leave it in a strainer, done.  Seriously, that’s it!  The only thing stopping me (aside from not realizing how simple it was) was that I never remembered to see if my grocery store had cheesecloth.  Once I stumbled across it, cheese making was on.  This is definitely one recipe NOT to be scared to make.

The last part of this post is a very very long overdue mention regarding one of the greatest food gifts I have ever received.  Last year at the International Food Bloggers Conference in Santa Monica, I was seated at dinner next to Ms. Lamamié from the Trade Commission of Spain.  She brought with her olive oil and there was a different bottle on every dinner table in the room.  I’m normally a bread-and-butter kind of gal, but she encouraged our table to try the olive oil and I don’t think I once glanced at the butter dish again for the rest of the evening.  When dinner was done, and admittedly after a glass of wine or two, I asked Ms. Lamamié if I might be able to take that bottle of olive oil home, which she graciously allowed me to do.  The olive oil was Marques De Grinon Extra Virgin Olive Oil and I have never looked back.  I have a bottle of cheaper olive oil when I just want to fry something up, when the flavor is going to be hidden, but whenever the flavor of olive oil needs to shine, like drizzling it over this ricotta, I always pull the Marques De Grinon down from off the shelf.  I thought olive oil all tasted the same, but in fact olive oils differ just like wines differ.  This olive oil is fruity and spicy in a way I never knew olive oil could be and now I truly believe it’s well worth the money to splurge on a bottle!  Ms. Lamamié warned me that you should not let olive oil sit for too long, that it does not behave like wine and deteriorates over time; you should finish a bottle in 3-6 months for the best flavor, if I remember correctly, but I just can’t bring myself to speed through this bottle and I plan to continue savoring it until the last drop (and it still tastes great).  Thank you, again, Spain, for giving me such a wonderful, eye-opening addition to my kitchen!

Homemade Ricotta Cheese
Recipe from SmittenKitchen
Makes about 1 cup

• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt
• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

1. In a medium stainless steel (or other nonreactive) saucepan, heat the milk, cream and salt to 190 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring it every once in a while.  My pots have a small lip on them which makes it difficult to clip a thermometer to the side, so I have to attach it with a twist of aluminum foil hooked onto the handle of the pot.
2. Once the milk hits 190 degrees, turn off the burner and add the lemon juice, stirring only once to distribute the juice, then leave the pot sitting undisturbed for 5 minutes.
3. While the pot is sitting, line a sieve with 3 pieces of cheesecloth and set it over a large bowl.
4. Pour the milk mixture slowly into the prepared sieve and set the bowl aside for two hours.  This is separating the curds (the cheese) and the whey (the water dripping into the bowl).
5. After the wait time is up, gather the edges of the cheesecloth and very gently squeeze a little bit more of the liquid out (but don’t squeeze too hard–we want some of the liquid in there to keep it creamy) and transfer to the fridge in an airtight container.  You could eat it immediately, but it will firm up almost to the consistency of cream cheese after sitting in the fridge for a little while, which I loved.
6. SmittenKitchen’s lasts only 2-3 days in the fridge, but mine is going on over a week and still smells and tastes great, so it seems to come down to the types of milk you use–use your best “is this still good” judgement before eating.  Serve on toasted baguettes with olive oil and sea salt, or use in recipes calling for ricotta, and enjoy!

Disclaimer:  The bottle of Marques De Grinon Extra Virgin Olive Oil was given to me, free of charge, by a representative of The Trade Commission of Spain and Olive Oil from Spain, however, the opinions expressed here are my own.

When my sister started eating rice pudding, I was thoroughly grossed out; I couldn’t think of anything that looked more unappetizing, except maybe tapioca.  Then, a few years ago, my favorite Indian restaurant in all of Los Angeles (Anarkali, on Melrose, for those locals reading) set a little dish of rice pudding in front of me as a little complimentary sweet to end the meal with and my whole view on rice pudding changed.

Looking back, I can’t imagine why I would be turned off by a recipe that centers on my favorite spices and now rice pudding is by far one of my favorite desserts.  Dare I say, ice cream doesn’t even hold a candle to rice pudding for the cold, sweet, creamy comfort it provides.

This recipe is a little different from the normal rice pudding in that instead of using only milk, it also uses coconut milk for flavor.  It adds a gentle coconut flavor that pairs well with the vanilla bean but isn’t overwhelmingly “coconutty”, if you catch my drift.  Sprinkle with cinnamon for an additional twist of flavor and you may find yourself eating this for breakfast like I did because I just couldn’t wait until dessert later in the day!

Vanilla Coconut Rice Pudding
Adapted from Vanilla Garlic
Makes about 4 cups

• 1 1/2 cups cooked cold Arborio rice (or 3/4 cup uncooked Arborio rice + 1 cup water)
• 1 can (15 oz) light coconut milk
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out for use, or 1 Tablespoon vanilla bean paste

1. If you don’t have cooked rice lying around, which I didn’t, in a saucepan bring the water and rice to a boil, turn the heat to low and let it simmer for a few minutes, stirring until the water is completely absorbed.  The rice should be al dente–slightly crunchy in the middle, which will give your rice pudding more texture later.  Move the rice to a bowl and put in the fridge (or if you’re in a hurry like me, in the freezer) until it cools down.
2. Combine the rice, coconut milk, whole milk, sugar, salt and vanilla in a large saucepan and cook, uncovered, on low-medium heat for 40 minutes.  If you want it a little thicker, cook the mixture for a bit longer.
3. Let the mixture cool to almost room temperature (so you don’t heat up your fridge too much), then move to the refrigerator to finish chilling.  Serve cold with a sprinkle of cinnamon and enjoy!

Attention Readers– The following words just came out of The Boyfriend’s mouth: “This is the best mac and cheese you’ve ever made“.  Yes, I’m telling the truth and, what’s more, I agree with him.  For years now I have been on a never ending quest for a homemade macaroni and cheese that I actually like and had yet to be satisfied until this recipe.  I’m sure my poor father’s heart has been broken many a time over the years because he loves homemade macaroni and cheese whereas I just never could get over the boxed kind.  Luckily, I can tell you exactly why I don’t like homemade mac and cheese: cheddar cheese melts grainy.  That’s it!  I want my mac and cheese to be smooth and creamy, not grainy and stringy.  My solution was discovered by wandering the Trader Joe’s cheese section for some gruyere for this recipe when I stumbled across Trader Joe’s Cheddar & Gruyere Melange.  It melts like gruyere but tastes like cheddar and with this one cheese all of my mac and cheese problems were solved!  Now add to this some sweet caramelized shallots and crisped up sage (The Boyfriend’s absolute favorite) and you’ve got yourself a near perfect mac and cheese dinner.  The only negative?  It does dirty up a whoooole lot of pots and pans, so only make this if you’re prepared for the clean up later.

Caramelized Shallot and Crispy Sage Macaroni and Cheese
Adapted from Cake, Batter & Bowl
Makes 2 entree servings, double if making for a family or if you want leftovers

• 1/2 pound orecchiette pasta
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup finely chopped shallots
• 1/2 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons butter + 1 Tablespoon butter, seperated
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups shredded Trader Joe’s Cheddar & Gruyere Melange (or 1 cup shredded Sharp Cheddar + 1 cup shredded Gruyere)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

1. In a saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat; add the shallots and sugar, stirring frequently for 18 minutes until shallots are very soft and completely golden brown throughout.  Add the garlic, stir for another minute, then set the pan aside for later use.
2. In the meantime, bring a pot of water to boil and toss a little salt and olive oil into the water; cook the pasta until al dente, then drain and set aside.
3. In a third pot (medium sized), melt the 2 tablespoons of butter and whisk the flour in.  Keep whisking until the flour-butter mixture turns golden brown, about one minute. (This is called a roux and the darker your roux the more nutty the flavor of your final dish will be.)
4. Whisk the buttermilk and cream into the flour-butter mixture and bring the pot to a boil. (Adding milk to a roux makes it a bechamel sauce; look at all the French this recipe teaches you!)  Once it reaches boiling, lower the heat and stir in the shredded cheese(s).  Once melted and smooth, stir the salt, nutmeg and cayenne into the cheese sauce.
5. In a small pan, melt the last tablespoon of butter.  Once melted and hot, drop the chopped sage in, let it sizzle for 30 seconds or so, then turn off the heat.
6. Combine pasta, cheese sauce, shallots and sage in a large bowl and mix until pasta is thoroughly coated and shallots and sage are evenly distributed.  Enjoy!

A true testament to this recipe:  I made it two days ago and ever since have been desperately craving another slice.  I will admit right off, as I was wrapping up the bread after it cooled, I was thinking, “how on earth can this be good?  It just seems so dense and unappetizing…”  but the next day I sliced it and toasted it and spread it with butter and my plum jam and ohmigoodness.

It’s certainly not a light airy French bread, but what I thought was totally dense and unappealing (even after slicing it and dubiously putting it in the toaster), ended up being perfectly chewy and crispy and craggy in all the right places, just like an English muffin.  And like I said, I can’t stop craving it!  It comes together with minimal effort and barely any dirty dishes, so that’s always a plus in my book.  A nice toasted slice with fruit or honey on top would be perfect for a weekend spring morning, sitting in the sunshine and listening to the birds chatter (at least that’s how I envision a perfect morning…).

English Muffin Bread
Adapted from One Good Thing
Makes 2 loaves

• coarse corn meal for dusting the pans
• 2 3/4 cup warm water (105-110 degrees)
• 1 1/2 packages rapid rise yeast
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons melted butter to brush on loaves later

1. Spray two loaf pans with non-stick baking spray and dust the insides with coarse cornmeal (just like a real English muffin!).  Shake the pan around until evenly coated as best you can get it, then dump the excess out.
2. In a large bowl, combine all of the remaining ingredients except for the butter and mix just barely until all of the ingredients are combined.  (Jillee of One Good Thing showed a picture of her batter and it was very very sticky, much stickier than mine, so don’t worry if it’s sticky–don’t add extra flour)
3. Divide the batter-dough between the loaf pans and use a spatula to smooth out the surface.
4. Preheat your oven now to 350 degrees, or later depending on how long it takes for your oven to heat.  Place the loaf pans in a warmish spot in your kitchen, cover with a kitchen towel, and let the dough rise until it reaches the top of the loaf pans.  This took about an hour and 20 minutes for me.
5. Bake the loaves for 35 minutes, brush the top of the loaves with the melted butter, and bake for another 5-10 minutes until the tops are perfectly golden brown.
6. Take the loaves out of their pans and let them cool on a wire rack.  Resist the urge to slice and eat them now; allow them to cool 100% completely.
7. When ready to eat, slice thickly and toast.  Top with butter, jam, honey, fruit, whatever sounds good to you, and enjoy!

I don’t know if words can even begin to describe these corn muffins.  I mentioned in a previous post that a friend had a rating system for tiramisu all over the city of LA.  Well, The Boyfriend has a similar system in place for corn muffins and cornbread.  Currently, his favorite is at a restaurant called Bandera, and while I know that Bandera’s cornbread still has a stronghold on his heart, I think he was pretty impressed with these corn muffins.  I know I was at least:

This recipe makes some of the most delicious, tender, delicate corn muffins I have ever had the pleasure of eating!  I almost can’t believe that they came out of my kitchen.  The only change I made to the recipe was to use fine ground corn meal instead of coarse ground, mostly just because that was all I had on hand.  That said, I think the texture of the fine ground corn meal was what contributed to such a tender muffin while still giving it the occasional chewy grains that I love so much in corn muffins.  The recipe below is for a half batch–it makes about 12 muffins.

Pay no attention to the name, “Rather Rich”…just ignore it and savor them and forget about the health level of muffins made entirely with heavy cream.  Amanda, of Fake Ginger, hosted this recipe on Project Pastry Queen way back in February of 2010, but I sure am glad I came back to try them!  Many of the other members loaded the muffins up with cheese and jalapenos and such, so check out everyone’s versions here.

Rather Rich Corn Muffins
Adapted from The Pastry Queen
Makes 12 muffins

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cool
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup fine corn meal
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup canned corn kernels

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and thoroughly spray a muffin tin with nonstick baking spray.
2. Mix the melted butter, cream and eggs in a large mixing bowl.
3. Stir in the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt until ingredients are combined.
4. Stir the corn into the batter, then evenly divide the batter among the 12 muffin cups.  Sprinkle some additional cornmeal over the top of the batter.
5. Bake for approximately 15 minutes until the muffins are light brown around the edges and firm when you press them on top.
6. Let them cool in the muffin tin for 5-10 minutes, because they’ll be fragile at first, but be sure to take them out of the pan and let them cool on a wire rack so they don’t get soggy.
7. They’ll be best served warm; but it seems Rebecca too has discovered my favorite way to eat a corn muffin: cut in half, toasted, smeared with butter!

We’ve had a bit of a cold snap the last few days here in SoCal and I found myself craving hot chocolate–but not the wimpy hot chocolate that comes as packaged dust that you dump out of an envelope.  No, I wanted rich, thick, almost-could-eat-it-with-a-spoon hot chocolate.  Wouldn’t you know, that with just the right recipe you CAN eat hot chocolate with a spoon?

This dessert is baked just long enough so that it forms a bit of a cake-y crust on top, a layer of fudgy pudding like chocolate underneath that, and then at the bottom is molten hot chocolate just waiting to be spooned up out of the cup.  You can certainly toast a marshmallow and put it on top, but this dessert is so rich, you’re going to want a little bit of lightly sweetened whipped cream instead to cut that richness.

Enjoy in front of a fire and with a good book!

Baked Hot Chocolate
Adapted from The Wall Street Journal
Serves 4

• 8oz high-quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
• 4 eggs
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• topping –whipped cream or marshmallows

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Heat a large pot of water until simmering; place a large metal mixing bowl on top of the pot and dump in the chocolate and butter.  Stir every so often until the mixture is completely melted and smooth.  Set the bowl aside and leave pot of water simmering.
3. In a medium metal mixing bowl, set it on top of the large large pot of water; add the eggs and sugar and mix until thoroughly combined.  Heat it over the simmering water until it’s warm to the touch (I literally just stuck my finger into the mixture and said, “yup, that’s warm” and called it good).  Remove the bowl from the pot of simmering water and turn the burner under the water off, since you won’t need it anymore.
4. With an electric mixer, beat the egg mixture for 5 full minutes.  It should be very light in color and very frothy by the time you’re done.
5. Fold the egg mixture into the chocolate.  It may take a little longer than normally folding in egg whites takes, but you’ll see the egg mixture start to tint brown with the chocolate and you’ll know you’re making progress.  Make sure you scrape the bottom of the bowl thoroughly so you don’t miss any of the chocolate-y goodness.
6. When the eggs are fully incorporated into the chocolate, spoon the mixture evenly into 4 oven proof coffee cups.
7. Arrange the coffee cups in a large roasting pan and fill the pan with water until it reaches 1/2 way up the sides of the coffee cups.
8. Bake for 12-15 minute, until the tops are just baked into a cake like crust.  I know I overbaked mine (I did mine for 20 minutes) a bit, and I think in this case it’s better to err on the less time rather than more time in the oven.
9. When done baking, remove the pan from the oven and place the cups on a wire cooling rack until you can pick the cups up with your hand and not burn yourself.
10. Serve while the cake is still warm, with the topping of your choice.  Enjoy!

I will begin this blog post with a sincere apology to anyone I may be offending with the name that stuck to this recipe.  Namely, my Aunt Christy and Uncle John, who so lovingly shared this recipe with me years ago (actually, it was less ‘loving’ and more like “YOU’VE NEVER HAD QUESO!??!?!”) and who are certainly not trailer trash, as far as I know.

But really, this has Velveeta in it and that’s why it has become named as such– when my friends ask for my queso recipe, I have to ask in return “do you want the white queso or the trailer trash queso?”, because that was the only way I could figure to distinguish the two recipes clearly.  I have to admit: no one ever wants the white queso recipe.  This queso recipe is probably my most famous recipe of all time amongst my friends; if a friend mentions they’ve never had queso, the other friends give each other knowing looks and say “your life is about to be changed”.  I tried to get Ace to make white queso this year for the Super Bowl and her response was “…but this one has SAUSAGE“, as if I had just suggested she serve celery sticks and carrots instead.

Although I may be a traitor to the foodie blog world by sharing a recipe that has fake cheese in it and is made in the microwave, make this for your Super Bowl Party for a sure-fire hit, whether it’s a party of 20 or a party of 1 (but just know that if it’s for a party of 1, you’ll still finish the bowl because you won’t be able to stop).

Trailer Trash Queso

Makes a large bowl that will feed a good sized crowd, or a group of 4 gluttonous college girls watching Project Runway

Note: the queso will unappetizingly harden as it cools, so be ready to serve it immediately after you make it.  If you’re taking it to a friend’s house for a party, I fry the sausage at home and bring it in a tupperware so that I can easily assemble the rest of the recipe at the other location.

• 1 tube of hot sausage
• 2 lbs Velveeta (the large box), roughly cubed or if you’re lucky enough to find “Velveeta Mexican”, substitute that instead! (it comes only in the 1 lb boxes so you’ll need 2)
• 1 package (8 oz) of cream cheese, roughly cubed
• 1 can of Rotel or other brand of diced tomatoes and green chiles
• tortilla chips

1. Fry up the sausage, trying to chop it up into pieces as small as possible.  Once cooked through, transfer the sausage on to a thick stack of paper towels on a plate to drain (clearly the last thing you need is additional fat in this recipe).
2. Add the Velveeta cubes, cream cheese cubes, Rotel, and sausage into a large microwave safe bowl (I try not to leave the cream cheese on top because it tends to pop).
3. Microwave for 4 minutes, stir vigorously (yes, it will look DISGUSTING at this point), microwave for 4 more minutes and stir vigorously again.
4. Serve with tortilla chips and be prepared to be grossed out at a) what you are putting into your body and b) how much of it you will willingly eat and crave again later.

With Super Bowl Sunday coming up, I thought you might want a really really good chili recipe for your party this Sunday…or for a cold winters night…or for basically any time you just want something delicious.  I know there are raging and almost violent debates out there about what makes an authentic chili–beans vs. no beans, ground beef vs. chopped beef, are tomatoes or tomato paste allowed, and so on and so forth; I also know that this chili breaks almost every one of those so-called “chili rules” and that I don’t care.  There is nothing more satisfying than a bowl of this chili–especially  because after simmering it for 3 hours, you’re STARVING unless you started way ahead of time (and when have you ever known me to do that?)

The recipe comes from Jack Westbrook from Texas.  I’m not sure where the name came from, but the recipe was given to my dad from a friend, Ed Jednacz, and as my family moved across the country from Oklahoma to Missouri to Pennsylvania to Georgia and now me in California and my sister in Washington DC, the chili recipe has maintained its revered status and traveled with us, which is certainly a testament to great chili.

My only rule with this chili: we don’t eat it with spoons.  Tortilla chips are all that you need to get this chili from bowl to mouth–and be sure to put lots of extra cheese on top.

Racer’s Macho Chili
Serves 6-10 approximately
Adapted to family tastes from Jack Westbrook’s original recipe

• 2 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 can (15 oz or as close as you can get) of diced tomatoes
• 1 can (6 oz) of tomato paste
• 4 tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin

• 1 cup water
• 3 tablespoons flour

• 2 cans pinto beans, drained
• 1/2 lb Colby Jack longhorn cheese, grated, plus plenty of extra for sprinkling on top

1. In a large pot, brown the beef and fry the onions until clear.
2. If you’re using a crockpot, transfer the beef and onions to the pot and add the rest of the ingredients except for the water, flour, beans and cheese (I added helpful breaks in the ingredient list so you don’t accidentally just throw everything in).  If you don’t have a crockpot, just add the ingredients to the pot you were browning the beef in.
3. Bring contents of pot to a simmer, then add the flour and water.  With the pot lid ON, simmer on very low heat for at least one hour. (If you don’t keep the pot lid on, all the liquid boils away and you’ll be very sad.  I know, I’ve done this.)
4. Add the beans, then continue simmering on low heat (with the lid on) for another two hours at least.
5. Add the grated cheese to the pot and stir into the chili 1-2 hours before serving.
6. Serve with tortilla chips and extra grated cheese thrown on top.  Enjoy!!

I have a new favorite pizza place here in Beachtown.  It’s called Stella Rossa and I have NEVER had pizza like Stella Rossa makes pizza.  They let their dough ferment for 18 hours so the crust that they put in front of you hot from the oven isn’t so much like pizza dough as it is more like fresh, airy, crusty, delicious French bread.  The pizza I love the most at Stella Rossa is an incredible seasonal option on the menu, topped with thin slices of roasted butternut squash, Applewood smoked bacon, Talleggio cheese, and sweet basil. I NEVER would have paired butternut squash with basil but wouldn’t you know that it’s perfect!  I would have defaulted to sage, like most of us would, but I now know that basil and butternut squash are like Romeo and Juliet–people try to keep them separate but secretly they are perfect together.

I’m not ready yet to start out on my own with making pizza crust just yet, especially when Trader Joe’s has such great tasting dough ready made in their fridge, but boy did I want this pizza at home!  So I mandolined some butternut squash, tried to find some acceptable cheeses to substitute and some good basil.  I left the bacon off, just because, but you feel free to add it to your pizza.  Truly, this pizza is a fantastic quick dinner that’s a break from the normal tomato based pies.

Butternut Squash Pizza
Makes 2 medium pizzas
Inspired by Stella Rossa

• 1 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and sliced thin enough to see through
• 3-4 small mozzarella balls in water, sliced
• about 1/4 cup shredded Harvati cheese
• bacon, crumbled (optional)
• handful of fresh basil
• 1 package of Trader Joe’s plain pizza crust, divided into two parts

1.  Lightly olive oil a baking sheet and put it into the cold oven.  Heat the oven with the baking sheet in it to 450 degrees.
2. Once the oven and pan are heated, take the pan out and place it on a heat-safe surface.  Working quickly, take one part of the pizza dough and gently stretch it out into a thin round.  The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to hold the dough in the air by one edge to let gravity do it’s magic and focus on stretching out the thicker outer edge of the dough (the middle will thin itself out naturally as you stretch the edge out).  Arrange the stretched out dough onto the hot oiled baking sheet.
3. Top the dough with the ingredients–squash first, the two cheeses and the bacon crumbles if you are using them.  Leave the basil off for now.
4. Move the baking sheet back into the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until the crust and cheese is lightly browned; remove from oven.
5. Lay the basil leaves on top of the hot pizza (they’ll wilt a little), cut into slices, and enjoy!