chili

Easy Slow Cooker Chili

January 12, 2016 By Erica Acevedo Leave a Comment

I’m a football fan, but not for the reasons most other people are football fans.

Sure, I was raised in a football-loving home (Go Bills!), but as a kid, when your family throws gameday parties, all you know is that there’s going to be some damn good food available to nibble when no one is looking.

Chips with dips, bite-sized everything, everything under the sun off the grill, and – in my house at least – Easy Slow Cooker Chili! It was usually made to top off the footlong franks everyone was gobbling down during halftime, but I always chose to settle down with a warm bowl in my room, away from the shouting and cheering.

To this day, when I’m invited to a football party, I’m always hoping to see a crock full of chili among the other tasty food on the table… [Read more…]

Homemade Thai Chili Sauce

February 20, 2015 By Marcella Rose 1 Comment

My little sister and fellow Cooking Spot contributor Nathalia of Creatively Conscious was married this fall in the loveliest wedding ceremony up in the pine-dotted Sierra. She and her husband Loren then took off for an epic honeymoon of honeymoons – to travel the world together for 7 months hand-in-hand. It really doesn’t get any more lovely or romantic than that.

It has been like a dream to be able to follow their adventures through their Instagram “Lov3_is_Key” and their Blog, LoveIsKey.net. But, better than that, Loren and Nathalia invited family members to join them along the way. I poured over their itinerary with my husband’s large atlas spread on the floor in front of me, my calendar to the right and my computer to my left, tracing what would be their epic journey, trying to decide where in the world would we fly off to see them, fantasizing about all the wonderful places, the amazing food, the cultures, and the people one would meet. I knew a few things for certain, I wanted to be with my sister for a holiday, traveling can be hard and so can being so far away from your family so this was a priority. If I could make at least one holiday feel a little bit like home, I would have achieved my goal. Also I wanted to go somewhere new, somewhere I thought I would never get a chance in my lifetime to visit, an adventure to top all adventures.

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Three Bean and Quinoa Chili

January 14, 2015 By Meme Inge 5 Comments

Three different beans and quinoa make this a satisfying alternative to a typically meat-heavy dish; it will turn a meat-lover into a vegetarian wanna be.

It’s safe to say that I have a soup obsession.

Soup seriously couldn’t be more perfect in my opinion.

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Turkey Chili.

November 25, 2014 By Nina B Leave a Comment

The cold weather has breached Chicago. It has breached me, actually, since my winter coat is currently being shipped from across the world. So it’s me and a pea coat against the elements. I have found, living most of my life in the Chicagoland area and especially because I was spoiled for the last two years, that a lot of it is mental. If I even think for a second that this is cold in November, I am done for. Winters last through March here and after the Christmas cheer, they are only more menacing. Also, have you heard about the bomb cyclone? It’s this year’s polar vortex, only it is supposed to be worse. I can’t think about it. Again, it’s mental.

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