30 before Thirty

{make the perfect pot of chili} √

 

Chili is one of my **F A V O R I T E** foods! I'm pretty basic when it comes to what I like. Beans. Meat. Tomatoes. Spice. & No Sugar. When I was on the hunt for a good chili recipe, I didn't want something with 25+ ingredients. The fewer the better. I like quick & easy! There's so many different kinds you can make... white chili (yum), spicy chili, veggie chili... I was on the lookout for something hearty & spicy (and we already discussed easy). I found a simple recipe that we tweaked a little until we finally came up with the perfect pot. That's the great thing about chili, you can add things, leave ingredients out, make substitutions... for a beginner cook it's almost impossible to screw up! So don't laugh at the simpleness of our recipe, time after time we've made it, I've loved it!

 

Spicy Slow Cooked Chili

 

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pounds sirloin tips
• 2 (16 ounce) cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
• 1 onion, chopped diced (per Joe's request)
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped diced (again, per Joe)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• crushed red pepper

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook meat in large skillet over medium-high heat until ground beef is crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease.
2. In crock pot, combine meat, kidney beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, onion, bell pepper, garlic, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on Low for 10 hours, or High for 4 hours.
3. If you want to add a little kick, add crushed red pepper to your liking about 2 hours into cooking.
4. Garnish with your favorite toppings. Mine = cheddar cheese & sour cream, with a side of soda crackers. 

 

visit a state I've never been to

run a 1/2 marathon in under 2 hours

cut hair (short or straight across bangs) 3/4/11
get Joe to organize his mail
take a cooking class

open up an etsy shop

get married ;)

refinish our dining room table fall 2011

camp out in Yellowstone for a week

go fishing for a day

go skiing or snowboarding
make it to the coast 5/26/11

find the perfect pair of black boots 12/17/11

purchase a digital SLR 2/26/11

read a book

run a marathon

learn how to swim tread water

get Joe to try cream cheese

host a girls night

make a scrapbook for myself

learn how to sew... and sew something

take an exercise class with a friend

learn how to knit

s k y d i v e

put together a book of inspiration

make the perfect pot of chili

volunteer

create a piece of jewelry
find the perfect letter E
throw myself a kickin' 30th birthday party