Homemade Sweet Potato Chili

On busy nights after school simple soups and chili are great for dinner on the run.  Make this in the morning or early afternoon.   It can simmer all day or be ready in as few as 3 hours.  The leftovers are easily frozen and make a delish dinner in flash.  This recipe makes quite a large pot of chili, so if you are cooking for 2-4 people you will have plenty to freeze for dinner in the future.

Sweet Potato Chili

Ingredients

3  15 oz Cans  Beans (any variety)
1  14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
1   6 oz Can Tomato Paste
1   Anaheim Pepper
1   Green Bell Pepper
1   Red Bell Pepper
1   Jalapeno Pepper (Optional for a little kick)
1  Medium Size Onion
3  Cloves Garlic-Minced
1-2 Stalks of Celery
2  Large Sweet Potatoes
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 Tbsp Chili Powder
1 Tsp Oregano
OPTIONAL:  1 lb cooked and drained ground beef or turkey

STEP 1:  Peel the Sweet Potatoes. Chop into approximately 1/2" cubes.  Add about 1 1/2" of water to a medium saucepan and add the cubed potatoes.  Cook on high until slightly tender. Use a fork to test how tender they are.

STEP 2:  Drain and Rinse your beans.  Pour into a large crockpot. I suggest using a colander to really get them clean.  This will reduce the amount of sodium in your chili.  You can use any kind of bean in any combination. Today I used Black, Red and Black Eye Peas.  I frequently use Garbanzo, Pinto and White Beans.   I think the variety adds color and I like the variety of textures. If you want to use dry beans be sure to cook them before hand.

STEP 3:  Wash and dice all of the peppers, onions and celery. I suggest dicing them pretty small.  I use a pampered chef chopper like this for dicing.


NOTE:  If you don't want your chili to be a little spicy, skip the jalapeño. My kids don't like the spice so we skip it.  The Anaheim pepper is more spicy than a bell pepper but won't have you sweating halfway through dinner.  It adds wonderful flavor, so don't be afraid: include the Anaheim pepper.

Now you should have a mixture that looks something like this.

STEP 4:  Pour the diced tomatoes and tomato paste and garlic into a large crockpot. If you want meat in your chili; add your cooked ground beef now.

STEP 5: Add the Cumin, Oregano and Chili Powder.  Stir to combine all ingredients.

STEP 6: Cook covered on high for 3 Hours or low for 5-6.

Enjoy garnished with onion, cheese, avocado, cilantro, sour cream or greek yogurt.

This chili can be prepared in advance and left uncooked in the fridge overnight.  It is a great way to bring a meal to a friend and they can cook it in their crock pot.

To Freeze: Store cooked chili in freezer safe container or a freezer bag.  I don't know for sure how long you can leave it frozen.  I have left it frozen more than 6 weeks and it was great when we ate it. Reheat in a saucepan on medium heat until your desired serving temperature is reached.

EGG-cellent

With Easter just a few days away, I thought to myself "Hey! We should dye some eggs." But with the Hubby out of town on work and our older girls with their mom it leaves just me and the tiny human to do it.  Tiny is a bit too tiny to help so rather than dyeing the eggs, how about a tutorial on the perfect hardboiled eggs?

You'd love one? That's what I thought. 

There really is nothing worse than peeling your beautifully decorated egg only to find a greenish gray glob of yolk in the center.  Follow these steps to ensure beautiful eggs, inside and out.

First, you will  need 6-10 raw eggs.  I usually get mine from a friend who's cute son sells eggs from their cage-free, hormone-free, organically fed chickens, but not today.  So any egg will do. 

6-10 Raw Eggs
1 Teaspoon of Salt
COLD Water 
Medium Size Sauce Pan
Medium Size Mixing Bowl
5-6 Ice Cubes
Slotted Spoon

1.  Carefully place your eggs in a single layer in the empty saucepan. Eggs should comfortably fit in the pan with room for no more than 1 to 2 additional eggs.  If your pot is too big (or too small) your eggs will not properly cook. If you want to cook fewer eggs, use a smaller saucepan.  For more, use a larger one. 

2.  Fill the pan with cold water until the eggs are covered by just over an inch of water. Add the salt.

3. Turn stove on medium-high heat and wait, and wait, and wait. 

4.  While you wait for the water to boil, fill the mixing bowl with cold water and add the ice cubes.  They will melt before you add the eggs, but this ensures the water is plenty cold when it is time to cool your precious eggs.

4.  Remove pan from heat as soon as the water reaches a full-but not rolling-boil. This is especially important if you are using a stove with an electric heat element.  You want the water to begin cooling at this point.  

5. Set your timer to 10 minutes and wait some more.

6. After the 10 minutes, use a slotted spoon to move the eggs into the bowl of cold water. 

7. Let your eggs cool completely in the water.

Be sure to store your eggs in the fridge and use within one week of hard-boiling them.  

I've been told that older eggs (7-10 days after purchase) will peel more easily.  My eggs are not that old, so I don't know for sure if this is the case.  If you know, please comment.  Also, any tips on cleanly peeling an egg would be appreciated!


Now that you have the perfect hard boiled eggs.  Here are some incredibly cute ways to dye them:

Super cute stamped eggs from Lovely Indeed

Water colored eggs from Spoon Fork Bacon

Neon Dip-Dyed Eggs From Oh Joy

So, I Hate Doing Dishes.

When I was 14 and 15 my chore was the dishes.  Not a big deal, right? Wrong. When you come from a family of 9 there is an endless pile of dishes that need to be washed. It seemed as soon as I'd finish cleaning up, another dish would magically appear in the sink and my chore would never be completed.  Well, here I am, years later, with that pesky pile of dishes lurking in my shadow.  My daily goal is to keep the baby alive and wash the dishes.

This is what my sink looks like. Ok, not really, mine is worse.

I have grand plans for organizing and simplifying my life.  I have boxes of crafting supplies (that  I don't know how to use) and fabric for quilts and other various unfinished projects.  I am a master at pinning some seriously delicious looking food, and some beautifully designed kitchens.  I intend to stop pinning and start making these beautiful meals, and organize my cluttered closets.  Join me as I try many of these "pinned" ideas and make up some of my own.  I expect to crash and burn on plenty of them.

This is what my sink will look like after I become an expert at cooking and cleaning and organizing and mothering and exercising and remodeling my house and everything else.

We will see if those dishes ever get done.