Dear Mati,

Your Daring Bakers challenge looked awesome.  Even more awesome where your pictures!  I tried doing the Ice Cream Petit Fours but my Brown Butter Pound cake was not good at all.  I just did not enjoy the whole process.  My cake is in the freezer with the ice cream, that is as much as I did.  Next time.

I am really excited about the next couple of weeks as the Jewish holidays are just around the corner.  A and I will be traveling to Canada this coming weekend for a friend’s wedding in Lake Muskoka, about 2 hours north of Toronto, and we will also be visiting the Niagara Falls.  Then we continue our travels to Las Vegas where we will be celebrating Rosh Hashana with A’s family.  We are both very excited to see them all.  I will also be helping out in the kitchen, after begging my mother-in-law for permission.  I will hopefully have the time to at least take  the pictures so that I can share with you the delicious meals we will be eating during those days.  Some traditional food as well as non-traditional.

It has been a while since I made this Chili con Carne, but I have been craving it lately.  During the summer I went out to a really good local restaurant called The Lost and Found Saloon, a new Southwestern/Western style restaurant, in the heart of Miami’s Wynwood Art and Design Districts.  I had a delicious vegetarian Chili soup which inspired me to share my Chili con Carne recipe with you.  Last week I tried making this with white navy beans, but did not even think of looking for the recipe, and it was not quite Chili con Carne.

Chili con Carne is great during the cold winters and lately it has been feeling like winter in Miami from the inside of our apartment because it has been raining non-stop.  You can use it as a main dish, but also as a dip! And if you are a vegetarian, skip the beef or add tofu or ‘fake’ beef.

Chili con Carne

Ingredients:

• 2 cans (15 ounces each) red kidney beans
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 large onion, quartered, sliced
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 pound ground round
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes
• 1 can mild green chile peppers
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped jalapeno chile pepper, optional
• 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• dash cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 small bay leaf

Preparation:

1. In a large skillet, brown the onion, pepper, and ground beef in oil.
2. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, peppers, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 1 1.2 hours, adding a little water if needed to keep from sticking.
3. Check and stir frequently. Add the cooked or canned beans and heat through.
4. Serves 6.

Next post is from Las Vegas!