Something I wish I'd had a long time ago....

One of my Christmas gifts this year was a beautiful red Kitchenaid immersion blender to go with my stand mixer. I'd been wanting one for a while, but it seemed a little silly given I have such a nice blender.

Now I am just kicking myself that I didn't get one sooner. What a help in the kitchen! Creamy Potato Asparagus soup? Smooth in just moments, right in the pan. Gravy with a couple of lumps? Not anymore! The biggest advantage to having this is a picky kid. Chili Mac tonight was easy. I just used the immersion blender to smooth out about 2/3 of the beans. It still had texture, but was easy to serve to R, and he ate it right up, beans and all! :)

Crockpot Turkey Chili

I made this chili in the slowcooker on Sunday, and will be using it in a couple of this week's meals, plus I'll have a little to freeze for another meal. It calls for my secret ingredients, don't laugh- strong brewed coffee, and a dash of cinnamon. I like to cook it and then let it sit in the refrigerator for at least a day. It helps the flavors blend.

1lb. lean ground turkey
1/2t salt (you will likely only need if using cooked beans, not canned)
1/2t pepper (I like to use the Penzey's California Blend)
1 can pinto beans (or 2 cups cooked)
1 can black beans ( or 2 cups cooked)
2 cans diced tomatoes (I used rotel cilantro lime)
1 can whole tomatoes, break up with wooden spoon in crockpot
2 cups strong brewed coffee
1T garlic powder
2T chili powder ( I used Penzey's Ancho Chili Powder)
1t cumin
1/4t cinnamon
3 beef boullion cubes

Brown turkey in skillet over medium high until cooked through and no longer pink. Meanwhile, place all other ingredients into slow cooker. Add turkey when cooked. Let cook on low for 6+ hours, or high for 3-4.

Menu Plan Monday 12/28

I got a couple of cookbooks over the holiday, so starting this next weekend, when I get a chance to go through and lay out some of the recipes I want to try, I will be sharing some of the new dishes and my review. For this week, keeping it fairly simple, although I have to say I am LOVING my Kitchenaid Mixer for making pizza dough. Last Sunday's pizza rivaled many that we've had from little places around here- and made in my kitchen. Pretty cool. I'm posting last night's meal so that I don't feel so late :)

Monday 12/28
oven fried buttermilk chicken drumsticks $3.00
buffalo chicken wings $2.25
green beans .40
Harvest Salad $2.00
$7.65

Tuesday 12/29
slowcooker turkey chili over spaghetti with cheese $2.25
corn .50
cantelope slices (nice sweet cantelope on sale at Fareway this week for $1.50. Yum) .75
$3.50

Wednesday 12/30
ham and broccoli quiche (.36 ham steak from Target LOL) $3.50
spinach and apple salad $1.00
$4.50

Thursday 12/31
bean and cheese quesadillas $3.00
tomato soup $1.25
leftover corn .00
$4.25

Friday 1/1
steak and potato skillet $3.50
asparagus .75
$4.25

Saturday 1/2
chili cheese nachos $2.00
fresh fruit salad $2.00
$4.00

Sunday 1/3
Pizza Night $4.00
salad $1.00
$5.00

Waffles

Check it out! The first waffles I've ever made, in my first waffle iron! Really not sure why it took so long to get one, since I think waffles are a food group if you're 7 and 4. I like the healthier waffles, too, so those get pricey without sales and coupons. I played around and combined a couple of different recipes and adjusted for what I had for this recipe. Turned out great! I might toy with adding some ground flax seed or wheat germ in the future, but I was out of both this time around.

1 1/4 cups white flour
3/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup steel cut oats ground in coffee grinder to a nice oat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups buttermilk (also used about 3/4 cup of skim milk to thin batter after mixing)
2 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Combine flour through salt in a large bowl and mix. In separate bowl, whisk buttermilk through cinnamon. Add to dry ingredients and stir until combined. Let rest for about 5 minutes. Heat waffle iron. Cook according to your iron's directions. For me, I used about 1 cup of batter per waffle, and they cooked for about 4 minutes. Perfect!

Snow

Lots of it. This picture shows the drift at the deck door yesterday. More than 3 feet of snow there. Dog was like, "no way, nuh uh, fuhgettaboutit", and walked away after not having peed for 12 hours. I didn't blame her. LOL. After today, totals in the metro are 13-18 inches, with drifts taller than my 7yo. (I know because I saw him in them in the backyard. Crazy.)