Posted on

Critter Count 2013, Western edition

Got back from Tucson yesterday, so today I give you: Critter Count! There will be another next week when we go to Nutsville.

All critters dead unless otherwise noted:

Greasy spots: 34
Road Pizzas: 67
Critters: 52 (animals I can’t identify)
Skunks: 13
Hawks: 11
Birds: 4 (could not identify)
Deer: 7
Huge buck: 1
Teeny fawn: 1
Coyotes: 4
Raccoons: 5
Dogs: 2
Cats: 2
Armadillos: 2
Possum: 1
Shoe: 1
Coolers: 2
And I saw a Bald Eagle fly over me in AR. It was a beautiful sight!

Thanksgiving Critter Count next week!

Posted on

The Best White Chili You’ve Ever Had

Print

The BEST White Chili

Seriously! This chicken chili actually has lots of flavour and is healthy to boot! I suggest doubling the recipe, because if you’re like us, once you taste it, you’ll gobble it up! :)  This chili will freeze well!
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine American, Mexican
Keyword chicken chili, white chili
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 servings
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground chicken NOT breast if you can find full fat ground chicken
  • 1 med white onion, small dice
  • 1 small red or yellow pepper, small dice or use several minis
  • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced about a Tbl
  • 1-2 Tbl EVOO a few turns in the bottom of pot
  • 1 Tbl flour thickener
  • 1 1/2 Tbl Chili powder more or less to taste
  • 1 tsp dry oregano
  • 1 tsp cumin more if you like
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes more if you like
  • 1 1/2 cup chicken stock adjust to your thickness preference
  • 2 cans white beans, 14oz cans SUB Bush's Southwest white beans, but adjust seasonings if you use pre-seasoned!
  • 1 can diced green chiles small can, 4.5oz
  • 2 limes zested and juiced use all the zest and juice to your taste
  • 2 Tbl fresh cilantro, chopped sub parsley if you're cilantro averse
  • S/P to taste
  • full fat Greek yogurt, FAGE is the best about 1Tbl per bowl, put on top of chili before garnishes
  • Garnish with sliced scallions, cilantro and shredded cheese

Instructions

  • Do all your prep first! It is easy to cook when you have all your ingredients prepped, measured and ready to go before you start cooking!
  • In a large dutch oven or wide soup pot, put in the olive oil and turn on Med flame. Add onions, garlic and peppers and sweat until soft. Turn up the flame to med hi and add chicken. Saute until chicken is broken up and no longer pink. Season with S/P (about 1 tsp each).
  • Add chili powder, flour, cumin, lime zest, red pepper flakes and oregano and stir over med hi flame for a coupla minutes to cook the flour. Add in wine and broth and bring to a boil then reduce to simmer.
  • Add all the beans and green chiles and continue to simmer for about 10 minutes. Kill the heat and add lime juice, cilantro and yogurt (if you are stirring in). Be careful with the yogurt so it doesn’t break on you. If you'd like to freeze this, use the yogurt as a garnish rather than stirring it in.
  • Check S/P again and serve with garnish of cheese, scallion and cilantro.

Notes

This chili can be frozen IF you leave out the yogurt. It is just as good using the yogurt as a garnish. 
Posted on

New furniture!

Yes, I did! I just spent $1305.36 for a new sofa, sleeper loveseat and coffee table! Yay!

And here they are:
new_sofas

I am trading the miniscule “twin” (NOT EVEN) sleeper for the full one (82″) and it will be delivered Thursday Oct 24. :) That “twin” is more like a child’s bed. It is ridiculously small. Lucky for me, American Signature (actually Value City Furniture??) has a seven day satisfaction guarantee, so it was no sweat to swap out the sleeper. Yay!

I got a 92″ sofa marked down from $499 to $299, a 72″ twin sleeper sofa for $599 ($100 less than retail because they had the wrong sign out) and a groovy coffee table for $200. Not bad if I do say so myself. It’s the Palmer collection for the sofas and the Clarity table.

The sofas are not as red as I would like – more on the maroon side – but they have real upholstery (as opposed to microfiber) and they match. My only other option was a really nice sleeper sofa ($894) but w/out loveseat, which defeats the purpose. Finding a sofa that is red, not microfiber and offers a sleeper option is REALLY hard.

Bottom line, I went in there thinking I’d have to spend $1626 and left with spending $1305, so I’d call that a win. :)

Posted on

Americans are sheeple

It’s clear to me that Americans will bend over and take whatever is given to them. I think that is the root of all the problems that this country has: the inability of Americans to DO anything more than whine.

Americans whine about being molested by the TSA, yet do nothing to stop it. The TSA supposedly got rid of the nudie scans, but you can bet they won’t get rid of the backscatter xray machines all together because Americans just accept this violation of civil rights without protest. It’s easier than being delayed or actually having to say I OPT OUT. Whine, whine, that’s SO HARD.

Americans whine about no healthcare, yet are willing to allow the government to mandate that we pay private companies pretty much whatever they want in lieu of ACTUAL healthcare.

Americans whine about pollution by utilities, yet allow them (Southern Company, I’m looking at YOU) to continue using coal fired plants and refuse to change. All the while, raising rates continuously in the name of “innovation”. Right. Meanwhile, there’s no real use of solar or wind turbines in the US. Why? Well, that would stop the utilities making money hand over fist and lessen the kickbacks to politicians. That’s just crazy talk!

Americans pay 10x more for 100x slower internet speeds than the rest of the world, yet do nothing to end the oligopolies that are keeping things just like they are. Oligobble our balls!

Ugh. I’m just really put out with the bullshit today. It all started with AT&T being completely incapable of changing an account from consumer to business. It has been a MONTH. It’s finally in there, yet I can barely log in to the goddam control panel. Why? Because AT&T’s shitty website has cache issues. Jeeze. Dude I admin for pays that piece of shit company almost $300/mo for 5 phones and they refuse to even give him a minor iPhone upgrade as a bonus. It’s crazy! Why more Americans simply refuse to use AT&T is beyond my comprehension. I wouldn’t use AT&T if they were the last phone company on earth. I’d just use email. The level of SUCK of AT&T should not be tolerated, yet people just suck it up and keep paying the excessive bills because it’s easier than actually DOING something about it.

GODS. //end sheeple rant

Posted on

Trinidadian Chicken Stew

This warm and inviting stew has a nice balance of sweet, savoury and umami. It is easy to make and it can be made in a crockpot – SEE NOTES.

Print

Trinidadian Chicken Stew

What makes this stew unique is sautéeing the chicken with brown sugar. It has a sweet flavour, yet the lime and fish sauce give it excellent umami.
Course Main Course, Soup
Cuisine Caribbean, Trinidad
Keyword chicken, southern caribbean cuisine, trinidad stew
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author misangela

Ingredients

  • 4 Chicken thighs, boneless/skinless, cut into 1.5" dice
  • 1 Tbl olive oil
  • 2 Tbl brown sugar
  • 1 Tbl molasses to help the brown sugar cook better
  • 2 Tbl butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small white onion, diced about 2/3 cup
  • 1 Tbl ginger paste or 1" of fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tsp thyme fresh or dry
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flake
  • 2 Tbl ketchup
  • 1 cup carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup potatoes, 1/2" dice
  • 1 small can coconut cream sometimes called milk, NOT water
  • 1 14oz can diced tomatoes, drained
  • 1 cup chicken stock +/- to your preference
  • 1 Tbl fish sauce optional, but I like the umami it gives to the dish
  • S/P to taste
  • 1 lime, zest and juice you can serve wedges as garnish
  • scallions, thinly sliced on bias garnish
  • fresh cilantro, rough chop garnish

Instructions

  • Season the chicken with S/P after you dice it up.
  • In a heavy pot or dutch oven, cook the butter, brown sugar, molasses and oil over med hi heat until the sugar dissolves into a syrup. Then add chicken and sauté until nicely browned.
  • Add garlic, onion, ginger, thyme, pepper flakes, ketchup, lime zest, fish sauce, carrots and potatoes and cook for about 5 minutes until the onion is softened. If it starts to stick or get too brown, add a little stock.
  • Once the onions are soft, add tomatoes, coconut cream and as much stock as you like. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about half an hour, until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through.
  • When done, take off the heat and add the lime juice. Adjust S/P.
  • Serve with scallions and cilantro on top and a lime wedge.

Notes

You can serve this with rice if you want it to be a heartier meal. 
Tostones (fried ripe plantains) would be great with this as well. 
To make in a crockpot: simply sauté the chicken in the syrup (first five ingredients), then add all the rest (except lime juice and garnish) to a crockpot and cook on HI for 4-5 hrs until the potatoes and carrots are done. Add lime juice at the end to avoid bitterness.