A beautiful fall day here, so I thought I’d take some pics around our yard…
Isn't that fairytale pumpkin awesome?!
Katie gave me this rose bush in a planter that everyone at my wedding shower put their thumbprint on and made into ladybugs. It was so stinking cute. Now the rose bush is planted and growing huge…am I supposed to cut it back?
I made chili today in the crock pot. My mom makes ah-mazing chili so I called her for some tips. She is not a measure-er, so I just guessed, but I thought I would try and measure some things to write a recipe on the bloggy. So here it is:
Chili
~1 lb ground sirloin (apparently we are eating more red meat these days)
1 28 oz. can tomato puree or crushed tomatoes (mine was a mix called all purpose)
1 28 oz. can whole or diced tomatoes (for chunkiness)
1 can of kidney beans
3 stalks of celery
1 green bell pepper
1 onion
1 t pepper
dash of sea salt (my beans and tomatoes already had salt)
1 t chili powder
1/2 t cayenne pepper
Chop and throw veggies in skillet, cook about 10 minutes. Add ground sirloin. Once cooked, add all other ingredients to crock pot. Cook on low, 4 hours. My mom always added a little bit of brown sugar. When it was done I took out a bowl for myself (sugar free challenge) then added a spoonful of brown sugar to the crock pot for Joe and Pat S.(Joe’s friend came over for some din din). Verdict: Really good!!
I went back for a little more (I was stingy with my serving) and I could not taste the difference with the brown sugar, so I say, not necessary. (By the way, the sugar free challenge is going way easier than I thought! Joe said I better blog that I had a tiny bit of brown sugar 😉 I don’t know if it’s in my head, but I do feel better and have more energy too. I think it is easier knowing it’s just not an option, as opposed to just “trying” to avoid it.)
I also made these garlic pita wedges. I put butter on whole wheat pitas from TJ’s, then sprinkled with garlic powder and baked at 375 in the convection oven for about 10 minutes.
Those were eaten up really, really fast!
If you need some extra encouragement each day (I do) check out Proverbs 31 Ministries here for a daily devotion.
Link for this past Sunday’s message at CCC: click here
xoxo
Lauren
giant scoops of joy 
Lauren, I’m going to try your chili recipe. I love veggies (peppers, celery, onion) in chili and your (and your Mom’s) recipe sounds perfect.
Yum. I also love your fall yard. Beautiful.
I’ll let you know how my chili turns out.
Much love,
Gwen
By: Gwen on October 7, 2009
at 8:21 pm
Gwen, I’m so glad! You’ll love it! Try the pita wedges with it too-Joe ate a ton of them! 🙂 Love you!
By: Lauren on October 7, 2009
at 8:45 pm
Hooray for warm dishes now that it’s FALL!! I love the idea of your garlic pita wedges!
By: Allie (Live Laugh Eat) on October 7, 2009
at 9:08 pm
Hi Lauren,
Mmmm……your chili looks DELISH! Sounds a lot like Gma’s recipe, though I think Gma uses some V-8. We took Gma’s Halloween tradition and make chili on Hallloween. Oh, try adding a beer to your chili when you’re not doing the sugar challenge. It sounds weird, but it’s really YUMMY. The alcohol cooks off so you don’t have to worry about SHHHHLUUURING your words. HA! Also, is your rose bush a Hybrid Tea or a knock-out rose. Do you know? If it’s a knock-out, they’re supposed to be low maintenance. If it’s a hybrid tea rose, like the many at our house (and your mom’s), you will need to cut it back three times a year….ours blooms until Thanksgiving, but when it stops blooming, you will want to cut it back 1/3. I will check with my sweet rose pro and let you know for sure before you give it a haircut. Glad the b-day celebrations were fun…..sounds like a love-fest! Love and miss you!
By: Aunt Sharon on October 8, 2009
at 2:12 pm
It basically was Gma’s recipe since I got the tips from Mom, who follows Grandma’s recipe! Mom always makes it on Halloween too, and if we’re home, I most likely will too! It’s such a good tradition! I’ve wanted to try it with beer before-do you think pumpkin beer would be good? I’m not sure what kind of rose it is-I bet Mom would know. Thank you for the tips-yes ask Uncle Ri Ri for me! Love you so so much!
By: Lauren on October 8, 2009
at 2:21 pm
I talked to Uncle Ri-Ri and he said that if it’s a Hybrid Tea rose (the kind with single buds…traditional rose), then you want to cut it back 1/3 in November and another 1/3 in March. He can also give you tips of feeding and spraying sometime. That spag squash looks desish! I’ll have to try that.
By: Aunt Sharon on October 9, 2009
at 10:12 am
Thank you to you and Uncle Ri Ri! Can’t you guys just live across the street?! The house is for sale… 🙂 Love you guys!
By: Lauren on October 9, 2009
at 10:37 am
[…] soup and chili that week, and Joe’s mom brought over amazing soup and cornbread, so we were set! Here is the link to my chili […]
By: icy hot « giant scoops of joy on March 14, 2010
at 9:48 pm