Dragon's Breath Chili and List Making

My morning goes something like this:

• Wake up
• Have coffee
• Check work email and respond to a student
• Hear "mama mama" and check on baby --- wide awake
• Change diaper
• Put on cartoons
• Finish coffee
• Get some breakfast, usually quick bread or yogurt
• Work on dishes
• Try to find something else for baby to do that doesn't involve the TV rotting her brain
• Idea! Attempt to teach baby French words ----- and fail
• Clean up baby toys
• Clean up baby toys again
• Give up and play with the baby toys
• Work on lunch
• Lunch is boring ---- that's why I only post dinner recipes ;)
• Check email and blog
• Wish cartoons were still playing because the baby is destroying the house
• Think about dinner, give up, think about dinner again
• Find a recipe and hunt for replacements since I'm missing half of the ingredients
• Give up and find a new recipe
• Tell baby to stop shredding the books and hear baby say "nononononono"
• Tell baby "No, don't touch, nononono"
• Figure out why she loves the word "no" so much

Every morning, every single day, is exactly like this and I absolutely love it. :)

The recipe that I went with is called "Dragon's Breath Chili." I went with this recipe because 1) I haven't had chili in forever, 2) I had peppers to use up and 3) It's cold outside, so chili is a must.

Did you notice I'm in a list mood today? haha I get that way sometimes. I start making grocery lists, to-do lists, work lists and then I never look at them again. Lists are an incredible waste of time for me. I think that's why I love making lists. Anyway here is the recipe. It was the best chili I've ever made, hands-down. I did change this recipe quite a bit though, so I will link back to the original, but what you see below is not the original recipe. I prefer more beans in my chili and less meat. I also decreased the heat for my toddler. It's more like "Baby dragon's breath chili."

I hope you try it and love it. Enjoy!

Saute the veggies.

Liquid level before cooking.

(Baby) Dragon's Breath Chili

Original Recipe: Guy Fieri

Serving Size = 4

• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (replace this with Extra Virgin Olive Oil or Grape Seed Oil)
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, minced (I would use 2 next time)
• 1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, chopped (Use 2)
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 head of garlic, minced, about 1/8 cup
• 1 lb ground beef, lean
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 - 3 tablespoons chili powder (to taste)
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 4 teaspoons cumin (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (to taste)
• 1 teaspoon black pepper (to taste)
• 3 - 4 cans of whole tomatoes with juice, squished
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 2 15-oz cans of pinto beans, 1 with juice and one drained (it depends how long you will cook it, I cooked mine for about 1 hour)
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, with juice
• About 3 tablespoons of ketchup (optional)
• Shredded Cheese and Sour Cream

1. In a medium stockpot (I used my red Dutch oven of pure awesomeness) heat the butter and oil over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, poblano, jalapeno and onion. Saute until it starts to turn a little brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for one more minute. 
2. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, roughly 10 minutes. 
3. Add all of the spices, salt and pepper and cook for 1 minute. 
4. Add the two cans of tomatoes and chicken stock, stir.
5. Add the three cans of beans. I left the liquid in two cans, and then drained one. The reason I did this is because it looked like too much liquid and I didn't plan to cook the chili for the entire 2 hours. So just figure out how much time you have, and how thick you want your chili. After an hour the liquid evaporated enough that it made a very thick chili. 
6. Add the ketchup and stir. Lower heat and let simmer for 2 hours.
7. Serve with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream.

Note - How to Roast Peppers:

1. Grill: Place entire pepper on a grill and cook until the skin starts to blacken and peel away. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam until cool.
2. Broiler: Preheat broiler. Broil whole peppers 2 inches under the broiler, turning every 5 minutes until skin blackens and blisters. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and let steam until cool.
3. Before Using: Remove the skin, stems and seeds. Slice into bite size pieces.

Linking to: Hearth and Soul, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday