Chili Cures Congestion!

First, thanks to all the Pots & Penheads who’ve stuck with us this last year. We’re sorry about the brief hiatus, but we’re back now, and we’re really excited about all the new recipes, interviews, and writing insights to come!

All that, of course, leads us to the topic of congestion. We all get congested, literally or symbolically. Whether it’s traffic, emotional stress, or too many tasks going on at once, it’s easy to get bogged down.

Lately, I’ve had an overabundance of writing and editing projects trudging inside my head and on my computer. While there are certainly worse problems, this has led to a slowdown of output and an uptick in frustration. Ironically, too many creative ideas at once can stifle creative expression.

To clear out the congestion, I’ve been working at prioritizing, evaluating, and scheduling, with reality in mind, to get myself back on track. Some things can wait. Others can’t. Some get me closer to big-picture goals, and some are just fun sidetracks—certainly enjoyable, but perhaps at a later time.

And speaking of congestion, I’m recovering from an all-night work session and a nasty cold, so I thought a dish with a little pep would be the perfect choice to get the week back on track. Presenting good-old-fashioned, ordinary, wonderful chili. (Okay, yes, there is whiskey involved.)

Chili

10 c. water

4 beef bouillon cubes (or replace 4 c. water with beef broth)

1/3 c. whiskey (optional)

4 c. onion

4 cloves garlic

1/4 c. garlic chives (optional)

6 c. tomato

1 tsp. crushed rosemary

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/8 tsp. cayenne

1½ lb. ground beef

1/2 T. black pepper

1 T. sea salt

1 T. chili powder

1 T. cumin

4 c. red beans or pintos

2 c. kidney beans

1 T. brown sugar

Get out your large soup pot and fill with 10 cups water. Heat on medium high until hot. Add bouillon and whiskey (if desired).

Dice onions, mince garlic, and chop garlic chives (optional). Add to pot. Cut tomatoes into large chunks, and add to pot, along with rosemary, thyme, and cayenne. Mix pepper, salt, chili powder, and cumin in small dish.

Cook ground beef in a separate pan, seasoning as it cooks with 1½ tablespoons of spice mix. When beef is nearly browned, add it to chili pot. Drain kidney beans and add to pot, along with chili beans (red beans) or pintos. Mix in brown sugar.

Stirring occasionally, cook covered on medium heat for at least 30 minutes. If you have time, for fuller flavor, cook on medium low heat for an hour or more. Serve straight or with a sprinkling of cheddar cheese on top.

Interview with Jasmine Richards

Today we have a guest all the way from England! I'm so excited to introduce you to this amazing and very beautiful Jasmine Richards. Now a little background about her. She was born in London, grew up in a library, and was the first in her family to go to university. After graduating from Oxford, and following a brief stint at New Scotland Yard, Jasmine chose a career in publishing over being the next Sherlock Holmes. Today she's a senior editor at a leading British publishing house. She now lives in Oxfordshire with her husband in an old wool mill. The Book of Wonders is her first novel and she would love to know what you think about it. Her website is JasmineRichards.com

Jasmine, I love the idea of you living in a renovated mill. I bet it could help give someone great writing ideas. Others (like myself) enjoy nibbling on something while working. What is your A+, number 1 writing snack?

On a good day it is hummus and pitta bread and on a bad day it is sweets, especially chewy cola bottles! Chewing helps me think!

I agree, gummy treats are awesome. Real quick, give us one cheesy “writing is like cooking” thought.

Writing is like cooking because sometimes the best dish is the one you didn’t know you were going to cook.

Speaking of writing, your book just came out. Share with us what inspired The Book of Wonders and what "ingredients" do you hope make it a tasty treat for readers?

The Book of Wonders draws on the tales of 1001 Nights also known as Arabian Nights. Many of the stories in 1001 Nights are well known and include Aladdin's Wonderful Lamp, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves and The Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor. For those of you who haven’t read Arabian Nights they begin with a young woman called Scheherazade who tells tales to a cold-hearted sultan for 1001 nights in order to escape execution [the sultan has a nasty habit of executing his new wives!]. Through her stories, she manages to melt the sultan’s heart and they end up living happily ever after.

As a young reader, I loved these stories. I loved that Scheherazade was such a good storyteller and that she always made sure that she was at the most exciting bit of the story when the sun rose so that she would get to live for another day.

However, the 9 year old me was enraged by the idea that the sultan got a happy ending after killing lots of innocent young women! Even back then I wanted to create a new story, where the sultan was challenged and maybe even defeated.

With The Book of Wonders I have created an alternative version of events which I hope will keep readers guessing!

In terms of the ingredients that make my novel a tasty read I would say magic, friendship and adventure. That is what I like writing about and I hope that is what readers will get from my book. I also hope that reading The Book of Wonders might inspire them to read some of the tales in Arabian Nights. That would make me very happy indeed!



Can you share a bit about your next project?

At this very moment, I am writing the second part of Zardi’s and Rhidan’s adventure. It is provisionally called the Spell Scrolls but I still need to agree that title with my editor! In this second novel we get to learn more about Rhidan’s home, The Black Isle, and Zardi’s and Rhidan’s relationship is put under massive strain. I’m having an absolute blast writing it.

Sounds like you are busy writing away then. What’s your go-to meal when you need to serve something quick and easy?

Chilli Prawn linguine – it is so easy and so tasty.

Here is a link to this amazing dish!


If Pots ‘N Pens could grant you the wish that you could only live with one book and one food, what would it be?

I would choose Sophie’s Worldby Jostein Gaarder. This book had a huge influence on my understanding of the world and people when I was a teenager. I almost did a philosophy degree because of it! I love this story for its clarity yet complexity and urge you to have a read – you won’t see the world in the same way afterwards, I promise. I think if I could have only one book this one would keep me entertained.

In terms of food it would be my Grandma’s soup. This is a good old fashioned Caribbean soup which I have whenever I feel low or am feeling run down. I do a pretty good version of it but it is never as good as my Gram’s! It has pumpkin, chicken, carrots and dumplings in it. Yum, yum, yum.


Looks like we are out of time. It was a pleasure chatting with you. Congratulations on your book release.

Thanks so much for having me on your blog. If you would like to find out more about my book, read an excerpt or see the book trailer, please visit jasminerichards.com.

Making It Up As We Go

I wish that life came with a manual.

A really precise manual, spanning tens of volumes like an Encyclopedia set.

It would also be cool if life came with a unicorn, but I digress... Because if life came with a manual, dear readers, then we would have something concrete to spin off from, or twist to make it uniquely ours. Instead we trundle along, mostly following in familiar footsteps, shying away from the things we were told to be scared of, or sticking to the straight and narrow after a near-miss when we did try to change course.

Sticking to the known is comfortable. It can also be boring.

I took a big step off course when I decided to write for publication, then a larger step out of my comfort zone when I started to see some success. And now, while I'm not exactly at ease with publishing, I don't panic as I bob about in its peculiar gravity. I'm trying on a new genre, dipping the toes of my pen in to see if we might be a match. It's exciting, stretching parts of my skillset and requiring that I set aside others.

In the spirit of stretching, I'm giving you a recipe that practically begs to be adapted. It's a slow-cooker recipe, which in my mind makes it difficult to screw up. It's also delicious and feeds eight to ten.

Mid-post P.S. Those are pickled jalapenos peeking out of the corn muffins. They're like spicy gold, I tell you.

Two Bean Chicken Chili

1 T. vegetable oil
6 cloves garlic
1 lg. onion, finely chopped
4 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 t. dried savory
1/2 t. coarsely ground black pepper
zest of 1 lime
1 T. ground cumin
2 T. fine cornmeal
1 C. chicken stock
1 28-oz can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped, with juice
2 lbs chicken breast, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 14-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2 C. frozen, sliced green beans
1 T. chili powder
2 T. lime juice
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 4.5-oz can mild green chiles
1 jalapeno pepper, diced (optional)

• In a skillet over medium heat, warm oil. Add onions and celery. Stir and cook until onion is translucent. Add garlic, savory, pepper, lime zest and cumin. Stir for 1 minute. Add cornmeal and toss to coat vegetables. Add chicken stock and cook, stirring, until boils - about 1 minute. Add tomatoes (with juice), return to boil, then transfer into slow cooker.
• Add chicken, both beans, and stir well. Cover and cook on Low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours. Chicken should be cooked and chili should be bubbling.
• Add chili powder, lime juice, and all chosen peppers. Stir. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until bell peppers become tender.

This is a great recipe with which to experiment. Add your favorites. Excellent topped with sour cream and cilantro.