Mrs. Carla Monti

Mrs. Carla Monti
Showing posts with label chili. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chili. Show all posts

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Chili, Scones, and Blackberry Jam!

I live in a lovely place called Boca Raton, Florida.
 
It is beautiful and land of perpetual sunshine. In true 'Floridian' fashion, I go to the beach about once a year, and today happened to be that day. I spent my morning walking around the beach with my boyfriend, picking up colorful seashells and alternately tanning and sweating in 85 degree weather. Then I went home and made chili. True story.

My favorite chili recipe is made using turkey and comes from lovely Amy from AmyBites. I work it a little differently; I saute an onion and several garlic cloves in olive oil and then brown a pound of turkey. I then add tomato paste, tomato sauce, pureed stewed tomatoes (with chili spices already added), and kidney beans. I stew it all together on low heat for an hour and a half, and add a little paprika and cayenne to top it off.

I like to serve my chili with a side of shredded cheddar cheese and a scoop of sour cream.

Next I made simple cream scones from Joy of Baking! I decided not to roll out the dough, cut out rounds, and bake on silicone sheet-lined baking sheets; instead I rolled the dough into little balls and placed them in Pam-sprayed muffin tins, and brushed the tops with heavy cream. They came out perfect!

Then I made blackberry jam from Yes I Want Cake - I couldn't believe how easy it was! I may make my own berry jams from now on. The list of ingredients was extremely simple, as there were only 3!

Heat the berries, 1 tbsp honey, and juice from half a lemon over medium heat. Smush up with a fork as the berries get softer. Cool after 10 minutes of heating and squishing.

Cute jars from The Container Store make for a professional look :)

Fresh out-of-the-oven scones slathered with homemade blackberry jam translates to a lazy Sunday afternoon, lounging around, and watching old Marilyn Monroe movies (Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, anyone?).

Yummy, pretty, messy - it's a good time.

 Hm these scones would be perfect for mini strawberry shortcakes! Add it to the list....


Monday, February 13, 2012

Pizza, Chili and Chocolate Cupcakes!

I LOVE making pizza. Once you have a staple pizza crust recipe, making pizza inevitably becomes one of the easiest and most versatile dishes to whip up in very little time. I'm going to Spain and Portugal at the end of this week so I was on a mission to cook and bake with the intention of using up plenty of my fridge/freezer items. With an abundance of cheeses (ricotta, mascarpone, parmiggiano, mozzarella) and some leftover pesto, I made a simple and satisfying lunch. My favorite go-to recipe is definitely Katie's pizza crust!

Pizza con Pesto e Quattro Formaggi! I think naming it in Italian sounds so much better, don't you? ;) I was very happy to successfully use my new clay pizza stone too!

Made on 02/12/12.

Here it is, in all it's four cheese bubbly goodness.



Next up I decided to attempt chili from AmyBites which never lets me down with her awesome and healthy recipe recommendations!

Variations: I used ground beef instead of turkey, and made the dish on the stove instead of in the slow-cooker, letting it cook at low-heat for a total of 2 1/2 hours. I didn't add any chili powder or cayenne since the flavor from the stewed tomatoes (which already had spices) was delicious enough on it's own!

Chili!
Made on 02/12/12.

Top with a scoop of low-fat sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese.

Last but not least, double chocolate cupcakes with mascarpone and cream cheese frosting! These were made for a special friend of mine's birthday and since her birthday is also on Valentine's Day, I topped them with some little cinnamon candy hearts! :)

Chocolate and Mascarpone Cupcakes!

Made on 02/12/12.

Chocolatey deliciousness!



Thanks to Kirbie's Cravings!