2by2 Chili and Bonus Leftovers Recipe

Helloooo Winter!

While it hasn't been too snowy (or more accurately for my neighborhood: slushy) so far this winter, it has finally started to get cold.  Maybe not so cold that we risk frostbite, and definitely not the so-cold-they-closed-school cold of my childhood. Fine. But it is cold enough that outdoor runs make my nose leak and lungs beg for mercy.  Cold enough that I regret waking up for 6 AM workouts because the CrossFit box lacks climate control (but I do it anyway). Cold enough that we added a blanket to our bed, bought a heated bed pad, and I finally broke out the chili pot.

In case you are wondering, the heated bed pad is amazing.  I don't know who invented that, but they deserve a medal. Now that I have one, I would have gladly paid double. We got ours at Target. It has two controllers so CaveBoy and I can set our own temperatures (not that that's really necessary - we both have our sides set to 10).  So now, every night when I start to get ready for bed, the first thing I do is turn on the bed pads.  By the time I'm done washing and brushing and changing, the sheets are up to temperature. It has eliminated the cold shock and adrenaline rush we used to get when we got into bed and dramatically improved our sleep.  We fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, and aren't as sore when we wake up in the morning.  Most nights, we turn it off before we really settle in, so as not to cook ourselves overnight. But even then we stay toasty and comfortable.

I highly recommend it.

2by2 Chili

I called this one 2by2 Chili because it calls for 2 (or 2x2)
of each vegetable, which is easy to remember at the grocery store.

Ingredients

3.5 pounds grass fed ground beef

2 yellow onions, diced

2 red bell peppers, diced

2 green bell peppers, diced

4 long celery ribs, diced

2 cups stock

1 can tomato paste

1 large pinch salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

2 teaspoons garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

5 tablespoons chili powder

Instructions

In a large pot, brown ground beef. Add diced veggies and cook until onions start to become clear, stirring regularly. Add stock, tomato paste, and seasoning and combine.  Cover. Simmer for one hour. Be sure to taste and re-season if necessary (I like to add even more chili powder at the end). Makes 8 servings.

Bonus Leftovers Recipe: Sweet Potato Chili Eggs

Yup!

Ingredients

1 baked sweet potato

1 cup leftover chili

2 fried eggs

1 tablespoon butter

Instructions

Melt butter on a small baking sheet (I used our toaster oven set at 350). Cut baked sweet potato length-wise, place face down on the baking sheet and heat at 350 while you make the rest. (this part is easy for us because we always have a container of baked sweet potatoes in the refrigerator. What if you don't do that? You should! But if you don't, just bake a raw sweet potato at 400 until syrup starts to gush out of it, then slice it length-wise and butter it). Warm leftover chili. Fry two eggs-over easy. Assemble as shown. Tah Dah! Makes 2 servings.