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Black Bean Chili

 Chili is one of those dishes that everyone has their own unique version of.  There are wide differences in the level of heat, meat and meatless versions,  chunky with veggies or smooth.  No wonder there are so many chili contests around.  I don't envy the judges as there is no gold standard for chili, only personal choice. Ron loves chili and asks me to make it at least once per month.  I posted at least one other version in my blog.  The last time he asked for it, I did not have kidney beans or chili beans in the house but I did have black beans so I used then and wow, this was so dang good I needed to post so I would remember how to make it again.   Super simple, super yummy.  I hope you enjoy.  Adjust the spices to your personal preferences, of course! Black Bean Chili Ingredients: 1lb lean ground beef evoo 1/2 t onion powder 1/2 t garlic powder 1/2 t cayenne pepper 1/2 t chili powder 1/2 t salt 1/2 t pepper 1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes (I used fire roasted with poblano p
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Buon Natale! Two Traditional Holiday Treats

Not sure if the world is quite back to normal after COVID-19, but it does feel more so than it has for the last 2 years.  This year, I plan to have my annual Christmas Eve dinner after a two year hiatus, with all of the Italian specialties.  Ravioli, Italian Style Chicken, and of course the sweet treats.  Recall my blog post from way back in 2011 about our Christmas Eve traditions Christmas Eve 2010 . Torcetti are a traditional Italian sugar cookie, but actually not made with any sugar in the batter, the yeast dough is rolled into sugar prior o baking to give it sweetness.  These cookies are simple, rustic, flaky and delicious.  Torcetti are made every year at Christmas around our house, often times made by my sister, Cathy.  Biscotti is something I have only started making recently (meaning my Grandma didn't make it as I was growing up).  I have tried several recipes for this simple Italian, double baked biscuit, and I like the ease and outcome of this one the best. There are a mu
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Easy Chicken Tikka Masala

As you, my foodie followers know, I absolutely love Indian food.  I have been trying to perfect some of the recipes I have posted here previously since I always seem to modify them each time I make them, either by a changing the spices or varying the cooking technique etc.  It's good to mature and perfect, right? Chicken Tikka Masala is (I think I heard this fact) the most popular Indian dish (outside of India) in the world, and I make it quite a bit, at least once every 2 months.  I've tried several versions of this prolific meal,  but this one from Aarti Sequeira, a Food Network star  - contained in her cookbook Aarti Paarti - is a simple and amazing take.  Other recipes have almost a half page listing of spices, yet this one, only a few.  I must admit, I was very skeptical.  How could all of the flavors come out with only ginger, garlic, paprica and garam masala?  I went for it and prepared Aarti's version, almost to the letter,  and it was amazing.  The difference here
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One Pot Spinach and Orzo with Feta

I recently bought a box of orzo and then searched for a recipe to make.  I found this fabulous dish in New York Times Cooking, one of my favorite sites.  It combines spinach, orzo, onion, lemon zest and feta to create a vegetarian main dish or a hearty side.  This is also very easy to make  - about 30 minutes all inclusive, and is all done in one pot.  I modified it ever so slightly, using a yellow onion vs scallions, and added 1 T evoo. I hope you are all doing well my fellow Foodies.  It has been a while.  Happy Labor Day 2022!  I'm  looking forward to a Fall filled with cooking. - Foodie Mama xxoo Spinach and Orzo with Feta Ingredients Yield: 4 servings 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 T evoo 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped 2 large garlic cloves, minced 8 ounces baby spinach leaves (8 cups), coarsely chopped 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1¾ cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable stock 1 cup orzo, uncooked 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (from 1 lemon) ¾ cup crumbled feta (3
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Smoked Beef Brisket

    I bought Ron a smoker for Christmas about five years ago which he had never used.  As you all know, Foodie Mama is not really a griller .  I prefer the confines of the kitchen to trudging in the backyard to prepare a barbecue.  I do however, love all types of grilled food. Will decided this summer that it was definitely time to break in the smoker, and not by trying a small thing to test it out, but rather, by smoking a 20 lb beef brisket.  Why not go big?  We used a a small standing, dome smoker, by Weber. I must say, it turned out amazing.  Smoking the brisket was a long process and timing this right is key as there are several steps involved.  Will did a fantastic job and when he served this at a family picnic, everyone raved about it.  I included several photos and videos to illustrate the maiden voyage of Ron's (Will's now) smoker.   Preparing for the Smoke Test     Smoked Beef Brisket:   Ingredients:   20 pound beef brisket, preferably trimmed 1/3 c 'binder' (
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Creamy, Cozy and Simple: Rice Pudding

   We have been enjoying a mild winter here in the beautiful upper peninsula of Michigan.  Only in the last few days has the temperature dropped to the single digits.  The snowfall total is also much under it's usual amount for this time of year.  With the country and the world lining up for their COVID vaccines, many of us are still pretty timid about going out for dinner.  Last week, the restaurant and bar closure was lifted so I am looking forward to getting out a bit; 25% capacity and social distancing in force.    I was scrolling through New York Times Cooking , my favorite place to find new recipes, and I found this simple, but time consuming recipe for rice pudding.  This one is from Mark Bittman and Sam Sifton.  Notes I made to the chefs' recipe are shown inside parentheses below.   I started making this creamy dessert at about 9:30 last night and enjoyed some warm, just out of the oven,  at about 1:00 AM.  Ron fell asleep waiting so he had some this morning after it ha
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Perfect Protein Salad

There is a salad I love that I get at least once a month from our local food co-op.  It is called Perfect Protein salad and really, is just that:  a crunchy and flavorful salad made with chickpeas, dill dressing and lots of other veggies.  From time to time I would look at the ingredients wondering if I could recreate this salad, for less than the deli price.  Don't get me wrong, it's worth it, but I was hoping I could make it for less than $12.00/pound. A quick Google search and voila!  I found a recipe which mimicked it perfectly.  I am so happy now that I can make one of my favorite salads at home, and also to share with Rachel and my sister Ruth any time I want.  I hope you enjoy it.         Perfect Protein Salad Ingredients 3 cups water 1 cup (180g) spelt or wheat berries 2 (14-ounce) cans garbanzo beans 1 English cucumber - peeled, seeded and diced (about 1 1/2 cups/120g) 1 green bell pepper, seeds removed and diced (about 1 cup /130g) 3 ribs celery, diced (1 cup/12
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