Ok, not soup, more like chili.  Sunday we headed over to our friend’s place to watch the super bowl and enjoy lots o’ chili!  Everyone was asked to bring a chili recipe.  We then tasted each and voted on a winner.  It was crock pot galore at Brad’s house!

When it came time for Brian and I to choose a recipe for our chili cook off, I knew I needed to find a recipe that would suit Brian.  That means no beans and extra spicy!  So, I spotted this Emeral recipe and knew it would meet Brian’s needs.

Of course we made a few changes.  We never added the Mexican oregano, added extra garlic, and one fresh habanero.  We also cooked it in the crock pot rather than in a dutch oven.  We still seared the meat with garlic beforehand, but added the onion and everything else in the crock pot.  We started cooking it on Saturday, put it in the fridge Saturday night to let the flavors combine, then reheated it on Sunday morning.  After letting it simmer for hours, just stirring it with a wooden spoon shredded the meat.  This is how it looked Sunday morning in the pot.

To tame the spice we added about 3/4 c of heaving whipping cream at the last minute when we added the last cup of beef broth with the masa harina (corn based flour, see the “flour” package in the background of the second picture below).

To top off the chili we fried our own tortilla strips (thanks for the inspiration Aunt Cyndi!).  We used vegetable oil and brought it to 350 degrees in a medium sized sauce pan.  Then we added about 8 strips at a time, left them in until crisp, laid them on a paper towel and sprinkled with seasoning salt.

Here’s our final product.  If you like spicy chili, you should definitely try it!  If you like it not so spicy, just omit the hot peppers and substitute with bell peppers.

I grew up visiting Mad Town at a  young age.  My dad is a UW alumni and every year he would take Cort and I to a Wisconsin football game.  Then, as I got older, Brian and some of my best friends attended Wisconsin, pretty much making me a part time student there. I visited Madison enough that it became my second second favorite college, behind the Iowa Hawkeyes, of course.

 Visiting Brian his freshman year

Event though Brian went to bed quite angry yesterday because of Wisconsin’s loss, we had a great time during the game munching on some yummy snacks and delicious drinks.

Beef Brisket Sandwiches

A couple of nights ago I slow cooked a beef brisket and since the butcher only sold them for 6 pounds, we had plenty of leftovers.  So yesterday I threw the left overs in the crock pot with a little bit of water, beef bullion cubes, and some Colgin liquid smoke (which is sooooo yummy!).  We served them with buns and there we had beef brisket sammys.  Here’s how I originally made the brisket…

What you need for a 3 pound beef brisket (since mine was 6 lbs, I doubled everything):

1/4 C flour, 1 package dry onion soup mix, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp cracked pepper, AAAAND the two secret ingredients that make this brisket so delicious…

Here’s what you do:

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Place the oven bag on a roasting pan (I made my own with a cookie sheet and a wire rack cooling sheet).  Sprinkle the flour on the bottom of the oven bag then place the meat on top of the flour.  Put all the dry ingredients on the meat and finish off with the liquid smoke.

Close the oven bag with the closing tie and puncture the top of the bag with two fork holes.  Slow cook it in the oven for 4-6 hours (I cooked my 6.5 lb brisket for 6 hours, so if you have less meat take it out sooner).

 A perfect winter meal that will leave your whole house smelling delicious.

 Brian’s Madison Martini

Brian went off to the store to grab some rolls, buffalo wings, pasta salad, and came back this…

 …vodka, extra dry vermouth, fresh strawberries, and strawberry schnapps.

Brian Stewart took it upon himself to create his own signature drink.  This is what he did…

Muddled strawberries and put them in a shaker with ice.  He added two parts vodka and one part vermouth and strawberry schnapps.  If you like strawberries, you’ll love this drink.

So we didn’t have to leave the game to make a new drink, we made a pitcher for everyone to make a drink from.  Isn’t the Bucky wine glass so cute?  My mom got them for Brian and I to drink from on the night of our rehearsal dinner.

Want one of your own?  Find your team wine glass here.

Chili Cheese Dip

This is a popular one, so you may have already seen this before.  But in case you haven’t, now you know what you’ve been missing out on.  Here’s all you need…

 …Hormel Chili (I like it without beans), soften cream cheese, and mexican mix shredded cheese.

Spread the soften cream cheese on the bottom of a shallow oven safe dish.  Next, layer with chili then the shredded cheese.  I like to top it off with some chili powder.  Put it in a 350 degree oven for 15-20 minutes and serve with tortilla chips.

More Red, White, and Badger Fun

I gathered all the Wisconsin stuff we had in our office and put it up on our mantel.  It was Brian’s idea to use our the chalkboards from our Christmas card to show some more UW spirit.  My mom had gotten the plates and napkins for Brian for Christmas.  If you want some of your own, search for your team here or here.