Call me Betty.

Today was a long day.

It was the type of long day that never seems to end. By the time 11AM rolled around, it felt like 5 o’clock. I was ready to throw my purse over the shoulder, scoop up my cup of coffee, and sprint out the door without making eye contact with a single person on my way out. I may or may not have done exactly that, but, sadly, my lunch break ended all too soon. Shocker – The one hour I was looking most forward to ended up flying by.

Not only was today long and tedious, with meetings about meetings left and right, it was the day I had been dreading for 48+ hours. It was doomsday. Today was the day that I had to do the one thing that causes packrats around the world to shiver, break into a cold sweat, and nervously change the topic of conversation while looking for the quickest emergency exit: Today was moving day. Yes… Today I had to move/switch desks. (Okay, so what? I’m a little dramatic. But, being an anxious person anyways, this is actually a fairly big deal to me.) It ended up being easier to move after the workday was, technically, over. That way I wouldn’t have to answer as many questions as normal, while carrying an amount of stuff that would, seemingly, fill a small apartment adequately. I’m actually planning a few crafty moments to make my new seat suck a little less. There will likely be a post about the success and/or failure of said moments later. (Side note: It was, in no way, shape, or form, my idea to move desks. But, I don’t ask questions anymore. It’s easier to just smile and nod, and carry on about my day. I may have, however, taken my phone, computer tower, computer camera, and my chair with me, just to make the experience a little more difficult for the person moving into my old desk, who is hypothetically the reason I had to move in the first place. Is this spiteful? Yes. But, did it come with a small degree of satisfaction? Absolutely. I’m petty, folks. Tom Petty.)

It was after 6:30 by the time I got home. I know I complain here and there, but it really wasn’t that bad. Boyfriend was hanging out on the couch with our weenie dog when I walked into the apartment, and greeted me with a smile. Weenie, however, greeted me with her customary howl-bark and chased me around the room until I sat down to play.

Boyfriend made us some quick “poor guy fajitas” for dinner. (Yes, that is a direct quote.) Per the usual, I was on clean-up duty, and I had just about finished when he looked up, all cute and junk, and requested that I make him some more cinnamon rolls. I stared at him, a little blankly for a while, and said, “Sure, babes.” If you read my previous post, then you know that I wasn’t too pleased with my first ever round of scratch cinnamon rolls. So, I took this as an opportunity to be a little more careful.

I measured everything out exactly; I’ve learned that this is a big deal with baking. I followed the recipe perfectly. The dough was easier to work with this time; I kneaded it better, rolled it out thinner, and rolled the dough up tighter than my last attempt. By the time I cut the roll into individual pieces, I could tell this was a much more successful attempt. I let the rolls rise for almost exactly an hour and tossed them into the oven. Boyfriend suggested that I leave them in a little less than last time, and that turned out to be great advice.

Guys. They. Turned. Out. Perfectly. I may be out on a limb here, but they were the best cinnamon rolls that I’ve ever eaten. Sure, it may have taken a couple of hours to make them (and clean the kitchen), but it was so, so, totally worth it. I would refer you to boyfriend to back up my opinion, but he fell asleep about ten minutes after I put them in the oven. (Don’t worry… I ate one. Quality assurance is important to me.) Oh, well. I’m pretty dang pleased with myself. Ya’ll can just call me ‘Betty’ from now on.

Now I’m sittin’ in bed with weenie and boyfriend, having a nice, cold beer before I go to bed. This day may not have turned out too badly after all.

Here’s the link to the recipe I used: Cinnamon Rolls

XOXO ya’ll.

*Edit – This picture is actually mine this time. It was taken after cutting the rolls into pieces. (Pre-rising, and pre-baking.) Don’t mind my thumb in the picture.

Experiment Chili

Okay – So, I like to think that I’m an alright cook. Heck, I think I’m a good cook. But, I can’t take credit for almost all of the recipes that I make. I can follow a recipe like a pro, though.

This Sunday I woke up and felt like baking. Don’t ask me why I have these whims; Just go with it. I went to the store and bought all of the things I needed to make cinnamon rolls and blueberry muffins from scratch. (Recipes from Pinterest, duh.) It was the first time I made any kind of dough, at all, from scratch… Ever. They turned out pretty well. I thought they were a little bit too bread-y, but the boyfriend seemed to like them. The muffins, however, were a slam dunk. I’ll post the recipe some time soon, because, trust me, you need it.

So – Coming off of a semi-win from the weekend, I readily volunteered myself to make a pot of chili for a chili cook off at work. I knew I wanted to make a southern, kind of Texas-style chili (no beans), so I did a little poking around on the internet again. Who am I kidding? I went straight to Pinterest again. But, I didn’t find anything that I really loved. So, I decided to make my own.

I just finished the one test bowl that I’m allowing myself. I am really torn, guys. I think I like it, but I’m not positive. So, I’m hoping that someone will replicate my recipe and give me some opinions. The ingredients list looks a little intimidating, but if you have a relatively stocked spice cabinet, then you should have most of this already. In all reality, this was super easy to make. Any takers? Fantastic. Ready… Go!

Ingredients:
3 lbs. ground beef (It sounds like a lot, but it cooks down.)
2 28oz. cans of crushed tomatoes
1 8oz. can of tomato sauce
1 8oz. can of tomato paste
1 green bell pepper
2 Anaheim peppers
2 jalapeno peppers
4 cups beef broth
2 yellow onions
1/4 tsp honey
1/2 cup beer
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 T apple cider vinegar
3 tsp minced garlic
6 T chili powder
1/4-1/2 tsp liquid smoke (mesquite)
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 tsp cumin
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp parsley
1/2 tsp basil
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
3/4 tsp chili powder (double if you like spicy chili)
1 T brown sugar
1/4 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 bay leaf

Directions:
1 – Measure out all of the dry spices and put into a bowl. (This is a big time-saver later.) Set aside.
2 – Chop up all of your fresh ingredients. Don’t chop too finely, and split them in half as you go.
3 – Add half of your chopped veggies and 1 cup of beef broth to a food processor or blender and puree. Set aside.
4 – Add 1 tsp of olive oil to your pot and add the rest of the chopped veggies. Sweat the veggies until most of the moisture is gone.
5 – Add the puree mixture and the remaining beef broth to the pot and bring to a low boil. Add the ground beef, one lb. at a time, and roughly break up with a spoon.*
6 – Add all liquid ingredients and stir.
7 – Add all remaining ingredients and stir.
8 – Let chili simmer on medium-low for at least an hour, adding salt to taste.
* If you’re using a fatty beef, spoon most of the fat off of the chili about 1/3 of the way through the cook time.

Let me know what your thoughts are? I may go a bit easier on the liquid smoke next time. That stuff is potent.

Ya’ll are the best. XOXO.

PS – I can’t take credit for this picture. Thanks, Google.