Turkey Chickpea Chili

This one is a really good twist on another chili I frequently make, white chicken chili. It is pretty healthy and extremely filling. It is also quite simple to make.

This has become my go to of sorts lately. I make a three meat and bean chili, I also make the chicken one. This is almost a combination of the two. One of my besties is a big proponent of this one. We have our regular Tuesday nite dinner parties that now have evolved into eat then watching Ringer parties. And by parties I mean the two of us and Miss Chloe. and Dobby. Also referenced as the beast and devil dog. These weekly dinners are special b/c I have to travel a rather long way to get there. I mean it's not the most convenient friendship. I have to cook the food and then walk out of my front door, walk the 15 ft to the end of my gate and then turn left and walk another 15 ft to hers. It gets really tiresome;)

Ingredients 
1 lb of ground turkey
1 can of chickpeas
1 large can diced tomatoes w/green peppers 
(you really can choose any flavor you prefer)
2 cups chicken broth
1 packet white chicken chili
1 packet cheesy taco 
1 bag corn(optional)

To Prepare
*brown the turkey
*once the turkey is almost browned, add HALF of EACH seasoning packet
stir into the meat and add 1/2 cup of the broth, making sure to dissolve all seasoning mix into meat, simmer for 3 minutes.
*drain chickpeas and add to pan, stirring to incorporate into turkey mixture
*drain some of the juice from the tomatoes and add, repeating above step.
*if you decide you want corn, now add that
*add the remaining seasoning packets and stir into chili. 
*Now add the remainder of the broth to your taste, I do around half a cup at a time and let it simmer for about 3-5 min to determine if it is as thick as I want or if I desire a more "soupy" mix.
*I then let it simmer for about 30-45.

I have browned the turkey and put that along w/the ingredients into the crockpot and let simmer on low for about 2/3 hrs also. it is good this way, just not my favorite. :)

T likes it brothy, I prefer it heartier. I think you can all decide for yourself exactly how you prefer it. 

*origin*
A few years back Panera had a Turkey chicpea chili. It was one of my favorites. This is my version of that. Mine is pretty different, the main similarities are turkey and chickpea. imagine that. 

Old Salem

Last weekend we traipsed to the lovely town of Winston-Salem, NC to see a show w/two of my brothers, one of my sissy in laws(the sassy one;) haha Ginnay. Wiki is the best when it comes to finding awesome places to stay. He stumbles upon these deals and out of the way spots. I have had the opportunity to stay in some of the most whimsical places you can imagine. 


He was looking for places to lay our heads and came upon the Brookstown Inn. I looked at the pictures and found it cute, but not overly impressive. The location was another story, it was in Old Salem and I am a history buff. I.LOVE.HISTORY! They were having a winter special and the price was $55 plus tax. Where are you gonna find a better price than that(the No Light Inn $29 not withstanding) So the decision was made...


We got there in no time and I will say only this...Hire a new web designer, this place was AWESOME!!! It is an old cotton mill renovated. The rooms were enormous, ours in particular was 2 floors, a 16 foot ceiling and one whole wall of exposed brick and a fireplace. Was the furnishings "blow your mind" chic and modern, not even a little. I still loved every second of it. Next week I will share all the pics from the hotel, tonight's post is about a topic I love...Food! 


We had dinner at some BBQ joint...it was lacking. Perhaps I am spoiled by QShack(yummy, I need some brisket) or maybe I just have good taste, either way Wiki and I both left with our appetites still in tact. this is not cool. I will not out this establishment b/c they weren't rude, they worked hard and my tastes are mine, someone else may love it. I appreciate small businesses. 

But I will most assuredly out this next joint...

We went to this little place the next morning. It was...AAAAHHHHMAZING.

I mean we were welcomed in by peanut butter chocolate spoons to make your own hot chocolate. UMMM, Hello?! Yes, Please. 

Any place that serves my beverage in a mason jar receives an automatic first down...(If you don't understand the reference of that...then I don't know how to help you other than to offer up a prayer).

I normally am a waffle or pancake kinda gal. I cannot even recall the last time I may have ordered french toast. This time I gave in, I am outdone by the words chocolate caramel pecan all in one sentence. and yes, it was even better than it looks! 


Thank you Screaming Rooster, we will be back!


and just for the heck of it, there was this amazing building across the street, closed for renovation. It had this amazing red door and this gorgeous turquoise window. I snapped a few shots.

I love the stoop..and the star.

You may not notice but the corner street here is Wachovia, for some of you this may conjure up negative connotations, not me. I want you back Wachovia. For nine years you were good to me, It's taken Wells the Devil Fargo less than 5 weeks to garner my utter disdain. I'm sure they care. Ugh.


Anyways, take a visit to this great town, you'll be happy you did!

Bourbon Appletini

I love bourbon, actually love doesn't do it justice. I love the distinctive flavor. I love how it taste on my tongue. I love my bourbon neat. This means I don't want you to dare put ice in it, or shudder at the thought: soda, how offensive! In other words-bring me the bottle and a straw!!!  And if I ask a bartender what bourbons they carry and they happen to offer up Jack Daniels, my heart hurts a little. J. D. is Tennessee whiskey, not bourbon. Don't get me wrong I have no beef w/it, I just heart my bourbon.

 Bourbon MUST be made in the USA, and if its not, it's not Bourbon. In fact Bourbon Whiskey was recognised by the United States Congress as a "distinctive product of the United States" on May 4 1964.

In order to carry the name Bourbon, a set of rigid requirements must be met, and these requirement are set out in The Federal Standards of Identity for Distilled Spirits (27 CFR 5) So if we break this down we come up with the key requirements for a Whiskey to be classified as a bourbon.

The grain mixture of which Bourbon is made must contain AT LEAST 51% Corn.

Bourbon must be produced at no more than 160 proof (U.S) (80% alcohol by volume)

Bourbon must be stored at no more than 125 Proof (U.S) (62.5% alcohol by volume)

and it MUST be stored in NEW Charred Oak Containers.

Straight Bourbon Whiskey refers to Bourbon meeting these requirements which has been aged for longer than 2 years. Most, if not all bourbon available to purchase has been aged for 4 years or more and therefore is Straight Bourbon whiskey, however it is not required to be labeled Straight.

More than you ever wanted to know about bourbon, huh? You just got knowledged ;)

Onto the good stuff.

ingredients

1 1/2 parts apple pucker

2 parts vodka

1 oz flat sprite

2 tbsp  cherry bourbon

directions

mix the apple, vodka and sprite together in a shaker w/ice

put a bourbon infused cherry in the glasses

pour into two chilled glasses.

*Now to make the cherry bourbon

take a glass of maraschino cherries and dump half the cherry juice and fill to top w/bourbon of your choice. let soak for a week or two.*

now pour 1 tbsp of cherry bourbon into glass

should settle at bottom creating a layered effect.

Please excuse the pop rock rim, it somewhat melted before I got a good picture, but it was tasty none the less.

Hope y'all enjoy!

Samuel Langhorne Clemens

although most probably know him by his pen name, "Mark Twain" just a little know author;)


as I have said, I heart reading. I always halt slightly whenever someone asks me what book I'm reading now. If there is not a book in hand, then "right now" I'm more than likely between books. It actually pains me to start a book and head for slumber before the conclusion. It is definitely in my favor that I read exceptionally fast and therefore fit a substantial amount of  books in a week. It is not unheard of for me to read 8-10 in 5 or so days. Other than cooking it is my escape and I love to immerse myself in the books, imagine myself as a player in their life.


This book is one that is of another level.

Wiki surprised me w/it for my birhday last year. I have yet to finish it. It is that in depth, that brain fogging that I can only spend a few hours at a time absorbing his genius. I cannot wait to finally finish it. To fully comprehend what complexities his mind held.

This is one of my favorite excerpts...

I can't tell you how much I love this book. It is probably one of my favorite gifts he ever gave me, mainly b/c I never established how much I wanted it...he just sometimes knows me better than I know myself. He has gotten annoyed b/c I've yet to finish it and have read probably 200 books in the meantime, but it is simply b/c I want to savor it. 

Peppermint Oreo Mudslide

Yes, you read that right. Peppermint. Oreo. Mudslide. or Goodness defined. Either works.
I would like to say a lot of witty things here. But I'm not b/c this speaks for its self. Moving right along.


Ingredients
1/2 cup mini oreos
2 cups peppermint mocha ice cream
peppermint sugar crystals(ummm, we'll say a tbsp)
2 tbsp bailey's
2 tbsp kahlua
2 tbsp vanilla vodka
1/2 cup ice
(if you can find peppermint kahlua or edy's peppermint ice cream, they were out, booooooo)

I place ice in first then add 1/2 the liquid, add the ice cream, oreos, sugar crystals and add remaining liquid.
Crush ice for a moment and then turn to frappe(or whatever your blender would use for milkshakes)
I had to stop the blender and use a spoon to mix it a little before starting the blender again to get it to my desired consistency


You can do many things to make this to your liking. More or less alcohol to get it to your preferred "boozy" state. If it's too "liquidy" add more ice cream or oreos and if it's too thick you could add more booze or milk.

**Origin**

This was my base point. I.LOVE.THESE SHAKES. Like no words are descriptive enough! I prefer it with the peppermint from EDY's, but this was beyond yummy also. I made peppermint mudslides last year  and didn't add the oreo. I think that the peppermint mocha ice cream probably works best w/this particular version.


Drink up. You'll be happy you did!