A Different Thanksgiving Celebration

My brother Benji on Thanksgiving. A belly full of turkey and stuffing ready for Day 1 of chemo.
The look of a determined individual ready to kick cancer's butt. He's my hero.

 

Thanksgiving this year wasn't the typical week long planning, prepping and cooking extravaganza or the fridge full of leftovers. It wasn't even a kitchen bursting with smells of all the yummy food about to be ravaged through or a stove and oven without room to spare. I still indulged in all the classic flavors of Thanksgiving; sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes with gravy, cornbread stuffing and of course the turkey, but instead these delights were served in a to go box and eaten together with my brother, future sister-in-law and father in a hospital room, which for all purposes had become my second home over the last month and my first being the housing provided to family at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. And while it wasn't traditional, it reinforced the meaning of Thanksgiving, of giving thanks and acknowledging the blessings in my life.

You see the reason that for this non-traditional Thanksgiving was because for the last month my brother has and is an inpatient at Brooke Army Medical Center after being medivac'd from Afghanistan back to the States after becoming extremely ill and needing several blood and platelet transfusions. As the sister of a soldier you prepare yourself for many things. You can expect the inevitable deployments to countries embroiled in war and the months that go by that you may not hear from your brother. The sinking feeling in your stomach never goes away when the mention of a soldier’s death or injury is mentioned on the nightly news, no matter how many tours of deployments your sibling has bravely set off for. So when I got the call from my dad that my brother was coming home from Afghanistan and arriving in San Antonio at the military hospital the next day my thoughts immediately went to an explosion or gunshot. What I wasn't prepared for was for my dad to tell me he had leukemia. Of all the challenges and dangers I worried about Benji facing, cancer was not one of them.

Thanksgiving dinner from the Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC)
Grab n' Go Cafeteria

What I realized as I was eating my cafeteria turkey dinner that day was that no matter who cooked the Thanksgiving feast or where I was eating it, I was thankful that I was enjoying it with my little brother and family and I am truly blessed to have the opportunity to do so and to have been able to spend the last month at my brother's bedside to support him. Through the last month there has been challenge after challenge that he faced with great bravery and poise. A weakened immune system that left him vulnerable to infections, the comlexitity of his case and complications of the leukemia.

It was also a big deal in that Thanksgiving marked my brother's first session of chemo and while it may not seem like the best way to celebrate Thanksgiving we wouldn't have changed it because it marked the first day in my brother's battle to conquer leukemia. Seeing my brother's strength and constant smile and the way that my family has come together as one, I have never been so thankful for my amazing life and the people that are in. I am also thankful for the doctors and nurses that have taken such wonderful care of my brother and the military for their amazing support and systems in place. I now understand the meaning of giving thanks more so than ever before and see Thanksgiving as way more than new recipes and abundence of food.

Of course I do miss those next day leftovers, but there is always next year...

A Bowlful of Chili

The leaves are finally changing color to beautiful reds, oranges and yellows and there is a crisp chill in the air. You know what this means? If you answered rain and snow you answered wrong, but I will give you partial credit. It means Chili time. That wonderful, comforting bowl of love, that when paired with cornbread is the perfect way to end a fall or winter day. I can feel the love and warm feeling in my tummy just writing about it.

Now, you could take the shortcut and buy it from the grocery store in a can and warm it in the microwave, or you can try my recipe that I have painstakingly tried and perfected throughout the years. It is pretty amazing if you ask me, but I guess you will just have to try it out yourself to see if it is as good as I think it is. What better way to spend a rainy day than inside a warm house, the fire going, football playing on the TV in the background, making Chili from scratch as the aromas of the kitchen waft into the rest of the house creating a feeling that can only be compared to as a big hug. That's right, I said it. A big hug. It is that good!



Add shredded cheese, cilantro, red onion and sour cream
 for the perfect finishing touch

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

Serves 20 (5 meals for 4 people)
Prep time: 45 minutes       
Cook time: approx. 2 hours


 Ingredients

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 red onions chopped
4 green bell peppers chopped
2 red bell peppers chopped
10 garlic cloves chopped
1 jalapeño fine dice
5 pounds ground turkey
2- 6oz. can tomato paste
5 tablespoons chili powder
3 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
3 teaspoons smoked paprika
5- 28oz cans diced tomatoes
2- 15oz cans kidney beans
2- 15oz cans pinto beans
2- 15oz cans black beans
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

Directions:

In a large pot, on medium heat add the olive oil, letting it heat slightly, then add the onions (reserve ½ cup of onions as a garnish), bell peppers, garlic and jalapeño, cooking until tender, approximately 10-15 minutes.



Make sure to wash all your veggies

 

Make sure to cut jalopeno

into a fine dice

 

Cut bell pepper into 1/4 in. cubes

A picture of one of the most amazing smells you will ever experience

Once the vegetables are tender, increase the temperature to medium high heat and add the ground turkey making sure to break it up as you cook (my kitchen tool of choice is a wooden spoon for this). Cook the turkey for approximately 8-10 minutes or until the meat has been cooked through completely.

 

Make sure to cook the ground turkey through entirely and mix it in with the veggies

Next, add the tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, curry powder and smoked paprika and stir for 2 minutes until fully incorporated throughout.

Smoked paprika and cumin together is my favorite spice combination.
The curry powder was an accident that proved delicious and is now a part of the recipe forever.

Drain and rinse the canned beans in a colander in the sink and then add the diced tomatoes and beans to the pot. Add 1 ½ cups of water and salt and pepper to taste to the pot and bring to a boil stirring occasionally. Once the pot comes to a boil, reduce heat to low heat bringing the pot to a simmer, stirring occasionally, letting all the flavors come together and thicken for approximately 2 hours but longer the better.

That is love right there!
 

 

Favorite Things Friday

Top: Proscuito & Dry Coppa. Top-left: Garlic. Top- right: Cilantro
Center: Pluots. Bottom-left: Basil. Bottom-right: Whole Wheat Pasta

A Quick Thought

"The only thing better than the food itself, is the people you share it with."

The Amazing Mom and the Tale of the Great Road Trip Of New York

For my Mom's birthday I wrote her a children's story about our road trip to New York to see my brother Benji before he deployed to Afghanistan. You see road trips with my mom are always an adventure and almost never planned. It usually consists of loading us in the car and just driving, exploring whatever may come and this started way before a thing called GPS. Sometimes we get lost but we always find our way home and it is always an irreplaceable memory, whether it be rafting down a not so calm river, exploring a cave or setting out to see Mount Rushmore and ending up in a completely different state.These road trips have brought us to some interesting places in the United States, brought us to many places we may never have seen otherwise and has resulted in many an entertaining story. This is just one of the many... and without further ado and in honor of her I give to you a story about a very special mom, my mom. Happy birthday Mom! Love you lots and I can't wait for many more road trips seeing where the road leads us.

The Amazing Mom and the Tale of the Great Road Trip of New York

Once upon a time lived a Mom with the spirit of adventure and a heart full of love for her children...

This is the story of the Great Road Trip of New York and the borders of Canada.  A story of four people and the courageous Mom who braved both the elements and her children and grandson, who loathed mornings and whom she fearlessly woke each morning in a pursuit of adventure, knowledge and a whole lot of fun.

After 24 hours of airports and flying, missed connections and delayed flights, the always Amazing Mom and her daughter, Shannon, finally arrived in Syracuse, New York, ready for the vacation to begin and to see her son, Benji, her grandson, Landon, and her future daughter-in-law, Julie.  Not even the severe lack of sleep was going to ruin her bliss and excitement in being with her family for the next 4 days. Her children and grandson did not know it yet but they were about to begin a grand fabulous voyage that they would never forget.

On the first day of the Great Road Trip of New York, the Amazing Mom had her family up early and in the car armed only with an idea, a GPS and snacks. The goal was Cooperstown and The Baseball Hall of Fame. It was an experience that everyone in the car was excited about especially the Amazing Mom at seeing how excited her family was about this trip. 

The GPS proved trusty and they arrived safely to Cooperstown. The excitement levels in the car could be felt by all and everyone had an idea in their head of what they wanted to see. You see there were 5 people in the car but there were 4 very different teams that they were fans of. With the parking of the car the family, with Amazing Mom in the lead, walked and half ran to the stairs of The Baseball Hall of Fame and as they all reached the stairs there was a moment of awe as they stopped and prepared themselves for what awaited inside.

On second day of the Great Road Trip of New York the Amazing Mom and her family piled into the car once again with a mission and destination in mind. With laughter, family stories of road trips past and country music filling the car and the occasional enthusiastic announcement of “Combo Pack” from Landon as he played video games as they made their way to Buffalo, New York.

By the time the Amazing Mom and her crazy bunch arrived at the hotel in Buffalo they were starving and in need of adult beverages for everyone except Landon, who had Coke with extra cherries. As stomachs started growling and the evening turned night the happy family set off walking in search of real food, Buffalo Wings (because Buffalo is the home of Buffalo Wings) and for her son the UFC fights even though the Amazing Mom had no idea what this last thing was.

Day three of the Great Road Trip of New York started with a filling breakfast and with tummies full and bags packed they left the hotel in search of Niagara Falls.

As the Amazing Mom and her family made their way to Niagara Falls it became evident as rain came pouring down that the flip flops and short sleeved shirts they were wearing were no longer appropriate for the weather. You see, the weather was in the 80’s when they had all met in New York but now the thermometer had dropped to the 40’s with gray skies and rainfall. Not rain, nor sleet or snow was going to stop this determined and courageous family so they rummaged the trunk for warmer clothes and set off in search for the wondrous falls.

As they neared Niagara Falls, from the side of the United States, confused looks crossed their faces. For this was not the Niagara Falls they envisioned. The grandeur was missing. The Amazing Mom fast on her feet decided that they were going to try the boat ride in search of the Niagara Falls that they had traveled so far for. Armed with hot chocolate and blue ankle length ponchos they boarded the boat set for the Falls. It was on this boat ride that the glorious nature of Niagara Falls was revealed to the eager family.

After the breathtaking, and very cold, boat ride came to an end and the Amazing Mom and her smiling brood departed the boat. They fast realized as they looked at the other passengers that they were somehow the only ones drenched, especially Benji who’s jeans legs were soaked all the way up his legs. Had everyone else not experienced the torrential downpour and hurricane like winds? Soaking wet, but extremely grateful at the experience they just had, they made their way back to the car and set the heater on high and the destination towards home.

As the sun came up on the last day of the Great Road Trip of New York the Amazing Mom woke up her daughter barely able to hide the excitement that was exuding from her as she told her to look out the window. And there, covering the ground and cars in all its white, freezing glory was SNOW! Real snow! So without a moment wasted Shannon and Landon ran outside to play in the snow, throwing snowballs and playing. It was the perfect end to already perfect vacation.

Hugs and kisses were exchanged as “I love you” and “I miss you already” were heard as the Amazing mom and her family said their goodbyes and parted ways, but not to worry the Amazing Mom would soon take her family on another adventure and another road trip whether it be planned out or a spontaneous journey through an unknown land. And with this the Great Road Trip of New York came to an end...

 Look For Other Adventures of the Amazing Mom Including:

The Pismo Holiday Parts 1, 2, 3, and 4 with 5 coming soon
The Great Midwest Road Trip: Lost and Found Then Lost Again
The Incredible Idaho Road Trip
The Road Trip of Upstate New York and Canada, Eh
Viva Las Vegas Un, Deux, Trois, Quatre, Cinq, Six, Sept, Huit, Neuf, and Dix
The Splendid Explorations of Santa Barbara

Exciting things to come

I apologize for not posting in a few weeks but it wasn't because I wasn't thinking of all of you or that I had fallen away from my love of all things food. Quite the opposite actually. For the last few weeks I have been in the kitchen surrounding myself with tasty ingredients and testing the recipes that have come to me in the middle of the night with weekly trips to the Farmer's Market to let the food pick itself. I also had the opportunity to cook for large group of people at my family reunion, visit one of my favorite foodie cities, Madison, Wisconsin, along with making a quick trip home to see friends and fill up on all the food I missed and BBQ with great friends. So now I am back with an endless amount of new recipes, tricks to entertaining and a tummy full of inspiration and I am super excited to share with all of you. So get ready because it's time to get back in the kitchen with me and I hope what I share with you will inspire you to do just that. I have also had a lot of people ask about cooking for one, which as a single girl I have gotten very good at, as well as tips for make ahead meals for all you busy people out there. You can still have a home cooked, or at least semi-home made, breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a busy schedule whether it be because of work, kids or school. So many ideas, I just can't wait to share!!

Just a few of the recipes and tips that will be coming to a computer, tablet, or smartphone, near you (not necessarily in this order)...

• Three Bean and Extra Beefy Chili
• Chilled Honeydew Melon Soup with Crispy Prosciutto
• Chicken & Cauliflower Tikka Masala
• Mushroom Stuffed Ribeye Cap
• Gnocchi with Pesto topped with Roasted Chicken Breast
• Shannon's Almost From Scratch Meat Sauce
• My Famous Lasagna
• The Best Flank Steak Marinade You've Ever Tasted
• How to Prepare and Cook for a Large Group (both a casual and formal occasion)
• Food Trucks (one of my favorite things at the moment)
• Soup, Salads & Sandwiches Galore (Can you say Steak, Arugula & Horseradish Aioli Panini and Egg Salad Sandwich, just to name a few.)
• Kitchen Mistake Stories
• Brats, Beer and Bacon Cheese from the Cheese State of Wisconsin
• Good Eats in Madison, Wisconsin
• and so much more!

Get your kitchen utensils ready and your knives sharpened because its about to get tasty.

I Introduce To You... "The Bobbie"

Capriotti's World Famous Sandwich "The Bobbie"

The last time I came to Las Vegas for a visit was a couple of months ago, and my life changed. Don't worry it wasn't in a get married to a complete stranger or anything that would make my parents cringe and want to disown me sort of way. It was for a completely PG reason. I come to Vegas for the food...and shopping, because if I am going to spend money it is either going into my tummy or in my closet. I am spoiled when I come to Vegas to visit because I have a good friend who is a fellow foodie and takes me to local spots and hole in the wall places that most people do not get the luck of enjoying because they stay on The Las Vegas Strip. Don't get me wrong, there are some amazing places on The Strip. Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill in Caesars had the best brunch I have ever had and the most amazing flavor profiles. Craft Steak in the MGM had a perfectly cooked and extremely tender Filet Mignon along with amazing side dishes and Tom Colicchio's sandwich place (he also owns Craft Steak) also in the MGM, Witchcraft, has killer sandwich.Even the buffet in Vegas are to die for, especiallly the seafood Buffet at the Aria and the buffet at the Rio never dissapoints.  I could go on but that would take up a lot of space and I don't want your head to explode or to distract from the real object of this post. So with that I go to my main point... "The Bobbie".

We all love Thanksgiving with all the yummy, makes your tummy and soul happy food, especially the leftovers for the next week, so what if you could enjoy Thanksgiving everyday of the year. Well you can in a sandwich sort of way. When I first heard about this sandwich that essentially delivers Thanksgiving on a hoagie roll I was a bit skeptical because I didn't quite know what to expect and how it could be accomplished, or at least accomplished well. And maybe more than just be executed but done so successfully. I can only say one thing about "The Bobbie" from Capriotti's, it was a life changer! With the first bite of its delicousness and perfect harmony of flavors it was love at first bite. They use the perfect roll to bring it all together and not overtake the ingredients that are showcased within its bready barriers but acts as the perfect platform to bring it all together.

With my impending visit to Vegas all I could think of was one thing, okay maybe two things but the first is my secret, "The Bobbie". Part of me was a little apprehensive about ordering it again because what if it wasn't as good as the first time, or what if I had been making it more in my head than I remembered. With the first bite all those doubts were put to rest. It truly is amazing, delicious and one of a kind. As I bit into the hoagie, tasting the perfectly roasted pieces of turkey (both dark and white meat), tasty bits of cool flavorful stuffing and the balance of sweet and tart in the cranberry sauce (real cranberry sauce not the jellied can stuff) and a touch of mayo, I melted into a food comma where the only thing in my life at that moment was this delicious sandwich. I didn't even want to share with Daisy which should tell you it was that good.

While every individual ingredient is great on its own, it is the melding of all into the perfect bite that truly makes it so special. The make it or break it ingredient has to be the cranberry sauce though. You can't just pick just any cranberry sauce and try to emulate "The Bobbie" and this where I am stuck in making it at home. I can't find a cranberry sauce with the right balance that brings to the my imitated sandwich that the cranberry sauce does to "The Bobbie". So I will continue in my search for the perfect cranberry sauce. Oh darn I guess that means that I will have to keep sampling "The Bobbie" at Capriotti's each time I visit until I get it right. It's a tough job but someone has to do it, and I am just happy that that person is me.

To find a Capriotti's near you visit Capriotti's Sandwich Shop at http://www.capriottis.com/.