Spicy Apple Chili

So, when I talked about this with friends, I got to see all sorts of expressions on their faces! Most people have a really have a hard time envisioning chili and apples in the same meal, let alone in the same bite. But I had found a recipe by Rachael Ray, and I wanted to give it a try.

Let me tell you what I learned:
1. I can only follow a recipe so far and then I become a "chef" (or so I seem to believe), adding a little something here, changing up a little something there.
2. Convincing people to taste apple chili can be challenging.
3. Getting the chili back after they have tasted it is even harder.
4.  Maybe I am not so bad at this "chef" thing.
Well, as you probably have gathered, I only used the recipe as a guideline and then I started out on my own.  Quite a few people wanted the recipe and with the weather as cold as it is, it is the perfect time to make this!

Spicy Apple Chili
Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or you can make it with turkey)
1 can of spinach drained
1 can of canary beans drained
1 can of fire roasted Tex-Mex tomatoes
1 Tbsp of tomato paste
1 Tbsp chipotle in adobo paste (Take a can of chipotle in adobo sauce and puree it in a food processor for this ingredient. You can freeze the rest to use later or use some now for delicious Chipotle Poppers that I will talk about in the next edition!)
1 to 1 1/2 apples chopped (I used Fuji apples.)
1 cup of chicken broth
1 cup of apple cider (give or take)
1 Tbsp EVOO
Here you have to play it by taste:
Paprika
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Cumin
Smoked Sea Salt

And the complicated part:
Add all of these ingredients to a 5 quart or so slow cooker, mix it up, and let it do it's magic for about 8 hours. Top with shredded cheese of your choosing, pepita or sunflower seeds, and most importantly some fresh chopped apple. It is awesome!

Introducing You to Me

Hello! Like quite a few single gals these days, I am having to make sure my money is stretching for all it is worth. One of my biggest budget-busters is eating out or grabbing drive through on the way home from work. I love using dinner time as a time to catch up with friends, too! Unfortunately, all of these mean money disappearing quickly. I decided if I was going to follow Dave Ramsey's $0 budgeting and still have money to do anything else in the month, then I was going to have to cut back on food expenses.

Most people reading this probably assume that I might need to reassign some of that money to a gym membership if all I am doing is eating, but though I could use a few extra workouts, it isn't that I am overindulging in food. It really has been that I am allowing poor planning, exhaustion, and quite honestly fear prevent me from saving money in this area.

To get things moving in the right direction, I first set up my budget like everyone should do and then I stared at it thinking how hungry and bored I was going to be all month. After I got my wits about me again, I started figuring out how I could survive. Then I met Pinterest and I was in love! if you don't have an account, let me know and I will send you entrance into the wonderful addiction. I started repinning recipes and tips on home repairs. I could see that if I wasn't careful, it was going to be like so many things on the web where people end up getting overwhelmed and many items never get any follow up. Between trying to stick to my budget and these new recipes and DIY ideas, I had to start trying the tips. However, I couldn't help but put my own flair into the recipes and tips that I tried.

All this to say, here I am going to share my flair with you.

Have a good evening and a great Thanksgiving!