I’m finally joining my own party.  I had one of those long productive days that have you saying at 8pm,  “Is this the first time I’ve sat down all day?”

The girls and I didn’t finish school until 5pm and I cooked and cleaned and decorated all day in between teaching/facilitating school.

Whew!  I’m weary.

But I did manage to make my favorite cheese ball.  I made it up a few years ago and make it every Christmas.   Don’t tell anyone but I’ve already put it in the freezer for my company next week.

Yes, cheese balls freeze well.   Pretty much everything freezes well.  Other things I put in the freezer today, you ask?   Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, homeade honey wheat bread,  and meatballs.

I earned my ‘whew’ today.

So here’s what you need for the cheese ball.

8 oz package of softened cream cheese

8 oz cheddar cheese, shredded (don’t buy it already shredded–do the hard work and you’ll thank yourself later)

1 small can crushed pineapples

4 scallions chopped

1/2 cup dried cranberries rough chopped

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion salt (or a little more if it needs more salt)

Mix together and let sit for a couple hours.   Serve in a traditional ball shape or in the fun pineapple shape shown.

Invite all your foo-dog loving friends over to enjoy cheese and chinese legend.

Speaking of foo dogs (I know, I can’t let it go),  my brilliant friend Annie reminded me of the ‘Chinese dog’ statuaries in Anne of the Island (3rd book in Anne of Green Gables).   Anne adored them.

“Gog looks to the right and Magog looks to the left.”   It’s all so grand and apocalyptic.

It’s the most brilliant timing ever.   Now my foo dogs have names.

And I can tell them apart.

(Thank you Annie, you kindred spirit, you.)

This post is part of series called “31 Days to Rebuild Your House and Heart” and I’m writing it to chronicle our rebuilding process after we lost everything in a house fire last December. You can start here and read the whole series. Thanks for visiting!

I’m cheating and digging into my archives to find some goodies for you. But this post is so October-ish! I’m having company this week—the first weekend guests to the cottage—-and I’ve been fluffing on overdrive. I’m making this soup while they’re here and thought you might enjoy it too. Come back tomorrow for the final week of the series and for the room tours.
Here’s how it happened.

I went to bookclub at Sandy’s and she served two kinds of soups:  pumpkin-apple and chicken and barley.

I’m  a mixer, a layer-er, a lumper not a splitter.    I layer clothes and jewelry and apparently food.     So I mixed the two together and it was fantastic.

I came home, put another necklace on,  and then searched pumpkin soup recipes and found this wonderful recipe by Bobby Flay and then tweaked it and added chicken and barley to it.

Phenom Soup.  Par Excellence.  More stately if pronounced  ‘par eggselonce’.    Stevie says phooey on any soup that doesn’t have beef or cheese or beer.

I say,  you should try it and judge for yourself.  {He really liked it despite its’ obvious lack of all things manly–although in my book chipotle and barley are right up there}

You’ll need:

2 T butter and 2 T. olive oil

1 onion

1 large carrot

3 stalks of celery

3 cloves of garlic

2 boxes of good chicken stock

1 can of pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie mix)  the smaller sized can ~14 oz

3 c. cooked chicken

1/2 c barley

1/2 t. cinnamon

1/4 t. ginger

1/4 t nutmeg

2-3 T honey

1-2 t. chipotles chopped very fine (it comes in a small can in the mexican section of the store and is packed in a heavy sauce)—it has a lot of heat so be cautious.

1 c. sour cream

1/4 c. heavy cream

salt and pepper to taste

To begin,  saute the veggies in the oil and butter until carrots are almost tender.   Always salt as you go along and then adjust the salt at the end.   Don’t wait til the very end to add salt or your dish will lack a depth of flavor.    Add garlic after the veggies have cooked about 5 minutes.

Then add chicken stock, pumpkin, chicken, barley and all the spices.    Cook at medium to high heat  for about 45 minutes to an hour or until barley is tender.    Turn heat down to simmer.   Add sour cream and whisk so that no lumps remain and then add cream.   Taste and reseason.  I had to add more honey to balance the heat of the chipotles but DON’T leave out the chipotles.  The smokey flavor makes the soup.  It just wouldn’t be the same without them!  Enjoy!  And make promises to your husband that the next soup promises to be full of beef and cheese.

We’re having chili tonight because 1) we take our football seriously around here and 2) it’s my husbands’ love language. I call it Rocky Top chili because we live in Volunteer Country and who doesn’t love to to hear Rocky Top play 20 twenty times on a continuous loop?! I rest my case. There are a few hard and fast rules for this chili and one of them involves playing/singing/clogging to Rocky Top while you stir. All three gets you extra points. If I ever become famous, it’ll be because of this chili. This is my best chili recipe ever. Except that I make it different everytime, depending on whether there’s any smoked meat to throw in or not.  People may love you for your money or good looks—-they love me for chili. And I’m okay with that.
Amen.

Ingredients:

• 2-2 1/2  pounds ground sirloin
• 1/2 pound pork sausage
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
• 3 T. cumin
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 T. hot mexican chili powder
• 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 – 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 3-4 cans  15 oz cans of various beans  ( I use black, pinto, chili, cannelini) all in their sauces, no draining
• 1/2 jar chili sauce (12 oz jar)
• 2 T. Country Bob’s steak sauce
• 2 T. worcestershire sauce
• 3 T. honey or a 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 12 oz beer or chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

I was gonna go all Pioneer Woman on you and blog every step of this chili recipe.

And though I love her like a sister (though we’ve never met—and did you know she now has a show on the food network?!),  I honestly don’t have the patience to upload/edit every step of this 8 billion ingredient recipe.

Don’t be scared by the list.  I’m laid back with my chili.   I throw in what I have and if I don’t have it on hand, I find a willing and able substitute.

That being said, you’re gonna email me and ask me about Country Bob’s steak sauce.  If you’re lucky enough to live in a city where you can get it,  you make us all green with envy.

I bought mine whilst in Minnesota this summer and then blogged the event on Facebook thanking Issues for introducing me to it.   That’s how good it is.

But if you don’t have Country Bob’s, use something else or just omit that step.

Here’s what you must not, under any circumstances, monkey around with—-

I like to call these “tomatoes that will change your life.”   At any given time, I have 10 cans of these on hand.   I never want to be caught unawares.   It’s all very apocalyptic sounding but trust me on this one.

I put them in EVERY soup, EVERY sauce,  EVERY tomato-requiring dish.   They are pricey, I’ll give you that.   So if you need more than one can of tomatoes, only use one of these.

But don’t scimp here.

What to do:

• Brown the meats
• Remove the meats and add a few swirls of olive oil and the onions and garlic
• Saute those til translucent, add back the meat and add the rest of the ingredients
• Simmer it as long as you have.  I usually cook mine a couple hours in the am and then turn it back on the afternoon.
• You will need to re-season!!!!   If you taste it in the afternoon and it needs more salt, add salt.   More heat, add Sriracha,  more sweet, add honey,  more umpffff, add chili powder and cumin.
• If you don’t know what it needs, add a little salt and a strip or two of bacon.   That always set the world aright.    Don’t be scared.  I always add more stuff and usually multiple things.   That’s why they call me the chili queen.  I’m not scared.   I throw things in until it brings a tear to the eye.

Serve with fritos and sour cream and salsa and green onions and cheddar cheese.

Or better yet, serve with my Holy Guacamole!

It’s so easy to make and so tasty.  Don’t be scared.

Here’s all you need:

• 2 avocados
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 T. chopped onion
• Juice of one lime and one orange (I use orange if I have it but it’s not required.  Lime is required)
• 1 fresh jalapeno or a few pickled jalapeños as desired for heat, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper to taste

And then dance a little Rocky Top jig!

Rocky Top Chili Recipe aka {Best Chili Recipe Ever}

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Ingredients

  

• 2-2 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
• 1/2 pound pork sausage
• 1 large onion
• 5 cloves garlic chopped fine
• 1/2 t. cayenne pepper
• 3 T. cumin
• 3 T. chili powder
• 1 T. hot mexican chili powder
• 1 28 oz can San Marzano tomatoes
• 2 - 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
• 3-4 cans 15 oz cans of various beans I use black, pinto, chili, cannelini all in their sauces)
• 1/2 jar chili sauce 12 oz jar
• 2 T. Country Bob's steak sauce
• 2 T. worcestershire sauce
• 3 T. honey or a 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1 T. balsamic vinegar
• 1 12 oz beer or chicken stock
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Brown the meats
• Remove the meats and add a few swirls of olive oil and the onions and garlic
• Saute those til translucent, add back the meat and add the rest of the ingredients
• Simmer it as long as you have. I usually cook mine a couple hours in the am and then turn it back on the afternoon.
• You will need to re-season!!!!
• If you taste it in the afternoon and it needs more salt, add salt.
• More heat? Add Sriracha, more sweet, add honey, more umpffff, add chili powder and cumin.
• If you don't know what it needs, add a little salt and a strip or two of bacon. That always set the world aright.
• Don't be scared. I always add more stuff and usually multiple things.
• Serve with fritos and sour cream and salsa and green onions and cheddar cheese.