Gimbel Chili

My dad has been making the same chili since I can remember, and when I first moved out of my parents house my mom made me a cookbook with all my favorite recipes in it, including the chili recipe:

As you can see, the recipe comes from a cookbook called "The Consumer's Guide Food Processor Cookbook" published in 1976. Since I like my food much more spicy than my parents do, I use this recipe as a jumping-off point for the chili I make. 

Since Matt has a class on Sundays, I usually listen to music LOUDLY like a teenager while I cook. This Sunday the soundtrack was this.

Gimbel Chili

2 medium onions, chopped

1 green pepper, chopped

2 lbs. fresh pork sausage (my dad uses Jimmy Dean's frozen mild. I used fresh spicy andouille and spicy Italian sausages. This means you'll have to remove the sausage from it's casing, which is actually kind of satisfying. 

2 cans (15 oz each) kidney beans, drained

1 can (15 oz) whole kernel corn, drained

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 cup water

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

*I also added some smoked peppers I found at the Bad Seed Market. They smell so good!

1. Brown the sausage in large skillet or Dutch oven, breaking the sausage into small pieces with the back of a spoon as it browns. 

2. Lift the sausage from the skillet with a slotted spoon and set aside. 

3. Pour off drippings, reserving 3 tsp in the skillet

4. Add the chopped vegetables to the skillet and saute 10 minutes over medium heat. 

5. Add the sausage and remaining ingredients. 

6. Simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes. 

Feel free to add Fritos and cheddar cheese to make Frito Pie. Also goes very well with an IPA.

Happy Sunday!

House Party

I live in a house of cooks- everyone in my building is intensely into the preparing and eating of food. It was natural that the idea of a progressive dinner party would come up sooner or later, and soon after we moved in it did. We finally set a date (next Friday November 4) and last night we met to plan the dinner.

I live in the arts district and the first Friday of every month is the First Friday Artwalk. It's hugely popular and since this will likely be the last warm-ish First Friday until springtime, and so many people will be out in the neighborhood anyway, we'll also be inviting  our friends  to join us for dessert- which one neighbor who loves to bake graciously agreed to host. 

The rest of us drew to see who would handle each course:

I have the first course!

Then we made a schedule for the evening:

I'm so excited for next Friday! I know for sure I'll be making my very favorite bar snack in all the world- deep fried olives from the Red Cat in New York. I've requested the Red Cat Cookbook from the library and hopefully I'll get it before Friday. If not, the recipe I've linked to above looks pretty close. 

Homage to Nigella Lawson

Sometimes, you just feel like you want to make something, however simple. Last year when I came home from a frenetic work trip to Las Vegas this itch led to me making pesto when I came home at 11 pm on a Thursday. I was ravenous, and had been eating overblown Las Vegas food for 3 days. I wanted to make something. By 11:30 that night I was eating pasta and pesto while watching tv on the couch- perfect. 

I'm feeling the same way today, only since tonight is the night Matt and I begin our "Godfather" film festival (we watch the trilogy, eat Italian take-out) dinner isn't an option.

I decided to make Nigella Lawson's Union Square Cafe Bar Nuts- they are simple and I'd like a snack anyway. The internet is wonderful for recipes, but I enjoy cooking out of books too- this recipe is from my well-loved copy of "Nigella Bites". You can find the recipe here as well. 

The Union Square Cafe's Bar Nuts

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups assorted unsalted nuts, including peeled peanuts, cashews, Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, and whole unpeeled almonds

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons Maldon or other sea salt

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F

Toss the nuts in a large bowl to combine and spread them out a baking sheet. Toast in the oven till they become light golden brown, about 10 minutes. 

 I had some leftover rosemary, which I threw on top of the nuts as they baked. I'm not sure if they contributed anything to the taste, but they do make your house smell delicious. 

In a large bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, salt and melted butter. Thoroughly toss the toasted nuts in the spiced butter and serve warm. 

Snack time! I doubled the recipe, so now I have a little treat to share with  my neighbors too. 

Minimal effort, maximum reward- I now have a snack, a treat for my friends, and my house smells great. Happy Sunday!

Hello, neighbor! (guest post)

Say hello to my upstairs neighbor, Sabine:

She's always doing or making something interesting, and I've been asking her to write some things for Sweet Heartland. She did, so please welcome my first guest blogger!
So exciting!

Here's Sabine:

In the kitchen: squash in a mug

This is the ideal dinner for a cozy fall evening. Yes, it's fall alright, but the temperature is also in the upper eighties –which makes you want to eat ice-cream sandwiches for dinner instead of wintery warm soups.  Nonetheless, this recipe is a winner and I will keep it in my recipe box for whenever fall really 

decides to start.   

Matt came over to join us for dinner since his lady was out of town, partying it up in Cleveland.  He bought some local sodas which were delicious and refreshing.  My favorite was the pineapple cilantro soda; it was sweet, sparkly with an ever so slight hint of cilantro. 

 You can find more information about the sodas here.

This soup is great for little ones too and tastes even better the next day. My almost 2 year old loves it. Although I have to add a disclaimer here since she also loves sparkling water and olives- perhaps not part of most 2 year old diets. 

Bon appétit!

-SH

I followed the recipe listed here, making a few additions along the way.  I added cinnamon, allspice, cayenne pepper and nutmeg to spice it up a bit.  I also roasted the squash on a cookie sheet with a little bit of water, cut side down, in a 375 F preheated  oven for 40 minutes prior to cooking it on the stovetop with the rest of the veggies.  This made the nuttiness of the squash hit an all-time high and it makes it so much easier to peel and cube the squash as well.  The best part of trying out this recipe was that I got to use my immersion blender.  I could not believe how easy it was to use and how smooth the soup came out.  Also, the clean-up (my least favorite part of making dinner) was a breeze.  

The soup was served with grilled cheese sandwiches using extra sharp Tillamook cheddar cheese and Shatto butter (a local favorite of mine and apparently in the top 10 of best butters in the world). The most important rule you have to follow when making the perfect grilled cheese sandwich is “slow and steady”. 

 Squash in a mug recipe (modified from here)

2 tablespoons of butter

1 onion chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

3 carrots chopped

1 apple chopped

1 butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed

32 fl ounce of chicken stock

Salt, pepper to taste

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon allspice

¼ cup of heavy cream

Garnish: some chopped up basil.  I normally also like to drizzle in a little bit of greek yoghurt or sour cream on top of the soup but I didn’t have any at home.

A short trip to Cleveland: Steve's Lunch

I made a quick trip to the Cleve this weekend to attend the wedding of the year: My friends Niki and Pants tied the knot! I've known Niki since I first moved to Cleveland. We shared an office at House of Blues, listened to Howard Stern, and gossiped. I was so excited to help her celebrate.

My weekend, summed up:

Dinner and drinks and then: Steve's Lunch. How did I live in Cleveland for such a long time and never been here? I cannot imagine going to Steve's during the day or in the evening. Steve's must be eaten at 3 am. And the hot dogs are hangover inoculation- I felt amazing when I woke up later that morning. Yes, the restaurant looks like an Edward Hopper painting. But it's crowded, everyone is friendly, and there is an off-duty cop that doubles as a food expeditor.

The next day a wedding for two lovely people:

And party time!

The next day was quiet and peaceful - Bloody Marys all around at fire, and a walk in my very favorite park in Cleveland, with two of my very favorite people (and a very nice doggy).

Meditation: Sweet Anniversary

Today is the first anniversary of Sweet Heartland-- a year ago I was living in Cleveland, waiting for Matt to return from Afghanistan, ensconced in good friends, eating, cooking, music and the small wonders in life that make it worth living.

This time last year, I went to The Cleveland Museum of Art and saw the amazing White Stripes documentary Under the Great White Northern Lights. If you are trying to make anything at all- music, a novel, a cake, a life- this is an inspiring film to watch. It inspired me to begin this blog.

This time last year I had this song in my head on repeat:

I usually have some sort of song obsession on my mind, and this was it at the time. I love the yearning bittersweetness of it- and isn't this time of year a bittersweet season?

The soundtrack to this fall is all about this:

It's been a good year- things are very different now in the very best way. Thanks for reading Sweet Heartland all this time-- a big "cheers!" to another year spent exploring the people and things that make life (in Kansas City and all points beyond) sweet.

Home, part deux

Ink Magazine came by a few weeks ago to talk to Matt and I about our house:

http://www.inkkc.com/content/at-home-with-matt-pickett-elizabeth-gimbel/

It was fun, and nice to have professional photographs taken of something we've worked so hard on, and put so much thought into.

All this made me think about past houses that have been undocumented- I've lived in an apartment in Miami, three apartments in Brooklyn, and three apartments in Cleveland- I have pictures of almost none of them. A photo of my couch in Miami (but not the amazing art deco fireplace next to it), literally no pictures of any of my New York apartments, and bits and pieces of my places in Cleveland. When I have trouble sleeping at night, I revisit all these places (and mentally redecorate some of them).

Small Triumphs: baking bread

To me, baking has a mystique. It's so exact, so unforgiving- I'm awful at it. This doesn't get me down too much though, except for bread. I remember my mother baking baguettes in their special pan when I was growing up- that smell, fresh baking and bread is something I want to replicate in my home. This weekend I tried a simple recipe for bread and I DID IT. Maybe I broke the baking seal? My neighbor and I are attempting french macaroons next, which is a large leap because they seem impossible and expensive to make. But for now, tonight, I'm basking in my bread-making success.


*a note before you try this recipe- the actually preparation time is maybe 15 minutes. This bread takes about 24 hours in all to make, so be sure to plan accordingly.


Recipe: No-Knead Bread, via New York Times

Adapted from Jim Lahey, Sullivan Street Bakery
Time: About 1½ hours plus 14 to 20 hours’ rising

3 cups all-purpose or bread flour, more for dusting
¼ teaspoon instant yeast
1¼ teaspoons salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran as needed.

1. In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups water, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.

At about 10:30 Saturday morning, the bread looked like this:

Like Mr. Bittman says, it takes 18 hours to rise. What to do with those 18 hours?

Have some lunch:

Do some research:

Around 1:00 am Saturday night, the bread had expanded considerably:

2. Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.

Um, okay. If you get nervous like I did, you will want to watch this video while you wait:

3. Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.


While I waited for the bread to rise, I did some ballet flat shopping:

Oh my lord, is it really supposed to look like this?

It was a tense hour

4. At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is O.K. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.

Yield: One 1½-pound loaf.


 An hour later I had an ugly duckling of a bread loaf:

victory! 

With some butter and a little sea salt, it was delicious: