TASTE: Spicy Sausage Chili

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Chili Time.

Oh, the weather is beyond cold these days. It got down to 28 degrees last night and the wind was howling. With all this icy weather, I admit that I just want to burrow into blankets and eat warm comfort food. Last week I shared my Turkey-Kale Chili recipe, but I also want to pass this delicious option along. It's spicier, a bit heartier and definitely man-approved. One of Stevie's co-workers came over for dinner at ate 5 bowls of this - I'm just saying! It's pretty tasty. This is a great recipe to whip together for all the upcoming family gatherings - it's always nice to have something warm on hand for entertaining.

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. lean ground beef

- 2-3 large spicy Italian sausage links, diced

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 1 green pepper, chopped

- 1.5 tbsp. cumin

-  A dash of red pepper seasoning

- 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

- 2 tsp. salt

- 2 tsp. pepper

- 1 can tomato Paste

- 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes

- 1 can black beans

- 1 can kidney beans

- 1 bag frozen corn kernels (I used fire-roasted, available at Trader Joes)

- 2 cups chicken broth

 

Method:

1. Head your stock pot over medium and coat the bottom with olive oil. Combine the ground beef, diced sausage, chopped onion, chopped green pepper and garlic in the pot. Cook it all together until the mean browns, about 7 minutes. Throw in the salt and pepper. It's flavor confetti.

2. Add the Italian seasoning, cumin & red pepper seasoning to the meat mixture. Make sure to mix it up well.

3. Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes to the mixture. Stir well.

4. Add the chicken broth, kidney beans (drained), black beans (drained) and corn to the mixture. Stir well. Cover the mixture and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20-30 minutes.

Enjoy those autumn flavors! Happy Friday to you.

The Time We Got Stuck On The Roof.

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Where There are Roofs.

In New York City, the apartments are OLD. So old. But one of the benefits to many of these pre-war buildings is the fact that they have roof decks. In about every movie EVER made about New York City, I feel like there is a scene where snazzy people are partying on a roof deck, clinking champagne flutes and wearing sparkles and looking pretty fabulous.

I'd like to say that we are those people. But we aren't.

Stevie discovered that our building actually has a roof deck. A sort of dilapidated one. It's not really set up for people to go out there. In fact, there are huge signs on the doors that say, "DO NOT OPEN - ALARM WILL SOUND", so I figure, we're not really supposed to go up there. I'm a rule follower. So end of story.

Obviously not the end of the story. Stevie determined that we can sneak up on top of the roof of our 6-story apartment complex. And according to his assessment, the view "is awesome!" I never asked him how he figured out that we could get around the alarm system (it's better to know less in these cases.) So against my better judgement, I followed him up 6 flights of stairs and opened the warning door; yet no alarm went off. Hmm. Okay. We were feeling pretty Jack Bauer-ish. Rogue. And sly.

We stepped out onto the windy deck. It was pretty awesome, I admit. We could see the tops of all the buildings on our block, we could look down on all the interesting apartments. We could see the edge of Central Park. We could see cats, flowers, patio furniture, tree tops, we could see everything! It was fun. And colorful. And kind of windy. So windy, in fact, that after about 5 minutes of snapping some pictures, I was ready to go back downstairs. And eat some soup and stuff.

We walked towards the door. Which was slammed shut.

So... AWESOME.

Like I said, the wind was not messing around, and it must have blown the door closed.

It was locked. Totally locked. We wrestled with the door. We threw our body weight against it. But nothing. It wouldn't budge.

"WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DOOOOOOOOO?!" I'm a bit of a wailer. It can't be helped in moments of panic.

Stevie, on the other hand, is cool, calm and collected. Almost always. It's annoying. BECAUSE WE ARE LOCKED OUT ON THE ROOF. It's time for panic.

 "Kris, it's okay. We could call the super," he said to me. Oh no. Not happening. That guy kind of hates us.

"The super hates us. Not an option."

He stared at the ground, lost in thought. "Okay... ok, I think I've got an idea." He hoisted open a side window leading into the stairwell, just around the corner of the extremely locked door. Propping one leg up and then the other, he slithered his wiry self into the slatted opening and disappeared.

I was alone. On the roof deck. All alone. The wind whipped around my head. I was swimming in the thought of having to sleep up there. And the fact that I never knew my husband was secretly in Cirque du Soleil.

When suddenly!

My man reappeared, through the previously locked door! Victory! VICTORY!!!! Instead of whining like a baby about how I am never breaking the rules with him again, I just hugged that man liked crazy and then leapt through that door before it shut on us again.

Moral of the story? Follow the rules. Even if the alarm doesn't go off. Because there won't always be a window of opportunity ready to bail your out of your law breaking!

Mmm so deep.

4/50 NYC Adventures: Highline Park

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// Chelsea Grasslands //

Highline Park.

Now this is an ode to honest city majesty. A few years ago, a creepy old decrepit freight rail line was on the fast track to getting demolished (see what I did there? Oh train humor.) But a few righteous city folk got together and decided to donate the funds to recreate the railway into something beautiful. Thus, Highline Park was born. This is a park unlike any other; it is a wide green walkway raised above street level and spans about 14 streets running north to south along the Hudson River. With water views to the west and posh views of West Chelsea and the Meatpacking District to the east, The Highline is a refreshing tribute to modern city living.

Eats.

There is an area where the green path widens and there are local vendors selling all kinds of yummy, including the People's Pops (get the custard popsicle!), L'arte del Gelato (pistachio! PISTACHIO!) and I've also heard ridiculous raves about The Taco Truck. So your hunger really shouldn't be an issue on this grand stroll.

Shops.

There are actually some really awesome Highline-branded gear from gigantic designers who just happen to be local to the neighborhood, like this little gem from DVF and this classic crewneck from JCrew. It's also a convenient walk over from the last adventure we explored together, the Chelsea Market, so I always make sure to take make time for a quick stroll when I'm down there. This is the stuff that makes New York so much fun.

Arts.

The Highline is located in one of the most artistic areas of the city (a really strange thing to say, since the entire city is artistic), but West Chelsea is truly home to a great number of photographers, design, fine art and fashion studios. So it's no surprise that the Highline has its own amazing array of outdoor art from world-renowned artists.

// El Anatsui's Broken Bridge II / Pretty purpleness //

// Charles Hewitt's "Urban Rattle"//

Park in the Sky.

The last time I visited, I caught the park around sunset, and it was a magnificent time to photograph all the yellowing beauty. As Super-Nintendo-y-crazy as the idea of a "park in the sky" might be, the concept totally works. The Highline showcases such a savvy way to enjoy a bit of green space in this massive city.

EURO TRIP

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Experiencing a bought of wanderlust? Interested in the old country? Feel free to explore these travel musings from my 30-day backpacking trip throughout Europe. I photographed, video-ed and blogged from the trip and honestly, spent the entire time getting my mind blown by the wonders of the world. And check out my planning resources at the bottom of the page!

TASTE: Turkey Kale Chili

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Chilly? Try Chili!

The weather has officially cooled off to a steady chill here in the city. The wind is whipping around building corners and I have to make sure to don my hat and gloves before I leave the coziness of my apartment. It's officially... November. I've decided to kick off a few of my favorite cold-weather recipes. It's time for soups, chilis and stews! This is a really healthy spin on a hearty autumn favorite. I adapted this recipe from TheKitchn and served it at an impromptu party here at the apartment - it was a crowd-pleaser!

Turkey-Kale Chili Ingredients:

- 1 lb. Turkey

- 1 medium onion, diced

- 1.5 tbsp. cumin

- 2 tbsp. brown sugar

- 2 tsp. Italian Seasoning

- 2 tsp. salt

- 2 tsp. pepper

- 2 tbsp. tomato Paste

- 2 14.5-oz. cans diced tomatoes

- 1 can black beans

- 1 can garbanzo beans

- 1 bag frozen corn kernels (I used fire-roasted, available at Trader Joes)

- 2 cups chicken broth

- 1 large handful of kale, roughly chopped/shredded

Method:

1. Head your stock pot over medium and coat the bottom with olive oil. Combine the turkey, chopped onion and garlic and cook it all together (until the turkey turns white), about 7 minutes. Make sure to season it with the salt and pepper! Mmm it already smells grand.

2. Add the brown sugar, cumin & Italian seasoning to the turkey. Make sure to mix it up well.

3. Add the tomato paste and diced tomatoes to the mixture. Stir well.

4. Add the chicken broth, garbanzo beans, black beans and corn to the mixture. Stir well. Cover the mixture and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook for about 20 minutes.

5. Finally, add the kale and cook uncovered for about 15 more minutes. 

Bon Appetit.

I like to pair this recipe with crumbly corn bread and a favorite autumn brew. Your belly will be warm and full! Keep an eye out next week for another (slightly heartier) chili favorite!