Sunday, January 27, 2013

White chili recipe a trusty fave


I’ve been rocking this chili recipe for years but have yet to share it on this blog … until now! If you like a spicier chili, swap out the cheddar for more pepper jack.

Turkey White Bean Chili 
1 large white onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
8 ounces diced green chiles
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups chicken broth
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar
Salt and pepper, to taste

 In a large pot over medium heat, combine onion, garlic and ground turkey, stirring occasionally and sautéeing for roughly 10 minutes, or until the turkey is brown. Add the chiles, cumin, oregano and cinnamon and sauté for five more minutes.

Puree two cans of the beans with three cups of the chicken broth in a food processor. Pour the puree in the pot along with the remaining beans and broth. Simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the cheese and simmer for another five minutes before serving. Possible garnishes include green onions, chopped cilantro, sliced avocado, sour cream and tortilla chips.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Food fun in wintry Wisconsin

Anyone else out there miss the holidays?

I had a great Christmas vacation with Chris and his family out in wintry white Wisconsin. Lots of fun, lots of relaxing, LOTS of delicious food and beverages.


I want to share a few of my favorite flavors from the trip, with some fun photos by Chris (who, if you didn’t already know, takes and posts all kinds of great pics here).

The Badger State busts out some serious brews, and we enjoyed quite a few during our recent visit. I like everything I’ve tried from New Glarus Brewing Company, and wish they distributed out to California just like Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company does. My new favorite, discovered out on this trip, is O’So Brewing Company’s Hopdinger, a pale ale with a great hoppy flavor.


We were equally impressed with the beers and the appetizers at Hinterland Brewing Co. in Green Bay. Seriously, who doesn’t love a ginormous bowl of sweet potato fries?


The Packers’ hometown is also home to Kavarna Coffeehouse, where they make a mean white mocha. While visiting Milwaukee we got our morning caffeine fix from Alterra Coffee. We liked it so much we bought a couple pounds of their coffee beans to bring home.

If you ever visit Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward, definitely hit Cafe Benelux. Their Bier Book is ri-di-culous. And if you’re interested in some better-loosen-the-belt German food, definitely give Karl Ratzsch’s a try. Schnitzel, schnitzel everywhere, and you won’t want to put down your fork and knife.