We’ve been waiting for the longest time and today it is finally here - the first day of snow. When we got up this morning (WAY too early for a Saturday morninig thanks to B) there were a good three inches of snow lying on the ground. Hurrah!
It wasn’t really a surprise as the weather forecasts had predicted this - they are so much more accurate now than they used to be when I was a child. I remember them being completely wrong all the time when I was little (as in floods of rain when the prediction called for “nice and sunny”). Luckily, the forecasts are more reliable now. Which means I was able to buy all the ingredients for our special “First Day of Snow Lunch” yesterday and we don’t have to rush out this morning to get it.
Do you have a special meal you like to serve the day of the first snowfall (if you live in a snowy climate that is)? We usually prepare Chili, one of our favorite dishes.

Chili

Ingredients

• 1 Onion
• 1/2 green pepper (optional), some garlic
• 1 lb of ground meat
• 1 small can of beans
• pureed tomatoes or tomato paste
• paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, hot sauce
• balsamic vinegar (really)

Instructions

1. Chop onion (and pepper if used) in small pieces and sautee in a little bit of oil until they turn slightly brown.
2. Add in the meat and continue cooking until meat is browned.
3. Pour in some balsamic vinegar until you can smell it in the skillet.
4. Add in a good teaspoon of paprika, 1/2 tsp of cumin, hot sauce, salt and pepper to taste. (Sorry, but I can’t really tell you how much to use as it depends on how you like it. We eat our chili really, really spicy). Mix well and cook a minute or two.
5. Pour in the pureed tomatoes (or tomato paste mixed with water) and cook for about twenty minutes.
6. Drain the kidney beans well and put into the skillet. Add water to give the chili the right consistency. Cook another 10 minutes or so.
7. Tasty!

The chili is extra tasty with freshly baked cornmuffins!
Oops, I didn’t get to post it on Saturday (getting the photos put in always takes me forever - the main reason I have those boring, picture-less posts in between or I would never get to post at all), but better late than never, I say (that’s what I should have called my blog).