fall

What about Saturday?

by Brittany on November 15, 2011 · 28 comments

My recipes lately have been focused on Thanksgiving.  So far, I’ve tried out a dessert and a side, and had plans for another side this week until I ended up hanging out at Mom and Dad’s longer than anticipated (I feel so lucky to be able to work from wherever my computer is!). But it all worked out because Mom was making chili for our family get together and it made me think about my other favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday… football!

For those that don’t know, Hubbs and I met 8 years ago at the tailgate for the UGA/GT game and we get to relive the fun and rivalry every Thanksgiving.

uga gt

Though we don’t always get to go to the game, we always watch it.  And how can you watch football without chili?

But not just any chili, a

White Bean and Chicken Chili

Chicken and White Bean Chili- ingredients

  • 4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 3 cans Great White Northern beans
  • 2 medium onions
  • 1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil
  • 2 qts chicken broth
  • 3 (4 1/2 oz) cans diced green chiles
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 Tbsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
  • 3 drops of hot sauce

Start by sautéing your onion and garlic in canola oil in a large pot.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- onions and garlic

Cook until onions soften (about 5 minutes or so).  meanwhile open and rinse your beans.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- drain beans

And measure out your spices.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- spices

Add your beans and spices to the onions and garlic and mix well.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- spices and stir

Then add the broth, chicken and chiles.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- add broth Chicken and White Bean Chili- add chicken Chicken and White Bean Chili- add chilis

Cover and simmer for about an hour, then add a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce and stir.

Chicken and White Bean Chili- add hot sauce

Garnish with sliced green onions and hot sauce. Mmm!

Chicken and White Bean Chili

I thought to myself that this seemed more like a soup than a chili, so I looked it up.  Webster’s Dictionary defines chili and a thick sauce of meats and chilies… so I guess it counts!

To make it thicker, you could puree part of the bean and onion mixture before adding the broth. Or, add a can of cream of chicken soup. But it’s also quite delicious just as it is!

Chicken and White Bean Chili- close up

This is a perfect dish to cuddle up and cheer on the dawgs with!

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What is your favorite kind of chili?

Do you prefer classic meat and beans?

Or fancier sweet potato chilis?

I like them all!

My Kind of Treat

by Brittany on October 31, 2011 · 26 comments

Happy Halloween! I’m sure most everyone celebrated over the weekend, but why not stretch the fun into the week, right? We have a big afternoon/evening planned with attending our first neighborhood family Halloween party.

It’s official. I’m old. ;)

But I can’t wait to show off my little candy corn!

Hailey the Candy Corn

I must give Hailey’s Mema a lot of credit because she MADE this adorable costume after I showed her the one I saw on Pinterest.  I absolutely love it and don’t think I’ve ever seen a cuter candy corn- thanks Mema!

Now let’s talk treats.  My favorite treat I enjoyed over the weekend?

Why, that’s easy.

A GEORGIA VICTORY!!

Treats are even sweeter when you rarely get them ;)

GO DAWGS!

Now, as far as edible treats, I enjoy a Reese’s every now and then, but my favorite treat comes much more in the form of a delicious meal, which is exactly what we had at Toast in Davidson.

Toast Davidson - outside

I know I talk about it all the time, but I love Davidson, and though I’ve enjoyed many breakfasts and lunches at Toast, we had never tried it for dinner.

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I started off with my favorite- Blue Moon!

Toast Davidson - Blue Moon

We perused the menu while snacking on the complimentary warm, fresh bread, served with a delicious soft butter that tasted like it had honey and rosemary in it.  Remind me to try and recreate this. YUM.

Toast Davidson - Bread and Butter

Toast is a place where ever. single. thing. on the menu sounds delicious, but we finally narrowed it down.  We split a bowl of French Onion soup.

Toast Davidson - French Onion Soup

I savored the warm, flavor-packed broth and Hubbs devoured the melty gruyere and mozzarella cheese.

For my main, I ordered an appetizer – Butternut Squash Ravioli.

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Another YUM! It was packed with flavor thanks to the goat cheese and cranberries.  I also noticed how pretty it was- what a great fall dish!

Hubbs ordered the bistro burger, and I was clearly too enthralled with my ravioli to focus on taking a decent picture.

Toast Davidson - Bistro Burger

This burger was quite decadent and topped with bacon and brie.  A burger like this makes for a happy Hubbs :)

As always, Toast never disappoints.

Now, one last thought to stay with the TREAT theme?

Lululemon.

I loved reading every comment on Friday’s Fitness Fashion post- so thank you all for your thoughts! After reading through it all I gathered that Lululemon isn’t necessary, but that it may be a fun treat.

So, that’s what I’m saving it for. Once I get back into working out the way I want to be, I’ll reward myself with a Lululemon piece to see for myself what I think.  I’m leaning towards yoga pants.

What was the best Halloween costume you saw this weekend?

I’m not sure what my favorite costume was, but I can show you the best carved pumpkin I saw…

Hamburger Pumpkin

Seasonal Chicken Chili- Spice Advice Needed

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I’m beginning to notice, as I plan food for the week, that I have a clear affection for chili.  Something about a big, hearty warm bowl of chili makes me feel cozy and satisfied.  Even though my favorite chili is the kind Hubbs makes (no recipe needed- he just throws stuff in there), I’m always [...]

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Football, Futbol & Autumn Spiced Almonds

October 17, 2011

You know it’s fall when you sit on a porch, eat wings, drink a cold, pumpkin beer and watch some quality college football. GO DAWGS! (FYI… we are now ranked 24… sa-weeeeeet!) You know it’s fall when you go out in the evenings to watch soccer. You know it’s fall when you get to start [...]

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Fall, 5ks & Frustrations

October 10, 2011

It was a busy weekend for our little family! With fall arriving and me wanting to soak up every second of it, we decided Friday to take a trip to Blowing Rock.  Blowing Rock is an adorable little town in the NC mountains, and it was picturesque, as the leaves were just beginning to change. [...]

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FALL into this Heavenly Breakfast Treat

October 4, 2011

October and these cooler temperatures motivated me to get into the kitchen and find some use for… you guessed it- PUMPKIN. Usually there is a backlash against all the pumpkin craze that happens in fall in the blog world, but trust me that this one is worth taking note of. I used this recipe as [...]

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Fall Vegan Deliciousness

September 13, 2011

Because I can’t talk about being on baby watch for another day… Yesterday my restlessness induced me into the kitchen.  Although it felt good to get in there, I didn’t feel up for a long laboring effort at the stove.  So I tried a new method on a recipe I found on the Whole Foods [...]

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The Recipe Baby D Was Waiting For

September 6, 2011

Welcome back from your holiday weekend! If you missed it, I’m still here… baby-less And today is my official due date, but somehow Baby D missed the memo. I keep thinking that there must be something s/he is waiting on before appearing.  I’ve cleaned the floors and done the laundry, so that can’t be it. [...]

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Tailgating Season Recipe Collection!

September 2, 2011

I really, really appreciate all your support yesterday about how to get this baby to come out.  I won’t lie, I’m getting quite anxious and hoping for good news at today’s doctor appointment! In fact, I already had more pineapple for breakfast and am blogging from my giant bouncy ball But is other news, it’s [...]

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