Cowboy Caviar Chili

So, I am always nervous to make chili. I haven't made it for a while cause I had a couple bad experiences, and tried some recipes I thought I would like, but were not good. I'm always kind of overwhelmed by what recipe to try because there are so many, and I always want to make this phenomenal chili, but like I said, I have tried some recipes that didn't work out very well. Tonight, using what I had on hand, I made up my own recipe. By no means is it phenomenal. It's not your ordinary chili, it kind of reminded me of that cowboy caviar salsa (in looks), so I decided to name it that. Here it is.

1 lb ground turkey (or beef)
1 can black beans
1 can red beans
1 can black eyed peas
1 can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
2 cups beef stock (or broth)
1/2 onion
1 or 1/2 green pepper (whichever you prefer), chopped
1 or 1/2 red pepper, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 clove garlic
1/2 cup bbq sauce
2 tsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp coriander (opt.)
2 Tbsp Worchestershire (I can never spell or say that correctly), mine was reduced sodium so if yours is regular you might want to watch the salt
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
optional, 1/2 tsp dried cilantro, but I would have added fresh if I had it

Cook the peppers, onion and celery until tender. Add meat and brown, then add garlic. Add canned vegetables, stock, bbq sauce, tomato paste, and spices. Bring to a boil and let simmer at least 10-15 minutes.

This is a sweeter chili. If you don't like your food to be sweet in the slightest (cough*Jason*cough), then maybe don't add as much bbq sauce, but I really liked the flavor it gave. This was kind of an experiment, but I liked how it turned out. I would love it if you guys made it and gave me some feedback.

Apple Cider Glazed Pork Chops with Roasted Vegetables

Hi everyone! I'm sorry for my lack of posts in the past...year?... but I will make up for it in the next little while.

I made this meal the other day and it was super easy, and it was probably the best pork chop I have ever made. They were super tender, which surprised me because of how quickly I cooked them. I found a recipe that cooked the pork similar to this, and added my own spices and the sauce reduction.

4 boneless pork chops
2 tsp sage
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 clove garlic or more if you like it
1/8 tsp smoked paprika
pinch of cinnamon

Dijon mustard
1 1/2 cups good apple cider
1-2 tsp brown sugar

Mix together spices and rub on pork chops, room temperature. Heat up about 2 Tbsp olive oil in a medium frying pan. When the oil is hot, place pork chops in and get a good brown on one side. Don't poke them or flip them more than once. Brown on the other side, then brush both sides with dijon mustard. Pour 1 1/2 cups apple cider into the pan (more if needed, I'm not sure about the amount, but it should go about halfway up the chops in the pan). Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes on medium heat, until pork chops are tender. Remove the chops without poking them (with tongs or spatula) and crank up the heat on the skillet so that the sauce is boiling. Reduce to about half the liquid then add in brown sugar and salt to taste. Pour sauce over pork chops.

The roasted vegetables I served with this:
Cut equal amounts of yams, russet potatoes, and carrots into same size pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and season with cumin, rosemary, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Roast in a 400 degree until starting to brown. Take out and stir, adjust salt and add more olive oil if veggies are looking dry. Then continue to cook until browned all over and delicious.

Roasted vegetables are a staple at our house now. You can do any vegetables. Asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, broccoli, etc. This combo of the potatoes and carrots with those spices was definitely one of my favorites yet. Let me know what you think of these recipes if you try them. I hope you do cause they were easy and delicious!