Chili, Potatoes and Tea

Usually when I buy potatoes, I buy red ones. I just really, really love red potatoes. Oh, and I also love the purple fingerlings. I forgot about that until just now, because they're so costly I rarely buy them anymore. This time, though, I bought a russet. A big one. I'm not really sure why I bought it, but it was just there, in the pile of russets, "staring at me." It was like it was saying, "Allie... Come buy me, and bake me, and eat me." And so I did. Buy it, that is. But then it sat on the Cameroonian mortar (they're kind of wide and flat, so they're perfect for holding things), hanging out with the garlic, onions and lemons. Because I didn't know how I wanted to deal with it. But then, when I was peeking at my jars of foods I've preserved this year, I noticed there was a jar of chili I hadn't already promised to someone else remaining.

And then I knew what to do with the potato. I was going to make a nice, cheap, yummy dinner for us. So if you don't normally eat chili on potatoes, I recommend it highly. This was my first, but will not be my last. This worked out really well, since I was also in the middle of carving foam for the cell I'm building.

1 pint chili
1 large russet potato
1 teaspoon oil
1-2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra sharp cheddar, grated

Heat oven to 350F. Rub the oil all over you (cleaned) potato, then sprinkle the salt all over it. Put the potato on the middle rack of the oven and let roast for 1 hour. Turn off the oven and leave the potato in there while you heat the chili in a small saucepan. Cut the potato in half, and pour half the chili on each half-potato. Top with cheese. Serves 2.

As the weather gets colder, I crave more teas. Unfortunately I only seem to get these cravings (outside my morning cup of tea) after 5, when it's too late to have the caffeine. So recently I've been venturing into my spice cabinet. I just thought I'd recommend it. Right now, I'm really into this one.

2 teaspoons mint leaves
1 teaspoon each: lemon balm, stevia (my mother grew some and shipped it to me)

Steep in 3-4 cups of boiling water for 5-10 minutes. Put 1/2 teaspoon honey (right now I'm favouring orange blossom) in each mug and serve. Serves 3-4.

Also nice is cilantro, rose hip and orange peel, which I sometimes like with a bit of lemon.

And also plain sage tea, and plain mint. Anyway, I thought I'd just recommend getting into your spice cabinet to see what kinds of warm, caffeine-free combinations you can come up with that you enjoy. Does anyone have any favourites to share?

Happy Thanksgiving! We'll be out of pocket for the rest of the weekend, but I hope you and yours enjoy a safe, happy and fulfilling turkey day!

Comments

  1. Darius T. Williams4:28 PM

    Now this sounds like a really great twist - very creative!

    -DTW
    www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

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