Crock-tober: Crockpot Pumpkin Chili

Yes, you read that correctly.

PUMPKIN chili.

Today I'm really really really excited to eat pumpkin chili,  and I've never even heard of it until this morning.  Which means I don't really have good pictures of yummy looking chili, but I promise to update later.

All I know is that there is a whole can of pumpkin and a good amount of pumpkin pie spice.

You see, I'm very very new to this whole crock pot thing. I've never seen my mother use one, ever. So the only things I've made in it were these AMAZING ribs, courtesy of Mel's blog post last Crock-tober.  I also made beef stew last weekend, it was very yummy too. All that being said, I think I'll stick with this whole crockpot trend!

Here is the pumpkin:

And here is a crap load of beans and tomatoes.

Also, it doesn't have that much meat. I just decided to buy a lot more than the recipe called for so we could eat it later :)

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 Pound Ground Beef

1/2 Teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 Teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 large onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (15 ounce) can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce

1 (4 ounce) can tomato sauce with garlic and onions ** I couldn't find this 

2 (14.5 ounce) cans petite diced tomatoes 

1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree

2 Teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

2 Teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

PHEW. That is a lot of cans.

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat; cook and stir the beef in the skillet until crumbly and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the red pepper flakes, garlic, and onion; continue cooking until the beef has browned and the onion has softened and turned translucent. Add the green and red bell pepper and cook 5 minutes more.

2. While the beef is cooking, combine the kidney beans, black beans, Great Northern beans, tomato sauce, tomato sauce with garlic and onions, petite diced tomatoes, fire roasted diced tomatoes, and pumpkin puree in a large slow cooker. Season with pumpkin pie spice, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Stir in the ground beef mixture.

3. Cook on Low until the chili is hot, 1 to 2 hours.

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I will be updating later today after we try it.

I can't wait!

I wish it cooked longer so I could get started on it right now...

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UPDATE:

GO MAKE THIS CHILI NOW!!!

Ok, this recipe really lived up to the AllRecipe.com Reviews, it was super super super good.

Seth was eating it out of the crockpot late last night and proclaimed

"This chili is awesome!"

When Seth uses the word "awesome" you know it's good.

On our wedding day, when I got to the end of the aisle and saw him for the first time, he told me... "you look awesome!"

That to me, was better than him telling me I looked beautiful..and if you know Seth, you know exactly what I'm talking about!

I would chop the onion a little less finely next time, just because I like a chunkier onion. 

And you could always add more spice, without the red pepper flakes it had close to no spice -- just how I like it!

Thanks Mel, for posting such a fun link up! I'm already enjoying reading other peoples favorite crock pot recipes :)

The Day I Protested Summer: A WIWW Post

Summer needs to go away now.

Last weeks forecast was lying.

There was no rain, unless you call a light mist while it's still 70* rain.

Last night I watched a bunch of people up north hoot and holler about the thunder and lightning while we had to sleep with the air conditioning on. 

Last week I decided to protest summer and where boots and a sweater.  It didn't really work out so well for me in the sweat department, but I felt more fall-like than usual.  

Boots: Madden Girl

Jeans: Gap

Top: This amazing store in Wisconsin that I forget the name of!

I tried to wear this fun black top, but I stepped outside to test it out and that wasn't happening. 

Please note the boots, complete with fuzzy socks that my jeans were tucked in to. 

Top: Old Navy

Jeans: Gap

Boots: Madden Girl

So I switched to a more sheer flowy shirt in hopes to keep cool.

It worked for maybe twenty minutes until I started to overheat. 

Next time I decide to protest summer I'll skip the fuzzy socks and opt for some flip flops and a cute cardi instead. 

The high for today is supposedly 64*, but I don't believe it.

I'm ready for a vacation to the Pacific North West, please :)

Linking up for What I Wore Wednesday!

Country Livin': A Few of my Favorite Things about Country Life

Happy Monday, Ya'll!

Ok, I don't really ever say ya'll but since I'm talking about living in the country today, it didn't feel quite right to say anything else but "ya'll"!

Most of you know that Seth and I recently moved to the garlic capital of the world, Gilroy.

Whenever we mention that we live here people say..."oh, I drove through there on my way to L.A" -- or "Oh!! That's the place with all the garlic and the outlets right?"

No one really knows what's here.

And to be honest, we didn't really know until we got here what it was like. There are some awesome benefits to living out here in the country though, some that I didn't expect to enjoy, and some that I don't think I could ever enjoy.  It is SO much different than living in the city, and I'm really enjoying discovering new country life things!

We'll start with the dislikes:
First, let's talk spiders. They are EVERYWHERE. And I truly mean that.  I make Seth walk in front of me and down the stairs before we leave the house because flying spiders weave webs all over our porch and stairs, so every day we walk into at least one spider and its web.  And they get in the house too! Most of the time I find them dead, which is weird because I don't kill that many of them, they just are randomly dead on my floor.  Yay for handi-vacs and husbands.

The bee's and flies. Oh yet another benefit of living in the country, those are also everywhere. I bought bee and fly traps right when I moved in because I knew I would be too afraid to even walk in the house if there were bee's and wasp's around. Good thing is, the traps work great. Bad thing, they smell like dead animals, and the smell wafts ALL over the property. My disclaimer when we have guests is "sorry it smells like death, we have to control the fly's somehow." Anyone know of a good fly trap that doesn't stink? Also, Seth likes taking pictures of the bee trap as the bee's disintegrate....boys.

Woo Hoo! Not too many bad things!

Now on to the new and exciting country things that I like and find amusing, at least for now :)

1. Packs of wild turkeys. 

WILD TURKEYS! And when I say pack I mean like 10 of them, just doing there thang in the countryside eating people's lawns. I probably will only find them exciting from a distance to be honest, if they ever come near me I'm sure I would have a heart attack. 

2. Possums. 

Ok, maybe aren't that great either to have in your yard...but in the burbs and the city we don't have those little critters! Last night Seth and I saw one crossing the road, and it was the first time I'd ever seen one outside of a zoo. They're pretty disgusting looking, but slightly less awful than a raccoon? Maybe. 

3. Property cats.

 This concept doesn't really make sense to me either but we'll go with it. We live on a big property that has a main house, a guest house, and a studio. The owners of the whole property have two cats but didn't want to take them with when they moved so they just roam the property as they please. It's like having a cat, but without the responsibility to feed it, which is perfect for my cat allergies! Seth and I have named one of them Alfred, obviously a cool-cat name. Seth also likes to let Alfred in to visit, not my favorite but I know he misses having cats around. 

4. The Milky Way & stars.

 We can see so many stars from our porch, and even a huge part of the Milky Way. It is my favorite thing when we get home at night to just look up for a few minutes and admire the plethora of stars where all we could see before was city lights. 

5. Cows, Chickens, Roosters, Sheep, Goats, Horses.

Hello awesome farm animals. In the field next to our house the owners brought cows over for a couple days just to eat the grass. How cool is that?! We were leaving for school in the morning and all the sudden there are three stunning black and white spotted cows next to our house! If you leave our door open you can hear the constant neighing of horses, cooing of roosters, and even the occasional goat noise. What is the sound called that goats make anyways? 

Either way, I love getting to experience these new animal sounds and sights. There is something so homegrown and organic about it. 

5. The produce.

 HELLO cheap produce! Basically, I can go to the Farmer's Market 7 days a week and pay significantly less than any city grocery store. Last week I got 4 zucchini for $.50. Fifty cents people!! Shopping for produce however, is where I feel my greatest need to learn some basic spanish. More than 60% of the people here are of latin decent, aka...I'm asking for Rosetta Stone Spanish for Christmas. Feliz navidad?

6. The outlets.

I just realized that I haven't mentioned the outlets yet. Well we live less than 5 minutes from the coveted Gilroy outlets, and ladies, it doesn't really get much better than that. Shop till you drop, then come over and have dinner with us!

Most dangerous outlets: Fossil, Gap, Lulu, and Forever 21. Danger I tell you. 

7. Horses

I know I mentioned horses in the random pack of animals, but they are really cool to have around in the neighborhood. They are so majestic and beautiful, and I didn't even mind when one pooped in our driveway last week because I couldn't stop thinking about how cool it was that we live near horses. 

8. The quiet. 

It is so dang quiet out here! We are a few miles from the highway and the houses are few and far between, so the noise is minimal and it's just so peaceful. You never really feel the need for quiet until you have it, and now going to the cities and even suburbs seems loud and obnoxious. 

Dear Gilroy,

You are turning out better than we thought. You are not quiet the armpit we expected, and you really have a lot to offer us. Thanks for the animals, the produce, the shopping, and the peace and quiet. You're making the transition to country life pretty sweet. 

Linking up for miscellany monday!

Thoughts on Transitions

Good news.

It's finally cooling down here in garlic land.

It was 107* on Monday, and today the high is only 75*. I nearly jumped for joy when I saw rain the in forecast next week.

That means we are transitioning to fall, and since we are in a totally new town I have NO idea what that will be like. Some people around here talk about winter like we live in the midwest and it snows or something...which I don't think it does but I guess I'll have to check back with you in January.
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Speaking of transitions, I'm experiencing one that I didn't quite expect when I got married.

A transition of wardrobe.

A couple weeks ago I noticed that my clothes just don't feel right anymore. They don't feel like they're mine, they feel too...too...I don't know, just not right.

Am I totally nuts?

Now that I'm typing it out it sounds more strange than I intended. But I'm wondering if I'm not alone in this.

Is the change you experience with marriage so drastic that even your clothes don't feel right? I definitely feel my identity has changed as a woman, but I surely did not expect my clothes to feel different.

Tell me I'm not alone. 

Luckily, I live less than 5 minutes from the Outlets, but I definitely don't want to resort to buying a new wardrobe altogether.

And not having a job yet is making buying new clothes slightly difficult. Until recently I didn't understand the full weight of being "overqualified" for a job, but that is apparently why I'm not getting hired anywhere.

BUT. In the midst of all this free time, creative energy is flowing and I'm ready to get started on some fun things, maybe a new career path? Maybe I'll save that big announcement for next week ;)

Ok off to get dressed, run errands, and avoid cleaning the house!

Happy weekend!

PinterTest Kitchen: "Best Shrimp Ever" and "Bacon Wrapped Chicken"

I've been pinning a lot of food lately. Now that the wedding stuff is done, I have more important things in life like cooking for a hungry, hungry husband.

Seth and I have been on a low-carb diet for a while, and while its contreversial...it has been the only diet that has ever worked for me. I've never felt healthier and I haven't had stomach pain associated with my IBS in 10 months. That being said, most of the stuff I make is low carb!

I don't usually touch anything from the ocean, but I recently started eating more shrimp, so this easy sounding and yummy looking pin caught my attention:

Source: amazon.com via Jamie on Pinterest

The caption says this: Whoa... Melt a stick of butter in the pan. Slice one lemon and layer it on top of the butter. Put down fresh shrimp, then sprinkle one pack of dried Italian seasoning. Put in the oven and bake at 350 for 15 min. Best Shrimp you will EVER taste:)

Best shrimp ever is a BIG promise. So I decided to try it as an appetizer for Seth and I.

The prep was easy enough...defrosted the shrimp with running cold water and sliced some lemon. 

I have no idea which italian is best, so I just grabbed the one that looked good!

Melted my butter in a bowl..much easier cleanup. Not to mention the bowl is cute :)

pour it over..

Add the seasoning..

15 mins later..voila!

I hate that shrimp shrink so much. We ate all of these in less than 5 minutes.

Now they were GOOD.
But not quite the best shrimp I've ever tasted. I don't know if I have tried enough shrimp recipes to gauge what is best, yet!

But, I would definitely make them again, in a larger quantity :)
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Next pin for my hungry, hungry husband:

Source: artsyfartsymama.blogspot.com via Jamie on Pinterest

Now this has Seth written ALL over it. I like recipes with pictures, easy ingredients, and easy directions. I'm not super experienced in the kitchen, so easy is key.


Obligatory ingredients shot:
Chicken Breast, Shredded Cheddar, Cream Cheese, Bacon!

Arrange your bacon strips 3x2.
Place chicken breast on top, add cream cheese.  

Add Shredded Cheddar! 

Wrap the bacon around the chicken, covering up as much surface area as possible.
I didn't have toothpicks, which would have been really helpful because the bacon shrunk and warped as it cooked. 

While it cooks, hire your husband to sauté the vegetables!

Wait 45 mins...

Done!

Ok, I know it looks a little greasy and gross.

But I promise, it is MIGHTY tasty!

I would season the chicken next time before adding the cream cheese, but that is just about the only thing I would change!

This recipe was relatively easy, and majorly delicious.

Jess, thanks for hosting such a fun link up! I love making recipes from Pinterest!

Wordless Wednesday (kind of)

I've had this sitting on my desktop for a while, never finding a place to share until now.

I love how God is so stinkin' creative.

Working more intricately than we could have ever designed.

Handmade Happiness

I've always loved handmade, original things.

My mom has been taking me to art fairs and festivals since childhood and there is something special about supporting small creative businesses. 

When I ran out of time and energy to make wedding decorations, I would order them from a handmade shop in order to support someone else's shop, it felt really great that I wasn't contributing to another corporate giant making money from people's weddings!

All of that being said, in my current period of unemployment I have been creating again. I'm so glad I have the time and energy to make pretty things, and I hope that my work pays off! I would love to have a booth in an art festival, I think I'll make that a goal for this next year...but until then I'll be joining Hannah and some other great gals for the Holiday Handmade Market!

I'm so excited for this great opportunity! 

Watch for the handmade holiday posts on her blog for special discounts and giveaways from my shop and some other lovely handmade shops. 

If you want to visit my shop click this button:

There are lots of new items coming soon, but there are some great sale items available now!

Visit my shop and let me know what you'd like to see more of!

xo