And The Rains Came

Holy, moly did it ever rain around here Monday!!  The Hassayampa River is running and things are mighty soggy in the desert which will make for beautiful blooming cactus!  Any type of outdoor activity was not on the agenda yesterday but a big pot of Smoky Beef and Bacon Chili hit the spot:

Smoky Beef and Bacon Chili

2 slices thick-cut bacon, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 &1/2 lbs. ground beef

1 TBSP plus 1 1/2 tsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp EACH ground cumin and sweet smoked Spanish paprika

1/2 to 1 & 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

About 1 tsp. salt

1 can (14.5 oz) crushed fire roasted tomatoes or regular crushed tomatoes (I used what I had on hand, diced tomatoes)

1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce

1 cup flavorful, medium bodied beer--I used Sierra Nevada

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1 can (14.5oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

Sour cream, sliced green onions, and/or coarsely shredded cheese for topping.

1. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium high heat, cook bacon, stirring, until it just begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Add onion, lower heat to medium, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 4-7 minutes. Uncover pan, stir in garlic, and cook 1 minute.

2. Increase heat to medium high and add beef; break up with a spook and cook, stirring gently until it loses its raw color, about 7 minutes. Stir in spices and 1 tsp salt (I left out the salt until the chili was cooked to see if it needed it) and cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, beer and Worcestershire; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low, partly cover and cook 30 minutes.

3. Add beans and cook 10 minutes, uncovered. Season to taste with salt. Serve warm with toppings on the side.

Serves 6

I have Marty and Roz to thank for reminding me of this great chili recipe—not long ago they left a comment on the blog regarding the great chili recipe I had at one time posted.  Well, I love recipes and much to the cowboy’s dismay try way too many new ones—sometimes really good ones are forgotten in the excitement of trying new ones—so thanks Marty and Roz—that is a GREAT chili recipe!!  We also tried Angela’s Mexican cornbread recipe with the chili—awesome!!

After lunch the gang loaded into the jeep and we drove over to Wickenburg—Jill and I managed a little shopping while the guys found a mining equipment store—the sun came out and we enjoyed a little warmth and this beautiful rainbow before the deluge started again.

Pizza from the Congress Junction was on the agenda last night for dinner but when calling to order I was told they were “out of pizza!!!!”  The people who own this business in Congress are not spring chickens and work very, very hard—I think the success of their restaurant catches them off guard.  So, I put on my thinking cap, pulled some cheese ravioli out of the freezer and opened a jar of pasta sauce—instant, great dinner!  I never use bottled pasta sauce preferring instead to make my own.  When we were in the Tucson Costco a while back we noticed a two pack of White Linen Collection by Victoria Marinara Sauce—a fellow shopper told me she loved this pasta sauce and we decided to give it a try—absolutely delicious!!!

Today we had sun/clouds/snow/rain/sun/clouds---Jill and I left the guys to their gold panning and ATV riding while we headed up the hill to Yarnell where we met up with a little snow shower.  The exciting part—on the way up the hill we began to see orange caution cones and a sign which said “right lane closed.”  A huge--as in jeep sized boulder had rolled off the hill, across the south/down lanes of the highway taking out the upper guard rail and landing in the driving lane of the north/up lanes of the Yarnell hill highway.  It is going to take one huge loader to move that boulder!! 

Back home Jill and I opened a bottle of wine we purchased while in Wickenburg--

Where do wineries come up with these names??  It was a good wine which we sampled while waiting for the guys to return on the ATVs.    We enjoyed another great dinner and good conversation before Jill and Terry headed off up the hill to their little park model. 

Life is good in the Arizona desert and we should have lots of sun tomorrow!!