We had a bit of rain here in San Diego county this weekend. According to the local news there was “major flooding throughout the county”. Hmmm, we had barely a sprinkle in my little town. But it sure was enough to make my rainy weather chili. Are you kidding…..anytime it is the least bit overcast here, I am making a pot of chili or soup. This time it was chili. There is a lot of stuffs in my chili. Yum. I like it pretty spicy, but you certainly don’t have to make it real spicy if you are a little on the wimpy side! I must admit, I can’t handle the heat as much as I used to. So sad…sucks getting old. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this. Leftovers are even better…

I like my chili served over some rice…..M-mmmm-m-m-m. I also like it over spaghetti noodles….YUM-m-m-mm-m……or over an egg and cheese omelet……or nachos……or hot dogs, with onion…….or cake! just kidding……..just checking to see if you are paying attention, 🙂

Chili

1 lb ground beef
1 package of chorizo
2 pork chops, diced
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
1 small bunch of cilantro, minced
2 fresh poblano chili peppers
1  jalapeno, minced
1 large can of pinto beans
1 medium can of kidney beans
1 large can of diced tomatoes
1 medium can of diced tomatoes
1 small can of tomato sauce (I use a little yellow can called El Pato, Mexican tomato sauce)
2 bay leaves
1 tsp ground cumin
2 tablespoons of chili powder
1 small can corn
1 small can diced green chilis
1 bottle of your favorite beer
brown the meats together. Add onion, garlic, cilantro, poblano and jalapeno. Let onions get a bit soft.  Add everything else. Let it simmer for at least an hour. You can do this in the crock pot too….all day at low temp. Simple, right??? YES! You will love this.

OH, you can use chicken  instead of the other meats if you want and maybe SOYRIZO instead of CHORIZO.

I love white cake. I have tried several recipes and they were just EH…….even the one that claimed to be the best white cake ever. But it wasn’t the best. So, my search continues…but this white velvet cake is the best one so far. It really is good…….moist, tender crumb….didn’t get hard the next day…fluffy….yum…..vanilla-ish and more yum. I can’t wait to try it with a chocolate buttercream frosting. But it is PERFECT with fresh lemon curd. OH MY, MY, MY. One bite of this cake and you will get goosies and your eyes will roll back and you will be making all kinds M-m-m-m-m noises…..your taste buds will be dancin all over the place. Can you tell how much I adore this cake? Oh, if you are a hater of lemons, try some fresh strawberries instead! ohhhhh yeahhhhh. PUH-LEEZE try this. You know, I promised a slice of this to 3 different people….what was I thinking!!!!! Maybe they have forgotten!!! I’m not sure I want to share, but I certainly don’t need an entire cake, so guess I’m sharing.

White Velvet Cake

1  cup all purpose flour
1  3/4 cups cake flour
1/2  tsp baking soda
1  1/2 tsp baking powder
1  tsp salt
1  1/2 cups sugar
2/3  cup vegetable oil
1/3  cup shortening
1  tsp vanilla
3  large eggs
1  1/2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 325. Sift all dry ingredients together. Set aside. Grease and flour 2 round cake pans, lined with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, beat the oil, shortening and vanilla. Beat till light and fluffy. Add the eggs. Fold in the dry stuff alternately with the buttermilk, starting with the dry and ending with the dry. DO NOT OVER BEAT. Be kind. Pour into prepared pans and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Poke with a toothpick and if it comes out clean, its done. Place on cooling rack and cool completely.  Remove from pans and frost with your favorite frosting or filling. I used whipped cream. M-m-m-m-m

Lemon Curd

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice
zest of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten

In a saucepan, combine sugar, flour, cornstarch and salt. Mix in the egg yolks. Add the water and lemon juice. On medium heat, stir constantly till thickened. Remove from heat, add butter.  chill. Use this as  filling for cakes, cupcakes, or dip shortbread cookies in it. Pucker up!