Sandi suggested that we are “Dear Jane, Etc.”  I like it.  I think it’s gonna stick.

This was a teachable moment that happened.  And, wonder of wonders, it actually was about Dear Jane.  JoAnne brought her DJ to work on hand quilting.  She’s doing it in sections and then will stitch the sections together after they are quilted.  Sandi and Bertha watched with rapt attention, wishing they were to the quilting stage on their own DJ quilts.

Jane is working on the borders of her Dear Jane quilt.  I’ll be working on my borders in about the year 2023.  Someone needs to give me a deadline.

Sandi worked on these cute pinwheels.  Not Jane.

Bertha worked on a DJ block.  Way to go, Bertha!

She also did these.  They qualify for Etc.  Beautiful knitting work!  Quilters just like to work with their hands.  And create beautiful things.

Charlene organized her DJ things.  Can you come to my house, Charlene?

JoAnne worked on the hand quilting on her DJ.  This makes DJ #63 for JoAnne.  She’s a DJ Fanatic.  We’re making her Queen of the DJ’s next month and bringing her a tiara.

Poor Lynda!  She brought a pillow along with her.  Or maybe we could say it’s a very large pin cushion.  But she had to permanently hold it under her right arm!  That’s what happens after rotator cuff surgery.  She has to endure 6 weeks of that big pillow under her arm. 

Thankfully she could still work on this pretty knitting.  She needed it to keep her sanity.

And me?  I actually worked on DJ this month. 

I worked on this lovely block.  I sewed one seam.

But it’s a really pretty seam, isn’t it?  At this rate I figure I’ll complete this one block in 3 years.  And my DJ quilt will be finished and hanging in a quilt show in the year 2046.

Help.  Somebody needs to give me a deadline.

And I need to stop taking time for Etcs.  These girls are no help at all.

Hugs,
Barb

Vegan cornbread.  I’ve made it 329 times in the last month.  Dear Hubby now runs screaming to pick up fast food when I announce cornbread for dinner.  I’m tweaking the recipe.  There have been a fair amount of readers asking for it so I wanted it to be just right.  I may tweak it again tomorrow.  Don’t tell Dear Hubby.  I’m working toward the perfect vegan cornbread.  It could take awhile.

For now you have to settle for what I’ve come up with at this point.  I’ll let you know if I come up with something better.

The cast of characters:  flour, cornmeal, flaxseed, baking powder, salt, almond milk, agave nectar, canola oil and (not pictured) apple cider vinegar.  No eggs.  No milk.  Vegan.  It’s the way I groove these days.

The first cornbread I made I ground the flaxseed and then boiled water on the stove and added the flax and simmered it for a few minutes.  It becomes a big gummy glob.  (I was following the recipe I found.)

See?  The finished cornbread was absolutely delicious.  So moist and yummy.

The second time I made it I forgot to add the gummy flaxseed at the appropriate time.  I had the cornbread in the iron skillet in the oven when I discovered my mistake.  Grabbed it out of the oven and threw it back in the bowl and added the flax and mixed it up and put it back in the oven.  (Yes, it had already begun cooking.)  It was still delicious.  And moist.  A bit flatter though.

It was then that I decided that the recipe was foolproof.  I read some comments on the recipe too.  And decided to incorporate some of them into my next attempt in what I’m now calling my test kitchen.  Deeelish.  And simpler without the gooey, gummy stuff.  Guess I should move forward and tell you how to make it, eh?

I have a coffee grinder specifically for flaxseed.  It’s very healthy.  Or so they tell me.  I add it to my oatmeal.   And it’s apparently important to grind it just before you eat it.

Here’s what it looks like all ground up.  Up close and personal.  I took the picture and you needed to see it.

So start by dumping all the dry ingredients into a bowl.  Flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and the ground flaxseed.  The day I took this picture I used whole wheat flour.  But I’ve also used unbleached flour and think I like it better.  Not as healthy, but a bit less dense of a cornbread.  You can use whatever you feel good about.

Then you add in all the wet ingredients: agave, almond milk and oil.  Oh! I almost forgot.  One of the comments said to add a little apple cider vinegar to turn the milk into buttermilk.  So I added it to my almond milk.  It kind of curdles it.  Just close your eyes and pour it in.  It just might be the secret to the moistness.

At this point I whipped out my handy-dandy new immersion blender that I got for Christmas from a very special friend to mix everything together.  You can use whatever you wish, but you just need to mix it enough to incorporate everything together.  Don’t get crazy just because you have a brand new handy-dandy immersion blender.

This is what the batter looked like the first time I made the cornbread.

This is what yesterday’s looked like.  Both delicious and moist in the end.  Foolproof.  (The first one had the gooey, gummy, pre-cooked flaxseed.)

By the way, you should have preheated the oven to 425° and put the cast iron skillet in to heat.  Pretend I told you that earlier, OK?

Pull the skillet out of the oven.  Be sure to use hot pads – it will be very hot!  Add about a tablespoon of canola oil and swirl it around.  Then dump the batter into the skillet.  It will sizzle.  I love the sizzle.  A cast iron skillet is a wonderful thing for oven cornbread.  If you don’t have one, I guess you can use a baking pan.  But don’t blame me if yours isn’t as delicious.  Just sayin’.

Cornbread #1 going into the oven.

Cornbread #3 going into the oven.  Or was it #203?

And now here’s your Immersion Blender Tip of the Day.  Fill your mixing bowl with water and immerse your blender and turn it on.  Cleans it right up.  Do not tell me if you have an immersion blender and discovered this little trick years ago.  I know, I know.  I’m behind the times.

Finished cornbread #1.

Finished cornbread #2.  The messed up one.  Flatter.  But still very moist and delish.

Hey!  If you can put a recipe into the oven, discover that you forgot an ingredient, take it out, mix in the missing ingredient even though you can tell it had already gotten crusty around the edges, add more oil to the skillet in the oven and dump the batter back in and it still comes out spectacular and moist, I’d say it’s foolproof.  My kind of recipe.

By the way, the picture at the very top of this post was cornbread #329.  Or maybe #3.  The one I made yesterday.

Here’s the link to the printable recipe:

Vegan Cornbread

The first time I made this I added a can of chopped green chilis.  I also think it would be great with some added shoepeg corn.  Chopped jalapenos maybe?  The original recipe had 1/4 c sugar.  I subbed the agave nectar to make it healthier.  Someone else suggested substituting applesauce for the oil.  It seems to be a very foolproof basic vegan recipe.

Enjoy!
Barb

Remember our Same Fabric Challenge?  It’s a part of our Christmas party each year.  You’ve seen the fabric all year long on the edges of this blog.  One of these days I might get around to making something out of mine.  It was a busy year for me.  Excuses, excuses.

Anyway – On with the Show!

Kay started things off with this lovely fabric bowl she made.  Creativity is the name of the game with this group.

I thought you needed a closer look.  I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten about close-ups or something.

Suz showed hers next.  She let the fabric speak to her.  And it said loud and clear…. Scooby-Doo!

See?  The colors just went with this fabulous Scooby.  Perfectly.

And here’s the whole quilt.  It is spectacular!

Lynn was next.   What a wonderful quilt!

And then came Pam’s creation.  Nice, Pam!

It’s so fun to see how different all these quilts are.  Using the same fabric.  That’s Madelyn hiding behind this little gem.  But if memory serves me correctly, she didn’t make this quilt.  I think it was Judy R.  Someone please correct me if I’m wrong.

Davene couldn’t bring herself to cut up the fabulous fabric.  So she just added gorgeous borders to a large piece in the center.  Great job, Davene!

How cute is this?  Sue OK made this darling apron with her fabric!

This is really out-of-the-box for Judy.  And very, very creative.

Cindy made this wonderful quilt.  Aren’t you impressed with the creativity of this group?

Peggy fooled us all.  She hid the fabric in this fabulous rooster.  It even hung in our quilt show in September!  And she got a fabulous third place ribbon too.

Can you find the challenge fabric?  She hid it well.  But it’s there!

Wonder what our 2012 fabric will look like?  Stay tuned…..
Hugs,
Barb

I’m sure you’ve been thinking lately that I needed to change the title of this blog to “Just Sayin’ Cook.”  A quilting friend said to me the other day, “Enough with the veggies already!”  So this blog’s for Julie.  And if you were ready to get back to quilts too, you can thank her.
 

If you’ve read this blog for long, you are already familiar with our annual Brown Bag Challenge.  If you’re new (or have just slept too many times and can’t remember the challenge), you can read all about it here:

JSS Brown Bag Challenge 2011

You’ll see that on that day in January the brown bags were indeed brown.  Unlike the way they looked in the pic above at the Christmas party.  These gals know how to decorate a package.

And this particular pretty package really caught my eye.  I recognized the fabric on the bow as mine!  And it sat right in front of me as we waited and waited for Brown Bag Opening time to arrive.

These little boxes played a part in Brown Bag Revealing too.  Their part was to make the opening take much longer.  Sally was the Hostess with the Mostest and she wanted to make the day last and last.  So she devised these little boxes to make us all frustrated prolong the Opening of the Quilts.

Let the quilts begin!

 Wonder of wonders, I didn’t have to wait long to see mine.  The little hard-to-open box with my fabric in it was pulled out first.  Yeah!

Made by Sue G.  Also known as Sueme.  It’s a long story.  Something about too many ladies in this group named Sue.  And she made my glorious quilt top out of the red, white and black fabric I put in my brown bag.  I love it.

Perhaps I should mention that these are just quilt tops?  Only one time did someone, who will remain nameless (Susan), actually have the quilt completed finished and bound.  We all gave her such a hard time for showing us up that she knew never to do that again.

Linda was next – all the way from California!  First she had to show us what she received from her quilt group in Austin.  See the candy cane fabric?  She put that same fabric into two brown bag challenges.

 Boy, was Linda ever surprised to find out that it was Peggy who had her fabric!  Shocked might be a better word.  Peggy really pulled the wool over Linda’s eyes the night before the party and had her thinking that someone else had her fabric.

And here’s Linda’s fun Christmas quilt top.  Made by Peggy.  So cute!

Cindy’s beautiful top was made by Pam.  Nice.

Susan was very happy to hear that her top was made by Suz.  And she ripped into the package immediately.

See Susan’s big smile?  Beautiful work, Suz.

Suz was next.  Her fabulous top was made by Davene.

Remember I told you about the cute little boxes Sally devised to make the game of revealing last until midnight?  Here’s Suz gritting her teeth and trying to get the box opened.  At least she smiled as she worked on it.

Tracy was next – opening hers that was made by Patt.

And isn’t it wonderful?  These gals are so talented and creative.

Karen laughed and laughed as Peggy unfurled her quilt top.

That’s because Karen totally made this quilt top in full view of everyone at our last retreat!  She was extra sneaky, that Karen.  Peggy’s fabric was the final border so no one was the wiser.  Good job, Karen!

Sally was super excited to know that Tracy made her quilt top.

And isn’t it lovely?  Sally sure thinks so.

Patti was next to open hers.  Made by Sally who had a big story to tell.

See that brown bag in Sally’s right hand?  It contains the entire yard of fabric that Patti put in it last January.  Sally was so excited about adding fabulous batiks to the batik in the bag that she forgot to use the original brown bag fabric!

But no way was Patti relinquishing her fabulous quilt.  And I say she’s all ready for 2012.  Just put that bag back in the mix, Patti!  Wouldn’t it be funny if Sally got her fabric again?

Here’s Madelyn’s quilt.  Made by Sue H.  We love the bows on the packages.  What a great pattern!  Well done, Sue!  UPDATE:  This quilt belongs to Judy R!  Apparently I was trying to give Madelyn two brown bag quilts.  That’s what happens when I have too many sleeps before I blog.

Cindy looks almost as excited for Sue G to open hers as Sue is to open it.

And it was indeed worth being excited about.  Lovely quilt, Cindy!

Patt got the top I made.  Completed just hours before the party began.  As usual.

And then Patt promptly hid behind the quilt for the picture.  Kilroy Patt was here.

By the way, Boo and Miss Kitty approved of Patt’s quilt.  All quilts made at my house have to be cat tested and approved.

Karen’s quilt was made by Nancy.  And she got a fabulous bag to match.  We were all ooing and ahhing over the bag and want Nancy to get our brown bags next year.

Then we all ooed and ahhed over the quilt!  It was indeed fabulous.

Susan always manages to use the smalled amount of the fabric in brown bag.  See the small holes in the bottom of the fabric?

Pam was overwhelmed with the thought of getting some of Susan’s fabulous appliqué.

And the quilt was indeed gorgeous.  Susan wows us all with her needle-turn appliqué!

Davene was next.  Her top was made by Linda and it was perfect.

This is Sue H’s.  Made by Patti.  With lovely embroidery.  Fun!

Here’s Nancy’s quilt made by Madelyn.  And Nancy has just the spot for it in her home.  Wonderful!

It warrants a big hug.  There were many hugs that day.  I just didn’t take pics of them all.  Picture all the quilts above with hugs too.  We’re a huggy group.

I have no idea who made this quilt.  Judy R?  It apparently belongs to Madelyn.  But it could belong to Judy.  I’ve slept too many times since this party to remember all the details.  Someone fill me in please?  Sure is pretty whoever made it.  UPDATE:  This one indeed belongs to Madelyn.  And was made by Judy R.  Who set me straight in the comments today.  Thank goodness.

May the Brown Bags live on!  Another challenge begins soon.  In the meantime, I’m heading back to the kitchen.  I have a new soup to make!  But there will be more quilty pics.  I promised Julie.

Quilt on!
Barb

This is the produce we got today.  2 bunches of kale, 5 bunches cilantro, 12 limes, a bag of red grapes, 2 heads of cabbage, a bag of peeled garlic cloves (transferred to a jar at home), 2 bunches broccoli, 5 red pears and 6 yams.  And we got all that for $10.  Yes, you read that correctly….. TEN DOLLARS.

Here’s how it works.  There are 12 families in our co-op.  Each family puts in $10 so we have $120 to spend (difficult math here.)  We rotate the “shopper” and all take a turn.  So my turn rolls up every 24 weeks or about 6 months.  (More difficult math.  Not.)  I should mention that we do this every other Saturday. 

On the day when we are the shopper, we drive to the Farmer’s Market in Dallas to pick up our produce.  We work with a distributor there and order the stuff ahead of time so that early Saturday morning when we do the pickup, it’s a simple process of just driving over, paying for the pre-ordered-via-fax stuff and loading up the car with big boxes.  That’s about all I can handle at 7:00 a.m. on Saturday.  If I had to go through the market that early on Saturday and select things and add up the cost as I went?  Not a pretty picture.  Who knows what they’d get on my shopping day.

Then we drive back to our church and set out 12 laundry baskets on the steps and divide everything up.  Participants come at 10:00, pay their $10 (which gets passed on with our binder of info to the next shopper) and pick up their goodies.  Dear Hubby went along and helped me with the process today.  So I got to sleep in the car on the way (in between sips of Starbucks) AND play Words with Friends all the way back.  I love it when Dear Hubby goes along to help.

And if I’d taken the camera along, I’d have thrown in a few pics of the stuff in boxes and baskets!  But alas.  My blogging skills are lacking.  I am working hard at getting back in the swing of things to keep up with my one New Year’s Resolution.

So now I’ve washed all my goodies and put them away.  And thought you all needed to know about what a great thing a Produce Co-op is.  Maybe you need to check out starting one where you live?

In the meantime, does anyone have any good vegan recipes using cilantro?  5 bunches is a lot of cilantro!  It was a big box of cilantro….. 5 (bunches) x 12 (families) = 60 bunches of cilantro!  And there were a few extras that I passed on to our church secretary when I bumped into her as we were leaving.

I feel a big bowl of guacamole coming on…… and kale chips.  Yum.
Hugs,
Barb

If you don’t live in the South, you’re wondering what in the world this picture is doing here.  Black-eyed peas.  A southern New Year’s tradition.  Something about good luck for the year.  And you must eat them on New Year’s Day.  I confess that I spent a good number of years up north not eating black-eyed peas on January 1st.  But not any more. 

So this is what we had for lunch today.  And they were quite yummy.  I used Pioneer Woman’s recipe on her blog.  Only I used red peppers instead of green ones.  And I added the tomatoes she talks about.  Here’s the recipe…… even though now it’s too late to make them for good luck in 2012.  Well, unless you plan to eat them at just before midnight.  You might be able to get them in.

PW’s Black-eyed Peas

But the very best part of our meal?

The cornbread.  In an iron skillet.  And it’s vegan.  No eggs, no milk.  And it was the yummiest cornbread I’ve ever had.  Honest.  I’ll make it again soon and do step-by-step pics.  You need to try it.  Healthy.  Cornbread.  Do those two words go together? 

They do now.  At least they do at my house.  And we’ll be having cornbread a lot more often with all our soups, chilis and beans at our house.

Remember my resolution.  More blogging in 2012.  I expect you to hold me to my resolve.

Happy New Year!
Barb

This is Bella.  Bella is beautiful just as her name suggests.  Boo would fall madly in love and want to move in with her if they ever met.  I’m keeping them separated.  I would hate for my friend Susan to steal Boo away to live with Bella.

So Bella just calmly relaxes her days away.  Wonder if Mom is off the computer so I can email my friend, Boo? 

But first I think I’ll just take a little nap.  Cats are good at that nap thing, you know.  We can learn all about naps from cats.  And the benefits of stretching just after a nap.

This is Boo’s friend, Baci.  Miss Kitty would fall madly in love with Baci if she ever met him.  She would shower him with kisses.  Just as his Italian name suggests.  Baci does not like his picture taken and he told me so.  Perhaps if I keep moving and make all her pictures blurry, she will go away.  A cat can always hope.  But I was relentless.

No, I will not look at the camera.  Baci’s coat is the silkiest soft you’ve ever felt in your life.  Bella’s too.

Just appear nonchalant and she will go away.

Oh, alright.  But I refuse to open my eyes.

There.  Are you happy now?  Can we stop with the pictures already?  Poor Baci.  He did not want his picture taken.  But I insisted.  I wanted to share them with Boo and Miss Kitty.  He was better when he realized I wasn’t going to bother him with that pesky flash.

I am so bored with this whole photo op thing.  Ho hum.  Pictures, pictures, pictures.  It’s a tough life being a beautiful cat when I’m around with my camera.

Oops.  Better run.  Boo is asking for computer time.  He and Miss Kitty really want to email their friends.  Tell Baci and Bella I said hello, Boo!  And thanks for the photo op for my blog.

Hugs & cat kisses,
Barb, Boo and Miss Kitty

But there was turkey – not tofurkey - on our table.  And even (horrors!) ham.  And I had some of everything.  Every once in awhile even a (mostly) vegan falls off the wagon.  At least that’s my story.

Jas was there.  Hanging around waiting for something to fall on the floor.

And Penny.  Isn’t she pretty?

Taylor too.  Penny & Taylor were imprisoned for the day in the master bedroom.  I don’t think they minded.  Because big, bad Jasmine was in the rest of the house.  See large dog pic above.

This was breakfast.  Biscuits with chocolate sauce and strawberries.  A family tradition.  And I had to have some leftovers when we arrived at noon.

Excuse me.  After looking at that picture, I need chocolate.  I think I have to run to the store…….

Paul believes in getting his hands into his work as he made the fabulous dressing.  Janna helped by watching.  And spooning the finished product into the pan to bake.  And eating.  We all helped by eating.

Paul learned from his Dad about helping in the kitchen.  Allen really takes his carving job seriously.

And he has a little shadow below.  Just like last year.  She’s just sure that something is going to fall overboard.

The 20-somethings do what 20-somethings always do….. play on their techno-toys.  Courtney, Nate and Paul did their fair share of computing while waiting for dinner.

While the kitchen smells were making my stomach growl, I took the opportunity to stroll around and take a few pics of fun things in the fabulous lakeside home.

Cute quilty tablerunner caught this quilter’s eye.

And how about this saying for the dining room wall?

Kaye takes pics of birds at the backyard feeders all the time.  They have quite a variety of birds to watch!

I especially like this pretty bluebird.  And yes, this is my usual pic of a pic.  I did not see one of these birds while we were there.  So disappointed!  Cropping pics so they look like my own is a favorite trick on this blog.

Janna made cute namecards again.

And how about these cute salt & pepper shakers?  Purchased in the Florida Keys.  Where they had a hard time finding anything that didn’t have seashells on it.  The little peppers are just right for a Texas home.

Nice table arrangements.

In fact, isn’t the whole table really pretty?

The Food

Turkey……

White meat, neatly arranged on the platter.  Allen is very particular.

Dark meat.

Ham (horrors!)  But doesn’t it look good?

Vegan Sweet Potatoes (smile) – no eggs, no milk, no butter, great taste!

Friendship bread.  Yum.  Probably not very vegan.

Everyone filled their plates.  Mom & Dad on the right, Sis just behind them in pink, then Allen & Dear Hubby on the left.  Loads of yummy food.  I missed pics of corn casserole (also made by me and vegan), green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, rolls and stuffing/dressing.  There were also pumpkin, pecan and cherry pies!  But we ate them so fast I didn’t even get a pic.  Picture them delicious.

But here’s my plate.  With a little bit of almost everything. 

Now I definitely need a snack.  How about you?  Is it time for Christmas dinner yet?

Hugs,
Barb

Way back in the year 2010 she came to my house and we bought fabric to make her t-shirt quilt.  This is Janna ironing the interfacing to the back of each and every t-shirt.  She was optimistic in her thinking and thought that she would be snuggling under that quilt by her birthday in September.  2010.  She must have forgotten a bit about how her Aunt Barb operates.

But this is the story of her quilt.  And I can contain it no longer….. her quilt is done.  Finished.  Completed.  Finished is a beautiful word when it comes to quilts.

You can read about the beginnings of Janna’s quilt here:

Janna’s T-shirt Quilt

But today I’m all about the conclusion of this quilt’s story…..

This is how the t-shirts looked as we arranged them that first day on my design wall.

This project travelled with me to many a JSS Retreat.  If I’d stop blogging at retreats, I might actually get my projects finished sooner.  But you know that is never going to happen.  And Janna crossed her fingers with every retreat.  Hoping that her quilt would be finished one day and she’d be able to snuggle under it.

In October, I finally finished the very last of the binding at retreat.  There was even voting about the border!  Thankfully, Janna voted correctly since I’d already decided the outcome before the voting began.  And was stitching the green border to the quilt as the votes came in.

Then on Thanksgiving Day, after the turkey and all the trimmings, as Janna got comfy in the recliner with a blanket…. I went to the car and brought in The Quilt.

Janna hurriedly unfolded it.  You can tell she was hurrying because of how blurry it is.  Her Dear Hubby’s mother, Kaye, is looking on.  We had Thanksgiving at Kaye’s beautiful lake home and it was wonderful.

By the way – I should point out that the quilt had already been cat tested and approved.

By Miss Kitty……..

And by Boo, too.  Cats are attracted to quilts like a magnet.  Lay one on the floor and just try to keep them off of it.  Impossible.

Janna showed her Dear Mom & Mom#2 the label.  I named the quilt “Marching Memories.”

Then she held it high for a pic.

This is Janna and the label.  See her big smile?  There is happiness and relief in that smile.  Relief that she finally got her quilt!  Getting a quilt from Aunt Barb seems to be a lesson in patience these days.

Janna sent me this pic later so I’d have a good one of the whole quilt.

But this is my favorite.  Janna folded up the blanket she had planned to cover up with lickety-split and put it away.  So she could snuggle under her new quilt in the recliner.

And I will picture her and her Dear Hubby watching movies, cozily under their new quilt.  As soon as they get back from their anniversary vacation in Hawaii where they are right now!  Celebrating 5 years of marriage.  Happy Anniversary, Janna & Paul!

And they lived happily ever after.

The End.

What?  After all, the story started with once upon a time.  Doesn’t that mean it has to end with happily ever after?

Love,
Aunt Barb

And for the 28th time since I found this recipe, I’m making Sweet Potato Chili!  Or maybe it’s just the 4th time.  I get confused with numbers sometimes.

This reminded me that I meant to share this recipe on the blog.  And that reminded me that I hadn’t blogged in a long while and my readers were probably very upset with me.  And that reminded me that I still have scads of retreat pictures that I meant to share.  It could be a very long night. 

But first……. Sweet Potato Chili.  Yum.  Just looking at the picture makes me hungry.

You start with a sweet potato.  Big surprise.  I put my hand in this picture to show you what a whoppin’ big sweet potato I had!

Peel it and chop it all up in bite-sized pieces.  Then toss it with some olive oil.

Spread it out on a cookie sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  I line the pan with foil so the clean-up is easier.  Bake at 400° for about 20 minutes.  Try not to eat the whole pan when you take them out of the oven.

In the meantime, saute some chopped onions in about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Cook them long enough to get a little carmelized.  Refrain from throwing in some broth and making onion soup.  These babies smell heavenly!

Here are the rest of the ingredients:  garlic, cumin, chili powder, cayenne pepper, chipotle peppers in adobo, barbecue sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, corn, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce and vegetable stock (which I forgot to put in the picture.)

After the onions have carmelized a bit……

….throw in the cumin, chili powder, cayenne and garlic.

Stir it around in the pan and cook it a minute or so.  Until the fabulous aroma of the spices fills your senses and takes your breath away.  Yum.

Pour in the vegetable stock and stir it around to get all the lovely bits off the bottom of the pan.  They are the yummy parts so you want them all incorporated into the chili.

Add in the chipotle pepper, hot sauce, worcestershire sauce, barbecue sauce and diced tomatoes.  Notice my freshly manicured nails.  Just for the picture.  The things I do for the blog.  I did that french manicure myself!  Remind me to tell you about the fabulous nail product that my friend, Susan, introduced me to about a year ago.  I’ve been really meaning to tell you about it.  I keep forgetting.

Simmer all the deliciousness together for about 20 minutes.

Look at that luscious steam.  Can you smell it?  Those spices are very fragrant and wonderful.  And will burn the taste buds off your tongue.  I hope you like spicy food!

Add in the sweet potatoes, black beans and corn.  Provided you didn’t eat all the yummy sweet potatoes as they sat on the counter awaiting their dip in the sauce.  Stir it all together and heat through.

Then ladle it into a nice bowl.  And chow down.  Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum, yum.  And yum.

You can also crunch up some tortilla or corn chips on top.  Triple yum.

Remember the cookbook I told you about recently?  The one about the 12 best foods?  4 out of the 12 are in this soup……. onions, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and black beans.  You’ll be real healthy if you eat this stuff.  I think I might need another bowl.

Here’s a link where you can easily print the recipe:

Sweet Potato Chili

Oh, and by the way.  If you can’t stand the heat, you could leave out the chipotle pepper, cayenne and hot sauce.  But we like the heat at our house.  Especially on these brisk, Arctic cold, 50° days.  The people in Alaska are laughing right now.

Especially because this is what it looked like in Nome last night:

Nome, Alaska video

I hope the video works for you.  It was taken by an internet friend who lives in Nome.  I’ve never met her, but feel like I know her because of the internet and the Iditarod.  I can’t believe it’s actually that cold and snowy anywhere on earth right now.  I’m glad I live in Texas where water freezes at 60°.

Happy cooler weather, wherever you are,
Barb