Hearty Chilli

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Hearty Chili 

After scouring the internet for the perfect chili, I came across this "award winner". It is perfectly hearty, has a ton of beans and big chunks of ground beef and sausage. This recipe is magic in a bowl. For all my Vegetarian friends-- I think subbing out the ground beef for veggie ground-round and omitting the sausage, bacon and bouillon would make for a tasty dish as well! Pair with a delicious French Loaf for added delight.

• 2 pounds lean ground beef
• 1 pound italian sausage (sweet or spicy)
• 4 cans red kidney beans
• 2 (28oz) cans diced tomatos
• 1 (6oz) can tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 green chile peppers, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon bacon bits
• 4 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup Guinness (or other beer)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (Franks, Tabasco etc.)
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground beef and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 3 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 3 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day (good luck).

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

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Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

Borrowed from The BrownEyedBaker

Happy belated St. Paddy's day to everyone. It has taken a few days to regain my composure and post these beauties that I served to the bar on Saturday. They are inspired by the Irish Car Bomb shooter-- which involves a shot glass of either Baileys or Irish Whiskey dropped into a cup of Guinness. These are much easier to swallow.

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 cup Guinness stout
• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 Dutch process cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 cups AP flour
• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup sour cream

For the Whiskey Ganache Filling:

• 1 bag semisweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons Irish Whiskey (I used Jamesons)

For the Baileys Frosting

• 2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 6 tablespoons Baileys Irish Cream

Directions: 

1. To Make the Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 24 cupcakes with liners. Bring the Guinness and butter to simmer in a heavy, medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl to combine. Using the electric mixer, beat the eggs and sour cream on medium speed until combined. Add the Guinness-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture and beat just to combine. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat briefly. Using a rubber spatula, fold the batter until completely combined. Divide the batter among the cupcake liners. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean (about 17 minutes). Cool cupcakes on rack.
3. To Make Whiskey Ganache Filing: Place chocolate chips in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream until it is simmering and pour over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then stir until combined. Let the ganache cool until thick but still soft enough to pipe.
4. To Fill the Cupcakes: Using the large end of a decorating tip (or a 1" round cookie cutter) cut the centres out of the cupcakes, going about 2/3rds of the way down. Transfer the ganache to a piping bag with a wide tip, and fill the holes in each cupcake to the top.
5. To Make the Bailey's Frosting: Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer (Or your can do this by hand, but get ready to build some biceps), whip the butter on medium high speed for 5 minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually add the powdered sugar until all of it has been incorporated. Add the Baileys, increase the speed to medium-high and whip for another 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy.
6. Using whatever decorating tip you'd like, or an offset spatula, frost the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles (if desired). Store the cupcakes in an airtight container.