Getting Ready

About to take a much needed vacation to the land of whatever it is Colorado calls itself.  Going to do some fun skiing and snowboarding. We have two other families coming long for the ride. Six adults and six young kids in a gypsy caravan.

Now I've never been on a snowboard a day in my life. Thankfully, my buddy will be taking a class with me on the bunny slopes I hope. I sure hope my old knees and aching back will withstand the barrage of slips and falls I'm about to put on it. I'm sure it'll be fine and I am looking forward to this fun filled trip.

Now packing food for a trip like this is a careful mix of fresh fruits, nuts, and vegetables. Along with some stuff like goldfish, crackers, and the occasional fruit snack. I know, I know, for shame for shame but heck it's vacation and it's also a 16 hour road trip. You can and should only try to get away with so much on the kids and your own dietary demands.

I know this is a short entry but I just wanted to share a good chili recipe in anticipation of our trip out to the Rockies.

Tom's Chili

Whatcha need:
3 lbs ground beef
1 4 oz package of dried peppers
1/2 medium onion diced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 - 2 cups beef broth
1 dark beer
1 tbsp cayenne
2 tbsp seasoned salt

2 tbsp cumin
1 - 2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp paprika


1.  Boil 3 cups of water and remove from heat
2.  Take a large pack of dried ancho or green peppers or both depending on your preference and pull the stems off the end and dump out the seeds in the trash. Don't dump out all the seeds since you still want some spice to the chili.
3.  Take the chilies and steep them in that hot water.
4.  After the peppers are soft, pour the peppers and water into a blender and blend until it becomes a nice loose paste.
5.  Slowly cook 3 pounds of ground beef on medium heat.
6. Once the meat is fully cooked but not brown in any way, dump out into a colander to drain the fat.
7. Place pan back on the stove top and add the diced onion, garlic, and cook until slightly translucent.
8. Place meat back in the pan and add the spices
9. After 5 minutes of cooking the spices into the meat add the pepper mix into the pot and cook for another 5 minutes.
10.  Add beer
11. After another 10 minutes add enough beef broth to cover the meat and reduce the heat to low and let cook for another 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

There you have it. It's a little more work than just buying a 2 alarm chili kit but it's mighty tasty. I top it with some cheese, jalapenos, tomato, and red onions and serve it with some french bread and crackers. Hope you try this and that you enjoy it.

Restaurant recommendation for healthy eaters that want a nice evening out is: Seasons 52 (It's a chain but still tasty). Most everything on their menu is under 475 calories. They cook with local ingredients and meats. When my wife and I went, we shared the shrimp flat-bread which was awesome, I had a delicious lamb steak cooked perfectly and she had the tenderloin that was cooked more to my liking than hers but she thought it tasted great.

We were even able to try some desserts guilt free since they were served in tiny cups. If you are watching what you eat, this is a great place to enjoy really good food at a guilt free serving.


I apologize in advance for my grammar or anything else wrong with this post. I didn't have my normal, lovely proof reader read this since she was way too busy packing. One of us had to. :)