Weekend Update and a Chipotle Chili Recipe

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!  For us, this whole week has been one big ongoing holiday.  My cousin and his wife flew in from D.C. late on Christmas Eve, and Jay's brother came in late on Thursday from California.  So, despite enjoying a relatively low-key (but very nice) Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, the family activities have continued full-force.

With my step-sister and her husband on Christmas Day. 

On Friday, we enjoyed a nice breakfast out with my family.  My cousin, Trace, and I have always been close, and it was great to catch up with him and his wife, Agata.

Later that evening, we had Jay's brother, dad, and dad's girlfriend over for a casual chili dinner.  I had originally planned to make a roasted red-pepper chili recipe I found online, but the grocery store I stopped at didn't have the key ingredient, so it turned into a chipotle chili instead.  I sort of winged it with the recipe, but I'm glad I wrote down what I used because it turned out great!  The chipotle peppers in adobo sauce were definitely the star.  You can find these in a can near the Mexican foods, and a little goes a long way.  I never use the whole can at once, so I just freeze the extra in a little Pyrex or zip-lock bag for future use.

Hearty Chipotle Chili

1 lb grass fed beef
1 onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1-2 tablespoons chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
2 cans black beans, drained
1 can kidney beans, drained
1 (10 ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chiles (undrained)

1 (14.5 ounce) can of regular diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
Salt (to taste)

Optional toppings: shredded cheese, green onions, cilantro, diced jalapeno, greek yogurt, avocado, etc. 

In large pan, cook beef, onion and green pepper until meat is browned. Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer).  Add toppings and enjoy!

The festivities continued yesterday, starting with a breakfast with one of my dear friends from college.  We went almost directly from there to a lunch at Jay's grandpa's, and then had more family and friends (and Madison the pug) over in the afternoon for drinks and board games.  The party continued well into the night, and somehow along the line it morphed into a karaoke fest.  We had a blast!

Today began with a pancake breakfast at Jay's grandma's followed by naps all around. While all of these gatherings have been so much fun, I definitely have not been eating (or drinking) in my usual healthy way.  I will be glad when things calm down a little bit and I can go back to cooking my own meals!  But for now I am just going to enjoy what's left of the holiday break.  Cheers!