Puréed Wild Mushroom and Brussels Sprout Soup

This is like your favorite sweater in a bowl. A warm, hearty brew that's perfect for those last chilly nights in spring or those first fall evenings.

For those who are fearful of fat, this recipe uses no cream and only a small amount of butter for sautéing. For those afraid of brussels sprouts, fear not - sautéing them and blending them to a puree removes all bitterness and texture that might be a turn off to you.  For those afraid of ghosts... I'm afraid there isn't much here that concerns you.

This recipe does require an immersion blender, which is a kitchen gadget I could not live without and can probably be found for as little as $15 at your nearest drugstore (where I got mine).

Chili

 
Don't be daunted by the cook time, it only takes 30 minutes of prep, and the rest is done by your slow-cooker

Although I was born and raised in Southern California where Spanish, Mexican, and Southwestern cuisine influences abound, I was still the subject of a purely Irish/Italian/Midwestern diet. As such, this version of chili is more of a hybrid of beef stew and a good bean soup. Succulent, spicy, and saucy...just the way I like it.

People put lots of crazy things into chili - chocolate, peanut butter, garlic, bread, just to name a few - but for my money all you need is lots of beans, some good beef, and BEER! I cheated by using a can of salsa to spice up the base of my Chili. There are no shortage of great varieties in the "ethnic foods" section of my supermarket that have more exotic chili's than the ubiquitous Pace piquante sauce. I used Herdez Salsa Ranchera for this batch which has Jalapeno, Ancho, and Cascabel peppers. As if that wasn't spicy enough, I added a liberal dash of Spike seasoning... but that is a whole other story. There is also some debate over ground vs. chunks of beef, and after many failed attempts using ground, I used cubed chuck steak this go 'round which gave me the flavor and texture I was after. While I like my chili heavy on the beans, much of these measurements can be adjusted to taste.