Food, Family and Friends

Slow Cooker Chili and Homemade Pretzels

Mr. Peculiar is once again watching "the game" through the back of his eyelids. The remote is balanced on his belly moving up and down with each breath. I'm debating whether to confiscate it and change the channel. I can't fault his fatigue -- he's been up since five and worked all day. And now his belly is full.

This is the second time I've made these pretzels -- they are still a hit. You can find the recipe here. Serve them with honey mustard - mmmm, mmmm!

You might notice the pretzels aren't quite pretzel shaped. You see I had a bit of help in the kitchen ...

Messy Marvin making pretzels

The chili is a simple conglomeration of ingredients on hand: stew meat, kidney beans, 1/2 white onion, chicken stock, diced canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chili powder, salt, pepper, corn and the piece de resistance ... a smattering of cocoa powder. The cocoa adds the perfect touch of bitter sweet and gives the chili a full-bodied flavor. Instant espresso powder does the same thing. But, shhhhh, don't tell the boys at the brewery ... this year I'm entering the annual chili contest and I don't want them to have a leg up.

Ah, as I was writing this post a neighborhood friend popped by -- beer in hand. The five year old embraced the persona of a lion and began growling in our friend's face (thankfully he has kids of his own). And the hub is now up and watching the game. Good thing I didn't commandeer the remote.

This has been the perfect mellow evening - surrounded by friends and family. Nothing fancy, nothing difficult, nothing expensive. The boys are watching the game. I'm blogging and half watching the game. The baby is doing a puzzle and middle sis is coloring. Tonight is just right.