In general, I’m always trying to spend less time staring at my phone, but Instagram has historically been my downfall. I’m really working on it though, and in January, went on a strict IG detox for the entire month and didn’t even cheat! This seemed to break a lot of bad habits I had, and I can usually now pop in for a few minutes here or there, without getting sucked into mindlessly scrolling or watching all the stories. I also unfollowed a whole slew of accounts which was very cleansing!

But even with all of this purging, I have a new favourite follow: Dining by Kelly! I came across her account in the Explore Tab late last year (which I don’t allow myself to click on anymore…will never get back the hours of life wasted watching cookie decorating videos in that tab). She’s a private chef in NYC and shares her epic meal prep sessions for her clients each week, and how she packages everything up, labels it and delivers it around the city.

You’d think this was leading up to me talking about one of her recipes, but it’s actually not! It’s just that I wanted to make a big care package for my brother and his family this past weekend and I found myself channeling my inner-Dining by Kelly to get everything organized, prepped, packaged and labelled. Here’s what I made:

  • Sunday Chili – this is my new go-to chili recipe and it’s perfect! A good balance of meat, beans and veggies. I made a double batch so I could keep some for myself and it’s fantastic.
  • Chipotle Cheddar Biscuits – this recipe is from the very first Baked Cookbook and it’s so good. I use 1 tsp of smoked paprika/chipotle chili power and it’s the perfect amount of spice.
  • Honey Corn Muffins – another Baked recipe! This one is in Baked Explorations and somehow I’ve never blogged about it? Will fix that soon.
  • Monster Cookies – I had to include a treat and this family loves peanut butter so this was an easy choice.

Everything went over pretty well I think (although chili is a tough sell for some of the little picky eaters), and apparently the Honey Corn Muffins were eaten immediately, so that’s a good sign!

I’m so impressed with this chili so I have to document it here, so I don’t forget about it next Fall when it’s time for cozy comfort food once again.

Sunday Chili

Source: Pinch of Yum

Ingredients

  • 6 slices bacon, cut into 1/2″ pieces
  • 1 medium or 1/2 large onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 jalapeno, minced (seeds removed for less heat)
  • 4 carrots, diced
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp tomato paste
  • 2 1/2 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 28oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1 14oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cups beef or chicken broth

+ toppings! grated cheddar, sour cream, hot sauce, chopped cilantro, diced avocado, tortilla chips/corn chips, pickled red onions

Directions

  1. In a large Dutch oven over medium high heat, cook the bacon until crispy, and then remove to a paper towel lined plate. Leave 2 tbsp of bacon fat in the pot (discard the rest).
  2. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeno and carrots to the pot, and saute until softened, 8-10 minutes.
  3. Add the ground beef and salt, and cook until starting to turn golden brown.
  4. Add the tomato paste and spices and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
  5. Add the diced tomatoes, beans, broth and bacon, and bring to a low simmer. Cover and let it simmer for at least 30-45 minutes, but ideally 2 or 3 hours. Taste and add more salt to taste. Will keep well in the fridge up to 4-5 days, and also freezes well.