Category Archives: Recipe

“So what do you do?”

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As an introverted young adult with still no idea what I want to be when I grow up and a job that I’m not particularly fond of, this question causes me more anxiety than being asked “so when will you have babies?”.

Why does it matter what I do?

I feel like this question has become a basis on which I am judged. That whatever my answer is, will provide the asker with a quick synopsis of my education, skills, and financial situation, 3 things that don’t define who I am. This quick judgment makes me feel uncomfortable and like the person asking doesn’t really want to know about ME.

I am so much more than my seemingly dead-end job.

I am an aspiring chef!

I am a dog lover and cat snuggler.

I am a wannabe half-marathoner.

I am a lazy person.

I am a former soccer, softball, tennis, and volleyball player and dutch dancer.

I am a good listener.

I am an avid reader.

I’m the best aunt to my BFF’s little Leah.

I love spending time kissing my husband.

I love spending my summers driving to Michigan as much as possible.

I’m a pretty good sister.

I enjoy drinking beer and talking for hours.

I hate spending too much time in large groups.

I was made to be a mom.

When I get asked what I do (which happens more and more frequently as I get older), I cringe before I give a quick answer of “Oh, I’m a social worker.” I hate the response I get for that: “oh you must see such sad things!” “oh you are so selfless and patient and kind” (spoiler- I’m not really. I often tell my husband I’m a princess) “Oh that must be hard” “Do you take children out of their families?” While yes, I do see sad things, and yes, it can be challenging, my job is not my passion or life and it doesn’t define who I am at all. I’ve come to just saying “I work at LFCS” and leave it open ended and vague (I love vague and hate giving personal details about anything).

I know I’m not the only person who feels this way. My friend is in a job rut right now, too, and was instructed not to tell his Grandmother for fear of her response.

WHY?

Well, 1., because Grandma is a (wonderful) crazy person and you don’t want to hear her abrasive opinions,
and 2., because to her, your job and well-being defines success. I don’t like that.

My success will come from raising my children to be kind, gentle, and God-loving creatures.

My success comes from my AWESOME marriage.

My success comes from my friendships and relationships with my family.

My success will be once I finally cross that finish line of the half marathon I so desperately want to run.

My success comes when I try a new recipe that turns out fantastic.

My success will come from providing for my family, sure, but only so I can do the things that actually make me, me.

Don’t ask me what I “do”.

Ask me about who I am.

And then help me find a new job 😉

The Great Becker Chili

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I love to cook. More than that, I love to cook food that my husband adores. There are 3 things that will always elicit a squeal of delight from him while eating: pizza, french onion soup, and chili. Specifically, this chili.

This chili is unlike any I’ve ever had. Before making this for the first time, I’d never had chili that used stew beef instead of ground beef, and I must say, it was a surprising delight. It becomes super tender the longer you cook it, and as time goes on, it keeps softening in your leftovers. Also, bacon and chorizo. Need I say more? The bacon adds a smoky, salty, tender bite, and the chorizo (at least the chorizo I use) gets creamy when cooked, not crumbly like sausage or ground beef, so it thickens things up nicely. Aaaand, now I will conclude my paragraph about different types of meat. Meeeaaaaaattttt.

The ingredient list looks scary and complicated, but for the most part, it’s things you probably have in your kitchen. Lots of spices. Standard veggies. Classic chili toppings of cheese and sour cream. Don’t get frightened off.

Here we go.

Start  by chopping up your stew beef. I got a little over 2 lbs and cut it into baby-appropriate sized pieces (don’t feed it to your baby, though. Raw meat is bad. Don’t tell my dog though.) and cooked it through over whatever temperature you feel like. It doesn’t matter. Drain and dump into your large stockpot. Do the same with your chorizo. I used beef chorizo this time. It doesn’t matter (in my opinion. I’m not a chorizo know-it-all).

beef and chorizo

Then I my veggies. The best part of chili is that you can kind of use whatever you want, so pick whatever veggies you like most. I went classic with peppers and onions and garlic and celery, but you could get seasonal and use some squash and root veggies if you wanted.

onion chopper

In the meantime, fry your bacon. Mmmmmm, bacon. Then save the grease. Sorry, I failed to mention that this recipe is not heart healthy. Just soul healthy.

grease

Because you’re gonna dump ALL YOUR VEGGIES INTO THE GREASE. Muaaahahahahahaah. This is the key to happiness in the Becker household. Bacon, or things fried in grease. Please take care of us when we are 60 and suffering from heart disease. We love you!

veggies in grease

Now the easy part comes. Dump the veggies into the pot, and then empty all the cans and the beer in after them. Look appetizing yet? No is the right answer. Also, about now is the time that you should be finished drinking your two beers. If you feel like you need another, go ahead. After all, it is [insert whatever day or time is currently is].

chili no seasonings

Then throw in the seasonings.

chili seasonings

And then cook on low for 2.5-3 hours. Stir and taste occasionally because you will go crazy if you don’t.

lunches4daze

Bonus: lunches for dayzzzzzzzzz. 10 containers of magical meaty meals.

Eat up, bitches.

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground beef stew meat, cut into bite-size pieces (feel free to substitute with ground chuck beef)
1 pound chorizo
2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans in either medium or hot sauce
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes with juice
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped small
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 Hatch green chile pepper
4 slices fried bacon plus the grease
4 cubes beef bouillon
3 beers (1 for the chili, 2 for consuming immediately yourself)
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 bag Fritos or oyster crackers
1 package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 container sour cream
DIRECTIONS:
1.
Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Cook the diced beef and chorizo until the beef is cooked through. Move to the stock pot
2.
Cook the bacon until crispy in the large pan. Crumble into the beef mixture, and keep the grease. Add the chopped peppers, onion, garlic and celery to the grease and sauté until soft.
3.
In the stock pot, add in the veggie mixture, chili beans, tomatoes and paste, bouillon cubes, and beer. Stir to combine. Next, add the spices: chili powder, oregano and basil, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, salt and pepper, hot sauce, paprika, cinnamon and sugar. Stir it well, cover and simmer on low for at least 2.5 hours.
4.
Give it a taste! Adjust seasoning as needed. Serve immediately with the cheese/sour cream/crackers, or wait until the next day. The longer the flavors meld, the tastier it gets!

FULL DISCLOSURE: I ended up eating cookies for dinner. C’est la vie.