Mole Chili......an invention.....I think???

Ok....I could be mistaken....but I think I came up with something today. If there are recipes out there Ive never heard of them......but......I really haven't checked either. Ok....ok....maybe its because I want to take credit for the creation of Mole Chili and possibly because of my fear of rejection....but that is a whole other topic of discussion!!

Anyways back to the subject......Mole Chili......so I was talking with a co-worker today and she mentioned that her husband won a chili cook off at a local casino here in my town not too long ago. That got me thinking.....it's cold out side and chili sounds soooooo good and it screams warm comfort food. But I have never been able to make a chili that blows my hair back....until today!!

AND.....the best part is I did it with things that I had in the pantry and fridge!! Granted not everyone probably has a tub of homemade salsa from last Thursdays Christmas party......but....well that is not for me to worry about now!! ;)

Ok ok I'll shut up now and tell you the recipe!! Oh...by the way, instead of serving this with corn bread (which you can totally do) I served it with corn tortilla quesadillas which was super yummy to dunk in my chili!!

Mole Chile

2 cans of your favorite beans, drained (I used white)

1 lb ground beef, or any other ground meat you'd like

2 chipotle peppers chopped until pretty much mush

1 large onion, diced

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cinnamon

dash of cloves

5 gloves garlic, grated on micro plane

2 Tbls Mole paste (I used the jarred kind)

2 cups homemade salsa (tomatoes, cilantro, onions, garlic, jalapenos, salt and lime)

1 small can tomato sauce

1 -2 tsp salt depending on taste

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 Tbls chili powder

1 heaping Tbls agave nectar (or 1 Tbls sugar)

Saute ground beef and onion until cooked thoroughly, then add all the other ingredients and simmer for about a half an hour or more. Top with cheese and sour cream and serve with corn bread or quesadillas like I did!!

Paella......I cant believe I did it and it was good too!!

Um hello....Paella!! I did it!! Yeah me!! It was super fly good!! I got myself a Paella pan today with my gift card from my bro and his wife. So I thought I'd give'r a try.....and it totally worked. I got online and checked out a bunch of different recipes and kinda combined them into one. I will definitely make it again and this is definitely something you can make for a crowd cause I got alot of stinkin leftovers!! Might not of been the best idea to make for just me and the kids....lol....oh well too late now!!

1 lb Sausage or Chorizo

3 Boneless skinless Chicken breast, cubed

1 lb Shrimp

1 lb Scallops

1 lb of another seafood, I used calamari rings but you can use whatever you want ie: clams or mussels

4 cups rice

6-8 cups water or broth

1/2 tsp saffron

salt, pepper, paprika and oregano to taste

1 can diced tomatoes

1 large onion diced

1/2 bunch of cilantro, diced

5 cloves garlic, crushed

Sprinkle raw chicken with paprika, oregano, salt and pepper to taste and drop in paella pan that has olive oil in it. Cook 1o minutes. Remove from pan and add sausage ( which should be precooked) cook for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Add onion, cilantro and garlic with more olive oil and fry for 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and fry until caramelized. Add rice and fry for about 7 minutes. Add water/broth, salt (about 2 tsp) saffron and simmer for 10 minutes. Check to see if you need to add more water and cook for another 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Add seafood and cook for another 10 minutes adding more water as necessary. Serve with fresh lime wedges!!