What I Ate Wednesday

Winter came to Denver this week. We don't mess around in these parts--transition between fall and winter? That stuff is for sissies. No, we prefer to go from 70 degree weather to snowy and 30-40 degrees in a matter of 24 hours. Yesterday snow flurries fell for much of the afternoon, and even turned to hail for a few minutes on my drive home from work. Today it is cold in the way that gloves and a light down jacket did not keep me from shivering on my drive into work. Thank goodness for warm coffee, an efficient car defroster, and the knowledge that if there's one thing I know about Colorado winters, it is that anything can and will happen. It will be 70 again this winter. And 10. We just have to wait for it.

And now, on to What I Ate Wednesday! Wednesday is reason for celebration, as tomorrow DPS is celebrating Veteran's Day with a day off from school, and it's finally cold enough for soups, stews, and chili, my favorite things to cook. Tonight's meal, in all its iPhone 4 glory, is below:



A definite favorite, this is my mom's recipe for Cincinnati Chili, which came from Sesame Street magazine. I am from Ohio, where this chili over spaghetti is taken very seriously in some parts. But, as I hail from rural northwest Ohio where my beloved CC is taken less seriously, I have taken a few liberties in preparation at which purists will cringe. My chili layer uses just a 1/2 pound of ground beef and a full can of red beans. (The "real" Cincinnati chili is meat-only. Red beans are meant to be a topping.) The traditional spices of chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, allspice, and cayenne are added and then we simmer until it smells irresistible in the kitchen.

Then it's served over a bed of spaghetti noodles and topped with onions and cheddar cheese. We had no oyster crackers, or we would've added those, too. We served it with a side of (unpictured) steamed broccoli and last night's Glee episode. Looks like Puck's reappearance brought back the Glee I dearly loved from last season--Mr. Schue as a non-terrible person, awesome music (how great was Teenage Dream?), and thought-provoking themes.