First Post Isn't Hard

I have many previous cooking experiences that I have posted on Facebook in the form of a photo album. I will post those in the future, likely as a single post looking back at what I have done. For now, here is something I made recently.


Now, this blog is going to be picture-heavy 90% of the time, but this first one is only text because I simply forgot to take pictures.


So I made chili in my little crock pot a few days ago, but I changed it up a bit from the norm. The recipe:

• 1 can mild Wolf chili - mild simply because I put a shitload of chili powder in myself
• 1 can regular Ranch Style Beans - the best beans ever
• 1 pound ground beef, cooked and drained - I use grass-fed because I have access to it
• 1-3 tsp chili powder - I used 3 teaspoons. You could go more, you could go less. Just depends on how much you like it
• 1-2 tsp oregano - my favorite herb. I probably use it more than is healthy
• 1 tsp ground sea salt - I'm a salt snob. I hate iodized salt and use it rarely

And the kicker ingredient that really made this worth posting:

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

I know, it is weird to think of a Christmas spice being used in a meaty dish, but many Asian foods use cinnamon in spicy food to give a depth to it, so I figured I'd give it a shot.

Verdict: The cinnamon was brilliant. I am going to try cinnamon in other spicy foods I make just to see what I can play around with. I do think I could do with half a pound of beef instead of a whole one. It, combined with the can of chili, is just too meaty for one dish. Plus less meat means a more explosive flavor for the remaining ingredients. This got a thumbs-up from my wife and my mother-in-law.