Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

There are many things in this world that people say they absolutely need to survive, and the largest of those is usually food.  Following close behind water, food is one thing that all organisms on this planet simply cannot live without.  Food is our fuel that keeps our physical bodies going from day to day.  Take away food, and you are left with a very unhappy, hungry person, who will soon wilt and die. An angry, hungry death (at least, if I died of starvation, I would be angry.).

When you take away the fact that everyone needs food to live, you find that there are some people who truly, deeply, love food.  I, myself, am one of those people.  I love food, creating food, eating food, and most importantly, sharing food with others.  I love the act of making a meal, from the planning, to the shopping, the creation, to the serving of it to others.  I have been known to go through the whole intricate process just to serve myself a very prettily plated presentation and eat alone.

 Good food, to me, is food that feeds the soul as well as the body.  This food isn’t just created by the edible items on your plate, but by the company you consume it with.  Good food comes with laughter, smiles, stories, clinking glasses and silverware, or simply messy fingers sticky with sauce.  I see my life as a succession of these meals filled with good food, centered around the tables I have eaten them on.  I use the term “table” loosely, as I have eaten many of these meals simply on the living room floor, in camp chairs, or standing up, with no physical table to place the food on.  The table is the metaphor for the place I have shared these meals in.  There are a few notable physical tables that I will share the tales with you of through the course of our blogging journey together, but they prove to be the exception, not the rule.

Now, here’s an obvious question: Who am I?

I am a twenty-two year old Floridian, a recent university graduate who is finding herself flummoxed at the possibility of the future.  My plans to continue straight into graduate school to pursue my studies at a higher level fell through due to circumstances, so I find myself entering the work force without a plan, a degree that doesn’t help me much, and a slew of boxes from my college apartment.  Who knew that you could accumulate so much stuff in four years?

You know how in the movie “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”, Tula says that her family is a family of eaters, who really like to eat?  That’s not just her family.  My family is the same way, and we have great fun eating.  My mom likes to tell the story of her first Thanksgiving with the family, where everyone showed her how to navigate the buffet line of dishes, helped her get her servings, etc.  Then came the caveat: “We helped you the first time.  The rule is, you get it the first time, because it likely won’t be there the second.” After that, she was on her own.  She learned very quickly to get it on the first round, because they weren’t kidding.

I grew up in a relatively small town, with a large family.  So really, I had no chance of ever getting away with anything while I still had my last name.  Even now, when I return, people who haven’t seen me, or know my family recognize me by the features I share in common with the dozens of other kin I have. I can’t escape. But at the same time, this tradition gave me the first set of tables that I spent my life at.  Church picnics, family dinners, celebratory cookouts, barbeques, these are my first memories of food that was good food, back when I wasn’t smart enough to realize that the food I had every day could be good food too.

But that’s enough about me for the moment.  I’ve been working my way (with the help of R., my lovingly bottomless and patient significant other) through a pot of my chicken chili.  A recipe I began tweaking from my grandmother’s simple chili of meat and beans, I’ve added a few things, and the beauty of the recipe is that you can add and take away whatever suits you, and the recipe will be just as good, if not better. I’m currently eating it over chili-dusted oven roasted potatoes (a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and chili powder. Toss, oven at 450 for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Glass dishes work better than metal to keep them from sticking.) and the necessary sour cream and shredded cheese.  It’s just as comforting and delicious with any other starch, or on its own.

Never Fail Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

2 lbs lean chicken (breasts, tenderloins, stir fry… whatever is cheapest is what I usually get.) diced/cubed/generally cut smaller
1 mild chili (or spicy, if you don’t have R. grumbling about spicy foods..) spice pouch, I usually get Publix, because of availability
1 Large Can of Tomato Puree
1 Small can diced tomatoes, with onion and garlic
1 Small can plain diced tomatoes
1 Small can Great Northern White Beans
2 Small cans red kidney beans
1 Medium red bell pepper
1 Medium green bell pepper
1 Onion, small/medium/large according to your own taste

Procedure:

• Cut peppers and onion into chunks, big or small depending on how chunky you like your chili.  Place a little bit of oil or cooking spray in the bottom of the big (and I do mean big) pot for your chili, and cook peppers and onion until the onion is slightly clear.

• Add chicken, and cook until the chicken is about halfway done.

• Add all the cans of tomatoes, beans, and the spice packet.  Stir, and keep over medium to low (you’ll want to reduce the heat once this gets cooking) and simmer until chicken is cooked through, or however long you want.  The longer it simmers, the more tender the beans get, and the thicker the chili.

It’s a great recipe for throwing everything in a pot, and leaving it to simmer for the afternoon to be ready for dinner.  It works well in a slow cooker as well.  Just be sure to stir the chili every so often, and not to let the heat get to high as it can scorch the bottom of the pot.   It’s great for cold winter nights and hot summer cookouts. You can easily substitute other meats, just account for the extra grease.

More recipes and stories to come!
-A.