Mongo

by Mara @ What's For Dinner? on January 31, 2010

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Adam and I are a little obsessed with Shrek and Shrek 2. No, really. Our cake topper at our wedding was Shrek and Fiona. We cut the cake to “Accidentally In Love” from Shrek 2.

A period of time went by where we’d watch Shrek 2 almost every day! Don’t get me started on the crapstorm that was Shrek 3… ANYWAY, in Shrek 2, “Mongo” was the name of the enormous gingerbread cookie they baked to attack the castle.

So on Friday night, Adam made a fantastic suggestion. “Let’s go to the grocery store and get the stuff to make a REALLY good sandwich!” We are both fans of sandwiches in general, but sometimes there’s something special that makes a sandwich into something “really good”. We hit up the local Meijer store and got some fresh Italian bread, fresh roasted turkey, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and good Swiss cheese.

Upon arriving home, we prepped the counter: cleaned and dried the cutting boards, sliced the bread, sliced the veggies, washed the lettuce, smushed up the avocado, and then Adam got building. First the turkey, then cheese, then avocado, lettuce, tomato, and then a little Smart Balance mayo on the top of the bread.

Upon closing it, we realized just how enormous this sandwich was. Compare this sandwich to the 2-liter of diet Pepsi that we happily consumed (yes, I know, its all chemicals and caffeine and crap, but I like it and I drink it.)

I felt a little like Homer Simpson looking at this thing… MMMMM….. sannnndddwicchhh….

We did not eat this whole thing in one sitting. We had small pieces with some baked Doritos (yes, I know, more chemicals. Again: delicious and enjoyable)

Yesterday, I made the best chili I’ve ever made. Seriously… ever.

Usually, I make a quick chili or chili mac on a work night. I make it on the stove top with ground beef, cans of stuff, and about a half hour of simmering. Yesterday though, I made weekend chili. It was slow, took patience, lots of seasoning, and… you just want the recipe don’t you?

Chili Con Carne y Frijoles

Ingredients

2 lbs. beef, cut into 1″ chunks (I used top round)

1 32 oz. can crushed tomatoes

1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with jalapeños, drained

1 6 oz. can diced jalapeños

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

2 14 oz. cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 14 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cumin

Directions

In a large slow-cooker, place the meat, tomatoes, and peppers. Stir well. Add beans, spices, onion, and vinegar. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Serve and enjoy.

I’m a chili snob, as is Adam, and we both agreed that this was the best chili I’ve ever made. I may have just gotten the proportions right, or it may have been that I used stew meat instead of ground beef, but it was wonderful. The flavors were more complex than normal, and my toppings of cheese, sour cream, and avocado just made the good thing even better. Don’t forget to Spring the recipe!

I didn’t want to wait until lunch to have chili… so breakfast today was an omelet made with spinach, chili, cheese, and avocado… and that breakfast lasted almost 7 hours!

OH! You probably want to know who won the iHerb.com giveaway, don’t you? Before I get to that, don’t forget that if you visit iHerb and use the special discount code SIF006 at checkout, you will receive $5 off your first order!

Onto the winner… using Random.org:

Comment number 149, which was…..

MORGAN from Live, Love, Eat, and Play! Congratulations! Send me an email with your preferred contact email for iHerb to get ahold of you, and I’ll pass it on!

Thank you so much for your interest in the iHerb giveaway! The next contest revolves around Cute Food Saturday: In honor of CFS’s one year anniversary, I’d love to present a reader-created CFS full of cute food YOU’VE made! You’ve got about a month and a half to get thinking and creating, and the anniversary post will be a contest! Please email me submissions by February 25! Readers will be able to vote for the cutest food, and the winner will receive a special cute food prize! So get thinking!!! I’ve already gotten a few submissions, and they’re ADORABLE!!

Have a wonderful Sunday night and a happy Monday!