Perhaps I need to move to Utah, because I’m head over heels for this new dish. It’s terribly healthy in absolutely no way at all. But this is the time of year where we all abandon our diets in favor of cozy comfort, right?

Southern Stuffed Chicken
Serves 4-8

2 cups leftover cornbread, crumbled
1/4 c. onion, diced
1/4 c. celery, diced
4 T butter
salt & pepper
poultry seasoning
cayenne pepper
2 cans sausage gravy
1/4 c. Country Bob’s All Purpose Sauce
4 chicken breasts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crumble leftover cornbread into a medium bowl, set aside.

Chop onion and celery.

Combine sausage gravy and Country Bob’s sauce into a small bowl, set aside.

Season cornbread with salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and cayenne pepper to taste.

Do the same with the gravy mixture.

Heat a skillet over medium and melt butter. Saute onion and celery for a few minutes.

Add vegetables to cornbread and stir in 1/4 cup of the gravy mixture. Add more if needed so the mixture holds together loosely.

Pound chicken breasts with a mallet until very thin.

Roughly divide cornbread into four portions, about 1/2 cup each. Spoon cornbread mixture onto one side of chicken and roll up tightly. Secure with toothpicks if needed. Spoon any remaining cornbread mixture into the pan.

Spread gravy mixture over chicken.

Cover tightly with foil.

Bake for 45 minutes and then remove foil.

Bake for another 15 minutes.

Serve with buttery mashed potatoes.

Here’s what the insides look like, all packaged up for tomorrow night’s leftovers.

Disclosure: Country Bob’s sent me two bottles of their All Purpose Sauce to try out. I’ve had them for awhile and was just waiting for the perfect original recipe to pair with their smooth, smoky seasoning sauce.

I’ve been a huge fan of chocolate-infused chili for several years now, even perfecting a vegetarian version. The hybrid of Cincinnati chili and mole flavors is just so warm and satisfying, not hot at all. This recipe is inspired by Michael Chiarello’s Chocolate Chili Con Carne.

Chocolate Chili
12-15 servings

peanut oil
1/2 XL yellow onion, chopped fine
2 T minced garlic
2.5 lb ground beef
2 t cinnamon
4 t cumin
4 T chili powder
1 can tomato paste
1 t oregano
pinch garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup chicken stock
1 bottle beer
4 T cornbread mix
1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can black beans, drained
2 oz semisweet morsels

Saute onions in 3-4 T peanut oil over low heat until the onions are very soft. Add garlic and saute 1-2 more minutes. Increase heat to medium. Add ground beef, cooking until brown. Add in cinnamon though tomato paste. Cook 1-2 minutes. Add in oregano through diced tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes. Add in black beans, reduce heat and simmer 1 hour. Add in chocolate during last 10-20 minutes of cooking time.

On Monday, we had a choice of enjoying Labor Day via the Arthur Cheese Festival or the National Sweetcorn Festival in Hoopeston. We chose the former, in hopes of scoring some free cheesy goodness. Unfortunately, they were out of cheese by the time of our 2pm arrival. We did, however, manage to mingle with a human-sized wedge of cheese and a mouse.

More cheese festival photos on Flickr

Credits: Brown Eyed Girl by Pamela Donnis, Luv Song alpha by C.D. Muckosky, Stitched Alpha by Kristen Rice, stitches from Bad Sewing Machine by Traci Reed, Pea Sarah Lynne font, Template Alyssa from simplescrapper.com (that’s me)

Today I ventured out of my comfort zone (Chipotle/La Bamba/Noodles/Union) and tried Mia Za’s, a Green Street pasta/pizza/panini/salad place. Not liking to make spur-of-the-moment decisions, I checked out the menu on eatcu.com and selected a half panini (Pesto Chicken) & half salad combo (Gorgonzola Apple Crunch) for $6.19.

I walked over at 12:45, a reasonable time to skip the crowds and still eat within the vicinity of lunch time. Ordering was fast and painless. My food was up in less than 5 minutes and I was back before 1.

I only had one expectation going in, and that “mixed greens” would not include iceberg lettuce. Unfortunately, this is where I was disappointed. The salad was crunchy, meeting its promise, but a combo of iceberg and romaine doesn’t seem to match up in sophistication to the apples, almonds and gorgonzola. Next time, I think I would make it a custom salad with similar toppings, a sweeter vinaigrette and spring mix.

My panini was incredibly delicious, particularly due to the gruyere, though I was surprised that it was open-faced. I ended up using a knife and fork to eat, not wanting to accidentally spill on my desk.

All in all, this was a pleasurable and affordable dining experience. I saved about $1.50ish by eating here instead of the large chain Noodles & Comapany – where a combo is just less than $8 with tax. I plan to return and would love to try out their pasta.

I hope to share other local lunch items with you here, but only if everyone promises to forgive me for taking photos with my phone.

I very much enjoy the crispy, salty, graininess of Wheat Thins. They are the perfect little vehicle for some of the best dips and spreads out there. Here are my top five easy picks:

Hot Ajvar

Hot Mango Relish

Garlic Hummus

Spinach Dip

Horseradish Cheese Spread

What do you like to eat with Wheat Thins?

I thought I was all fancy and clever to procure a lot of ready-to-cook shrimp. Yes, it was frozen, but I’m pretty sure every sea item is frozen before arriving here in the middlelands.

The package said “peeled and cleaned”. I assumed that meant de-veined too – but that didn’t appear to be the case. I was frustrated that I would have to handle all these cold and slimy buggers one by one. I complained aloud – “I haven’t had to clean shrimp since I was in Girl Scouts!” That should have clued me in.

I enlisted my husband’s support, who immediately assured me that our task was really unnecessary and that I was, in fact, wrong. Being the totally awesome and supportive guy that he is, he went along with it anyway. (I’m lucky, eh?)

So this morning, I thought I should clarify the matter once and for all. It turns out we spent 30 minutes cutting out the nervous system (vs. the digestive track, i.e the “vein”) from 50 jumbo shrimp. I’m not so sure I want to eat shrimp brains any more than shrimp poo, so I’m not sure the effort was entirely fruitless. For those of you interested in actually knowing how to peel and de-vein shrimp, here’s a video tutorial:

This was a long and mostly productive weekend. We cleaned out the bedroom of my older stepson, turning it into a work area for two. This, along with some overdue kitchen and bathroom cleaning, comprised most of our Saturday.

Today was busy as well, but full of running around town. We were out of toilet paper and cat food – two items you can’t really make do without – and two items which we don’t purchase at the same stores. There goes 45 minutes of the day.

Three hours were spent at Old Navy, as I was eager to spend the $45 off $100 coupon I won from The Full Mommy. Though my bag was full as I entered the dressing room, I had a good 20 minutes of skepticism that I could spend that much in one trip.

Random aside: The sizes as Old Navy seemed to have changed. I tried on a simple graphic t-shirt, in the same size I had purchased earlier this summer. The new version, though of the same material and styling, was MUCH larger than the one in my closet. And no, I have definitely not lost any weight. After trying on a few other things in this size, I concluded that Old Navy has exaggerated their largest size to fit a much wider range of bodies.

I did manage to find a selection of very nice new items, rounding out a very much lacking Fall wardrobe. (This being only my second Fall here, with real seasons and all.)

So blah blah blah – lots of routine life stuff. Then…. BAM! For lunch today, my husband brought me to a local landmark – The Apple Dumplin’. I am still mentally drooling over the chicken and noodles. We dined on a buffet of fresh rolls, the best fried chicken I’ve ever had, roast beef, mashed potatoes, corn and those delightful chicken and noodles. My first comment was “this is my blog on a plate”.

Today I enjoyed comfort food at its best. Nothing was too greasy, rather cooked just right like your mom or grandma used to make. The other patrons, a decidedly older crowd, were very friendly. Situated in a corn field (what isn’t here?), The Apple Dumplin’ was homey and just delicious. Only communal tables would have made this more cozy!

To cap off the meal (our only one today), we took 2 apple dumplings to go. I picked up some Culver’s frozen custard this afternoon to accompany my new favorite restaurant’s namesake dish.

This summer I traveled extensively, more than normal, and thus, ate out… a lot. When I was home, my lunches consisted of a mish-mash of Lean Cuisines, campustown takeout and leftovers. With school starting, my midday needed an overhaul. Since I’m not really of the sandwich, chips and fruit type of luncher, I decided to jump right in and explore all the foods I don’t eat at home… in the form of lunch bowls!

This week, I’m dining on Indian Bowl #1. I’ll post pictures and details in the next few days, but this bowl is my version of an Indian chaat. All of my bowls will be built on the “chaat” concept – throw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl with a great sauce or two. From week to week, I’ll vary the theme and really, the sauce is the star.

So here’s some of the ideas I had. Generally, the protein and grains would be re-heated and then combined with any raw veggies and the sauce.

• Indian Bowl #2: tandoori chicken/tofu/paneer, tomato, naan pieces, brown rice, cilantro, mango sauce
• Greek Bowl #1: brown rice, lemon chicken, diced cucumber, feta cheese, herby yogurt sauce
• Greek Bowl #2: tofu or falafel, brown rice, diced tomato & cucumber, tahini sauce
• American Bowl #1: shredded bbq beef, brown rice, cheddar cheese, corn, ranch sauce
• American Bowl #2: brown rice, corn, lima beans, squash, cilantro-pepita pesto
  
• Thai Bowl #1: wheat noodles, tofu, carrots, red peppers, cilantro, scallions, peanut sauce
• Italian Bowl #1: cheese tortellini, sweet italian sausage, zucchini, sun-dried tomato sauce

I’d love to hear any of your recipes or ideas for lunch bowls.

I am in Vancouver for work, completely drenched in my own sweat. Yesterday was the hottest day on record. Today broke that record. A fan that I literally begged for from the front desk blows warm air at me, barely cutting through the overbearing heat in my room.

I should be working on a variety of things – work and ‘net work related – but I pause every 15 minutes to get more water and freshen my washcloth, the only slice of cold I can find. I’m thisclose to disassembling the fridge, laying it on its side with the door open, and climbing in for the night.

Yes, I am (technically) at the beach. But there are 200 stairs down and that means 200 stairs back up. I undoubtedly would be more hot afterwards and then I would likely puke. Sounds like fantastic refreshment, eh?

So, in my heat-induced procrastination, you all have received a little note from ye olde blogger here. Now I shall return to listening to Bryan Adams and Barenaked Ladies, all while figuring out how to get my head out of my little window where “open” means a 15 degree slant from the frame.