Chili Recipe

What You Need:

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 # Angus sirloin tips, cut into ½ inch cubes
• 1 # ground beef
• 1 orange bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1 inch squares
• 1 onion, chopped
• ¼ cup chili seasoning mix
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 cans (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 1 can pinto beans, drained
• 1 can black beans, drained
• 1 can kidney beans, drained

What You Do:

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and cook the sirloin cubes and ground beef until browned. Remove from the pot and set aside. Heat up the remaining olive oil and sauté the bell pepper and onion until soft, about 10 minutes.
2. Return the meat to the pot, add the chili seasoning and brown sugar, and stir. Add the tomatoes and all the beans to the pot and stir.
3. Bring the chili to a quick boil and reduce to a simmer. Partially cover the pot and allow the chili to simmer for at least two hours. Serve over hot dogs or in a bowl with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and avocados.

Orange Cupcakes

What You Need:

• 1 ¼ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 cup sugar
• zest of one orange
• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons orange juice
• ½ cup sour cream

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl and set aside.
3. In a mixer, beat the egg and egg yolk, sugar and orange zest until pale and thick. On low speed, add the oil and orange juice until blended. Then add sour cream until fully blended into the batter (you won’t see any white streaks or clumps).
4. On low speed, add in the flour mixture. Pour ¼ cup of batter into each cup. Bake for about 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean from the cupcake. Let the tin cool before removing cupcakes. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Frosting Ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
• zest of one orange
• 3 -4 tablespoons orange juice

To make the frosting:

1. Set up your mixer with the paddle attachment.
2. On low speed, beat together the butter, cream cheese, powdered sugar, orange zest, and 3 tablespoons of the orange juice until the frosting looks light and creamy.
3. If the mixture looks to thick, add one more tablespoon of orange juice
4. Frost and decorate as you wish!

Pink Lemonade

What You Need:

• 1 cup strawberries (organic frozen work well)
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar
• 4 cups water

What You Do:

1. In a blender, puree the strawberries. Then add the lemon juice, sugar and water and blend until smooth. Makes about 1 1/4 quarts (5 cups).