🌶️ Texan Chicken Chili with Black Beans, Beer & Cinnamon

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 1 hour

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil or bacon fat
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1.5 lbs (700g) chicken thighs or breasts, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• Salt & pepper to taste
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 (400g / 14oz) can chopped tomatoes
• 2 (400g / 14oz) cans black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 bottle (330ml / 12 oz) amber ale or Mexican-style beer (e.g. Dos Equis, Negro Modelo, or Shiner Bock)
• Juice of 1 lime
• Handful fresh cilantro (to garnish)

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Instructions

1. Sauté aromatics:
   Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion until softened (5–6 minutes), then add garlic and stir for 1 minute.
2. Brown chicken & veggies:
   Add chicken and both bell peppers. Cook until the chicken starts to brown.
3. Spice blend:
   Add chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, coriander, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Toast spices for 1–2 minutes.
4. Add tomato paste & liquids:
   Stir in tomato paste, chopped tomatoes, black beans, chicken stock, and beer. Add the cinnamon stick.
5. Simmer low and slow:
   Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and let cook uncovered for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the chicken is tender. Remove cinnamon stick before serving.
6. Finishing touch:
   Stir in lime juice. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
7. Serve:
   Ladle into bowls, garnish with cilantro, and serve with cornbread, tortilla chips, or rice.

Christmas Cake

8 oz (2 cups) sultanas (Golden Raisins)

6oz (1 cup) large raisins ( Muscat)

10oz (2 cups) currants

8oz (2 cups) raisins

3tbs (1\2 cup) rum, brandy whisky or, if you don’t want to add alcohol, the juice of one orange.

10oz plain flour (all purpose)

1\2 tsp nutmeg (try to use fresh)

1\2 tsp cinnamon

1\8 tsp allspice

 

1\4 Tsp ginger

4oz (1\2 cup) cherries

2oz (1\2 Cup) ground almonds

8oz (2 cups) Muscovado sugar

8oz (2 sticks) butter

6 jumbo eggs

1tbs treacle (molasses)

Juice and zest of an orange

You can add candied peel or angelica if wished but we don’t.  Substitute an equal weight of the candied peel or angelica for the weight of the fruit in the recipe.

Well here we go, isn’t this exciting?  I love this time of year;  you know that summer is nearly over and Christmas is just around the corner.  For all the people that don’t like Christmas it’s a shame.  But we do.  I must admit though I’ve never made Christmas cakes in Shorts and 80°F (27°C) temperature, so to get into the atmosphere I’ve turned up the air conditioning.  You don’t get many houses with air conditioning in England so be prepared if going there.  But by the end of August you certainly will know that winter is coming and you will feel like making Christmas Cakes just to keep warm.

Well, here we go

The night before you’re going to make your Christmas cake weigh all the fruit into a large bowl.  Add the 3tbs (1\2 cup) rum, brandy, whisky or, if you are not using alcohol, squeeze your orange juice over the top.  Mix well and cover with cling film (plastic wrap).  I always think that it’s a good idea to weigh out and sift into another bowl your flour and spices.  Cover with a clean tea towel (dish cloth), leave your eggs, treacle (molasses) cherries, butter, almonds and sugar on the work top (counter).  Speaking of almonds, my children don’t like chunks of nut in their cakes and this is why I ground them.  You can leave them whole or chop them to your liking, I always buy whole ones and grind them myself in a coffee grinder or herb grinder, then you can get them to your own liking.  At this point I also line my cake tin (9-inch diameter if you have one that size) with 2 layers of grease proof paper or silicon wax.  I stick it to the cake tin with olive oil spread around with a pastry brush. So that’s the night before.

Next day get the children of to school and start to make your cake.  First I, oh yes, first I put the cat out.  Our cat adores butter and if I am cooking with butter she is always trying to jump on to the work bench (counter) which isn’t too hygienic, is it.  At this point, I know this sounds soppy, but I put on a Christmas tape just to get into the spirit of things.  Well you do if you get into the liqueur bottle.  Now its time to create.  Start by creaming your butter and sugar.  This takes a good 5 minutes with a hand beater (electric).  Don’t scrimp on this part it has to be really light and creamy Half way through take a spatula and stir it all into the middle of the bowl then re-whip some more.  When really light add your beaten eggs a little at a time.  If you wish do what I do and add about  1 dsp of flour out of your weighed out amount and keep adding the eggs and flour until all the eggs are added.  Don’t worry if it looks a little curdled, it will be all right.  Then add the rest of your flour but don’t beat this in.  It needs to be stirred in so very carefully so that you don’t knock any of the air out.  When done squeeze the orange juice into the fruit and add the zest.  Give a good stir, add to the cake mix about a 1/4 at a time so all your fruit gets coated well.  Add cherries, treacle (molasses)and almonds.  Stir well but gently.  I do a sort of figure 8 motion so as to mix gently.  By now this should smell delicious.  It should look smooth and have a thick, dropping consistency.  Now just go down the list and tick off everything so that you know that you have added everything and nothing is missed.  Spoon the mixture into your cake, tin smooth over until flat then get the back of your spoon and make a dint into the middle of your cake so that when it does rise a little it will be level (hopefully).  If you’re going to ice your cake it doesn’t matter too much.  Wrap a piece of brown paper on the out side off your cake tin so that the top of the paper is about 4 inches above the top of the tin and tie it on.  This is so it won’t burn the top of the cake.  Also place two layers of grease proof paper on the top of your cake to protect it.  Put it in the oven for 5 hours on 200°F.  After 5 hours look to see.  Just press a little – if it springs back try a skewer through the middle.  If it comes out dry its done.  Turn the cake out on to a wire rack, you have to be so careful as its delicate and also heavy.  Peel off all the paper and leave to cool.  When cold spoon over some more of the liquor that you have used.  Wrap tightly in two layers of grease proof paper then two layers of cling film (plastic wrap) then two layers of tin foil (aluminum foil).  I then stick a label on to tell me what liquor I have used, also the date so that I know when to baste again.  I baste my cakes at least every two weeks up to almond paste and icing them. approximately two weeks before Christmas.  As you can now see anyone can make a Christmas cake.  If I can do it you can.  I really hope that you enjoy it and maybe next year try to make them as I do for family and friends. 

You can also let your cat back in, He/she must be frozen if in England by now.

Delightful Dalmeny

So my phone pings and I get a new text message.

“Would you love a girls night? New Tasting Menu and cocktails.”

I am so excited that at last we can get out! I really have missed the restaurant scene.  Well, I’m always up for a laugh and this is with our own Girl Bubble (Family) during the Pandemic!  Off we go to St Annes on Sea.

A little background on the great Dalmeny Hotel.  The Dalmeny has been around since 1946 and is the largest sea front hotel in St Annes.  My children used to have all their swim lessons there and the hotel put on the absolute best swim parties ever.   Such fun,   always fabulous food and now my grandchildren are attending swim lessons!!!

So we get ready to hit the town, well, the Dalmeny.   It’s still a soft lockdown so we’ve not been out since March and this is July! So overdue.   We arrive just in time to start the evening.  The hotel and restaurant management have invented a special “Dalmeny Kiss” cocktail – it is soooo good.  I need a full-on Dalmeny Snog after just one! Delicious. Apparently it is made of Amaretto, Chambord and Prosecco.  DIVINE

Down to dinner in the beautifully decorated basement.   The theme?   Beach time.  Fabulous atmosphere.  Tables nicely laid out in little nooks and booths.  Simply perfect

The menu ranges are:

• Nibbles
• Soups & Salads
• Starters
• Mains
• Pizza
• Steak
• Seafood

Various options are on the menu.  I had the chicken satay.  This fabulous Indonesian starter hit the spot,  nicely spiced with a beautiful sauce on the side.  To follow I had the Ribeye steak.  Cooked to perfection, medium/rare.  The chips (fries?) were the finest I have tasted for a long time, a very long time.   Lip-smackingly delicious.

I did have a taste of the sticky toffee pudding.   Wow.   It was finer than Cartmell’s original!

I went, as always, for the huge cheese board and biscuits with a nice glass of port.  The portion was substantial and the cheese served at the right temperature.  Don’t you just think some cheese boards are served from the fridge as a last minute (cold and tasteless) but this was wonderful.

We then retired to the Indigo Bar for yet more cocktails.  Flaming Sambucas arrived ….. we had soooo much fun. Fabulous place.  The service and the meal were executed to perfection.  There’s more than a good chance I’ll be back again.

I am booking today to go back to Dining Delightfully in the Dalmeny

So, if you are near The Dalmeny in St. Annes-On-Sea, do not miss this little gem.

You will not regret it

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Who does not love a beautiful pillow of warm comforting Middle Eastern Hummus?

This is the only recipe you will ever use once you try it.

Ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (do get a good make). Cheaper chickpeas tend to have too many shells left in.
• 1/4 cup Tahini
• 2 cloves crushed garlic
• 1/2 pint Fresh Chicken stock or a chicken stock cube I use organic
• A large splash of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 lemon juice and zest

Directions

• Open can of chickpeas. Rinse, drain and place in a saucepan
• Add 1/2 pint chicken stock or add a stock cube to 1/2 pint of water then add to chickpeas
• Throw in chopped garlic
• Bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes.  Strain but save the chicken stock
• Place in a food processor and add zest of lemon, tahini paste, salt, pepper to taste.  Pulse to a puree
• Add lemon juice mix well
• If it seems too thick add a tiny amount of the chicken stock to loosen
• Place in a bowl, splash or sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil

Place in the fridge or do as they do in the middle East serve warm! with fresh pitta breads of vegetable crudities

Do enjoy.  It is a truly scrumptious dish of beauty

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