100th Post!! Mom's Chicago Style Chili, Circus, Field Trips, and Fun

On the plate:  Mom's Chicago-style chili

Soundtrack to cook to:  Al Green's Greatest Hits...one of my absolute favorite albums of all time.  Gotta love the Reverend :) 

Hello all, and happy new year!!  Welcome to my 100th post!!!!!  Wow...I thought I'd never arrive here.  This blog started off as a fun hobby that I was playing around with once I began my new title of "Stay at home mom" (although I prefer the term "Domestic Goddess.")  ;-)

It has since blossomed into a jovial catalog of our family's goings-on, recipe triumphs and tribulations, and has also been a great vehicle to share photos and videos with our family around the world.  We've had additions and losses in our lives, and have captured lots of fun moments and highlights in our family's existence.

It's been so much fun to look back to the beginning and see Alexander at William's current age and to remember all of the fun things that we did together as a family of three...and now create new memories as a family of four.

Thanks for checking in every now and then and sharing in our memories.  :-)

On October 12, 2013, we took the boys to see Ringling Brother's "Dragon's" show.  We got front row seats and even got to go onto the circus' center ring for a portion of the show!  I know the kids had a great time, but even Joseph and I had a blast!!

Both boys smiling on the way to the show.

Awww...they were holding hands.  How sweet :)

Woo hoo!  Show time!

Lions and tigers..oh my!

Family selfie as we were in the center ring!

Pretty cool, huh?

Alex and Joseph in the center ring on the circus floor.

Ok...all right...since it's my 100th blog post, I decided that I would share a recipe that is near and dear to my heart.  It's something that I've been enjoying since I was a little kid, it's brought me comfort over the years, and I've had the pleasure of being able to serve it to our own family.  It's my mom's Chicago-style chili recipe and it is amazing.

Here's what you'll need to make this soul-warming, delicious dish:

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 5-6 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 pepper, chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely diced
• 1 can crushed tomatoes with basil and oregano
• 1 small can tomato paste
• 1 can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 bottle dark beer (I used Guinness...feel free to take a swig...or two...or three for yourself)
• 1 can tomato juice
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 3 tbsp cumin (I like a lot of cumin...feel free to add a little less)
• 5 beef bouillon cubes
• 5 tbsp chili powder (this makes it spicy - if you have kids eating it, only add 2-3 tbsp)
• 3 tbsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• Dash of hot sauce (feel free to omit)

Start browning the ground turkey in a large Dutch oven on medium-high heat.

While the ground turkey is browning, start chopping up your vegetables
and place them in a large mixing bowl.

I always start off with the celery.

Then chop up your pepper and toss it in your vegetable bowl.

Dice your onion and mince your garlic and place them in the vegetable
bowl as well.

(I always save the onions for last because they make my eyes tear up.
However, the other reason why they're last is because once I dump
the vegetables into the Dutch oven, they'll be the first to touch the
bottom of the pan and cook.)

A-HA!!  There IS a method to my madness.  :)

Once the ground turkey is browned, toss in the vegetables and cook
them for ~8 minutes.

Then, add in your spices, crushed tomato sauce, tomato paste, beer and tomato juice.

Ooooohhh yeeeaaahhhh!

Go ahead and throw in the rinsed beans...why not?  :-)

Put the lid on the Dutch oven and reduce the heat to medium-low
and allow this deliciousness to cook down for about 40 minutes
while stirring occasionally.

Take off the cover for another 10 minutes and continually stir the chili.

I choose to serve the chili with a little dollop of Greek yogurt, a small
sprinkle of cheddar cheese, and with a nice piece of corn bread on the side.

Here it is, folks.  A step into my life, my soul-warming comfort food,
and yes, the best darn chili you'll ever have in your life.

With the weather getting a little bit colder, we've flipped on our fireplace a few times.  I definitely miss our wood-burning fireplace from our old place.  I LOVE the smell of the wood burning, the sound of the wood crackling, and the blazing warmth that you get from an authentic fire.  However, don't get me wrong, it is nice to just flip a switch to turn on the fire, and then flip it off when I'm done with it.

Here's William, at 11 months old, enjoying the glow of our fire
alongside his best buddy, Oscar. 
The two have a mutual love for one another and it's just absolutely
heart-warming to see.

Aren't they adorable??

William also enjoys looking at his own reflection in the fireplace.  :)

I was playing around with my new phone's
camera and caught this cute picture of
Alex in October.  :)

Our handsome devil.  :)

Here's one of our last trips to the Franklin Park Zoo before it got too cold.

Alex playing on a tractor.

Alex enjoying the new playground.

Alex on a beautiful fall day by an absolutely
gorgeous tree in our neighborhood.

The boys officially started playing with one another!  It's been so awesome to watch them interact with one another.

On October 19, 2013, the incredibly talented Cate Jones of Cate Jones photography took our family's annual pictures.  We had such a blast playing around at one of our favorite places, Larz Anderson Park, on a beautiful fall day.

Alex, playing on the playground after the picture session.

William was enjoying crawling around in the grass.

Our squishy little panda, smirking for the camera.

One of the "teasers" that Ms. Jones sent us
as she was in the process of editing the pictures.
We died laughing!  This is one of my favorite pictures.

Here's some bath time fun!  These two mischievous little guys love to splash around in the water and crack each other up.

See what I mean?

 Love these naughty little guys!

 I've been trying to get used to my new phone, but unfortunately have not been able to share videos like I used to with my old phone.  I hope these work out. 
Here's William, playing around in the basement.

 This little guy likes to play "peek-a-boo"

 Here he is, playing "peek-a-boo" with you!

 William was still cruising at 11 months.  However,
he was starting to take a few steps here and there.
He was just a very cautious toddler.

I think he knows how cute he is, doesn't he?
He's our little baby "jub jub."

William, getting some snuggle time in with Joseph.

What a lovely moment captured :)

Our boys holding hands at school together :)

On another beautiful fall day, I took the boys to Drumlin Farm to walk the beautiful trails and see all of the animals.

Here's Alex checking out some baby turtles.

Alex weighs as much as a piglet!  :)

Alex enjoyed riding the "horse" at the farm.

Alex was combing the horse's "tail."

This little guy was as tall as a pony.

Alex, walking the trails of Drumlin Farm.

William loves to laugh.

William, playing around.

William, mixing up some paint.

This is my favorite way to do finger "painting."
No mess at all since it's in a plastic bag.

Whenever William isn't smiling (or screeching),
he's always got this serious, thinking face on.

Check out that serious brow he's got going on.  :)

Oh my goodness...I just cannot handle all
of his squishiness!

Yee-haw!!  Thanks for joining me and checking out this little hobby of mine.  It's been my absolute pleasure to share all of this with you.  My mom's chili recipe is my gift to you for tagging along.  I hope you like it as much as we do! 
Stay warm, happy new year, and here's to another 100 posts!!!  Until next time...

Love and kisses,
Nikki