Marguerita's "Feel the Love" Chilli

MARGUERITA’S “FEEL THE LOVE” CHILLI RECIPE

Ingredients

*1 pound ground beef, turkey, sausage or pork (optional) - recipe can be made

  with a combination of these meats or be made meat free

*2 onions

*3-4 fresh peppers (I like to use yellow, orange, red and green for color and
  flavor).
*3-4 garlic cloves
*2 (29 oz.) cans of tomato puree
*One can corn drained
*Two cans of black beans rinsed and drained
*Two cans of small red kidney beans rinsed and drained
*One can of pink beans rinsed and drained
*One 8 ounce jar of medium tomato salsa
*Spices to taste: salt, pepper, oregano, chili powder, cumin & basil & hot
  pepper flakes.
*Cheese freshly grated for topping if so desired

I sauté` the garlic and onions in a pan – then I add the ground meat – cooking until brown – I then drain off the fat.

In another pot (large pot) – I add all of the ingredients above. Stir together and cook over a low heat – or all ingredients can be put into a crock-pot to “slow cook” throughout the day left unattended.

This dish is served well with freshly grated cheese, salad and Italian bread. I sometimes like to serve brown rice on the side.

This recipe can be made ahead of time – and freezes well if you were to freeze leftovers for future meals.

Prepare it for your family - don’t forget to stir with love and bless your food – when you serve it – while sitting at the table enjoying this colorful meal with its many textures, colors and flavors – for certain I am sure you (and those you are dining with) will “feel the love.” Buona cena a tutti!!!

Who's Heart are you wearing on your sleeve this Valentine's Day?

                         Whose heart are you wearing on your sleeve this Valentine’s Day?                   

Valentine’s Day, originally a Christian Holiday which replaced a Pagan celebration is based on a Roman Priest named Valentine. According to legend Emperor Claudius ll needed soldiers - since the allure of fighting barbarians in exchange for the incredible payment of a few ounces of salt each week - men did not want to leave their families - So Claudius ll decreed that all marriages and engagements would be banned from this time until future notice.

Valentine was one of the few priests who defied the ban and performed secret wedding ceremonies. Valentine was arrested and sentenced to death. Lots of sympathizers sent flowers, gifts and letters. One of the jailers had a daughter who spent a lot of time with Valentine while he was incarcerated. He sent the young woman a thank you card and signed it, "Love, from your Valentine."

On February 14, 269 AD Valentine was executed coincidentally falling on the Pagan holiday which celebrated the Goddess Juno who presided over the reign of women and marriage.

In the year 496, the Pope declared Valentine a Saint and February 14th was to be his feast day.

During the Middle Ages the Lupercalia custom made a comeback where a celebrant would draw a name from a bowl and literally wear the name of their temporary lover (boyfriend/girlfriend) on their sleeve. Hence, the saying “.... is wearing their heart on their sleeve" is derived from.

Centuries later it became popular to send flowers, cards and candy. Neither modern nor old cards depict the Priest Valentine who was a martyred saint; instead you find illustrations of Cupid with his bow and arrow, who happens to be, by the way, the son of Venus - the Goddess of Love.

As it turns out the Pagan holiday, turned Christian by the Church still carries with it the Pagan spirit.

Who will wear my name on their sleeve this Valentine’s day?

Happy Valentine's Day!! With Love xooxox

Marguerita aka Queen Daisy From Belgium

Joseph Performs Surgery on Freezer - Cures Freezer of it's Mystery Puddles

All of life has a need to breathe – that includes my freezer as well. Yes we can all endure for a short time without food, water or rest – but we will not last for long if we cannot breathe. For air is the giver of life and without it we will perish quickly.

As I constantly jammed the freezer – (the top half of the refrigerator) with extra loaves of bread and vegetables - and after many attempts that Joseph tried to warn me of how the freezer needs to “breathe” – (I did not understand this – so I ignored it – and thought that if I ignored him – he would go away and leave me and my overstuffed freezer alone) the water line to the freezer froze – which caused a jam – which then led to an ongoing leak of water at the bottom of the refrigerator – eventually trickling onto the floor.

I thought of the mess that appeared on the floor every few days as the “mystery puddle”. Joseph pointed out that it was coming from the bottom of the fridge’s floor. Only my husband would “know” exactly what the problem was. It was as if he has CAT scan or x-ray eyes for diagnosing appliance disorders. Until today – after I removed all the frozen food from the freezer – unplugged the appliance – and witnessed Joseph using his magical special screwdriver (the fasteners that had to be removed were not your normal nuts and bolts) – did I have the opportunity to see the “innards” of the freezer.

Joseph like a surgeon, all tools ready to operate, slowly removed each piece and carefully put aside each layer until the secret workings of the freezer’s entrails were exposed. The heart and lungs of the freezer was a little fan like organ and nearby there were coils that looked like intestines which had electrical wires all attached in rows supported on a frame. Running down the center of the back wall was a spine and at the bottom where it met the floor of the freezer was a thick layer of solid ice – blocking the throat like hole (where the condensation would have drained the water away had it not been clogged and frozen over). I would not have known what I was looking at beyond describing it - if it weren’t for Joseph’s explanation to me as to what it was I was looking at!

Sure enough – you could see a “hole” where the water is “supposed to go into” – all blocked because the water was “frozen” – why? Because I had stuffed the freezer with too many items and the freezer could not breathe!!

As I sat off to the side trying to be useful and not get in the way – trying to act as an “assistant” – watching him thaw out a water line inside the interior of the freezer – with pots of hot water – watching him soak up the extra melted ice turned to water with rags – (it’s a very messy job) – I could not have been more proud of him than if he had just diagnosed a clogged artery and was performing heart surgery.

Interrupting my deep reverie, Joseph asked me, “How much do you think it would have cost to have a mechanic come out here and fix this?”

I said, “It would have probably cost more than a new refrigerator, anyone else we know would have probably just kept cleaning up the mystery puddle mess at the bottom. Or perhaps our refrigerator in anyone else’s home would have had the plug pulled on it and found itself landed on the curb out on the street – naked -without its doors. For sure in another home a new refrigerator would have been purchased – most likely with a credit card – or an appliance plan where for only $7.00 a month the fridge would finally be paid for in about twenty years or so”.

But in our home, because Joseph is so brilliant and good with his hands, he knew right away what the trouble was. And although I don’t relish in appliance ailments or breaking things (which happens occasionally with ignorance, wear and tear) or creating evils that take a lot of time for Joseph to fix and clean – I have to say I took delight in watching him repair the freezer. I am grateful that he not only fixed the freezer – and even though I could have thought of some better things I would have rather been doing – I didn’t mind spending time with him in my kitchen – working together side by side - while listening to Beatle’s music – singing……. listening to Joseph’s whistling.

I secretly believe he felt the satisfaction as well of using both his mind and hands in mending our refrigerator. There is a true contentment in being resourceful and finding a solution when placed with a problem.

With gratitude I say, “Thank you Honey”, for solving the puzzle of the mystery puddle. And I apologize for not listening to you all along - and for you having to work so hard. You were right.

What to cook for dinner tonight? I don’t know? Perhaps it’s thawing – in the meantime – I will just take this moment to breathe.

Until later,
Marguerita Nanfara
aka Queen Daisy from Belgium