Enchilada Lasagna

John & I saw enchilada lasagna on a rerun of Good Eats & I printed it out & put it in my "to try" file. Well, tonight was the night. I had a shit-ton of corn tortillas left over from Fri night's tortilla soup, so it made sense.

Enchilada lasagna recipe here.

John & I both really liked this recipe. It oddly tasted like both enchiladas & lasagna. On the recipe website, some people left comments that said to double the cheese (we did) & to crisp the tortillas first (we didn't). I think we'll definitely try crisping the tortillas next time, just to add a little crunch. I may also add either jalapenos or diced green chiles for an extra kick. Highly recommend this recipe.

Bless you, Alton Brown. Bless you....

Tortilla Soup Master!

I just made THE BEST tortilla soup! It's a culmination of a few recipes, primarily the one Katie gave me. Thanks, Katie!

Tortilla Soup

2 chicken breasts
4 cups chicken broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 can black beans (drained & rinsed)
1 can corn (drained)
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
1 jalapeno, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp red cayenne pepper

1) Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place on a cookie sheet cut sides up. Salt the tomatoes. Cut the red bell pepper in half & put a little olive oil on the outside skin. Roast at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

2) Heat some olive oil in dutch oven, then cook chicken breasts, about 5 minutes on each side, or until no longer pink. Set the chicken aside. Shred with forks once cool.

3) Boil 4 cups chicken broth & dissolve the bouillon cubes.

4) Place more olive oil in dutch oven & saute the onion, jalapeno & garlic on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the spices & saute for 1 minute. Add the roasted tomatoes. Cut the bell pepper & add to the pot.

5) Put in a food processor: the can of crushed tomatoes, half of the broth & the sauteed onion/tomato mixture. Pulse until puree.

6) Return the food processor mixture & the rest of the broth to the dutch oven.

7) Add the corn, black beans & chicken.

8) Cover & simmer for an hour. Salt to taste.

Top with avocado, cilantro, tortilla strips, sour cream, cheese, etc.

For tortilla strips, take 8 small corn tortillas. Cut into matchsticks. Toss with olive oil & salt & pepper & place on cookie sheet. Cook at 350 degrees for 12 minutes, or until crispy.

Notes: Katie made a vegetarian version of this for ladies poker night once. It was so good, I asked her for the recipe. I've been hesitant to make it because it looks so intimidating, but today I was in the mood to get my hands dirty. Honestly, it really wasn't that hard to make & it is hands-down the best tortilla soup I've ever had. This one is definitely going into the rotation.

Bon appetit!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Last year I made Loveless Cafe's hashbrown casserole for Thanksgiving. I didn't love it (too oniony). My mom asked me to make it again, but I thought I could do better. MK mentioned recently that Marshall made baked cheese grits & they tasted just like her mom's. I thought, hmmmm, cheese grits... So I got home & found this recipe in my Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book:

Baked Cheese Grits

Prep: 10 minutes Bake: 25 minutes Oven: 325 degrees
Stand: 5 minutes Makes: 4 or 5 side-dish servings

2 cups water or chicken broth
1/2 cup quick-cooking grits
1 egg, beaten
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 tablespoon butter or margarine

1. In a saucepan bring water or broth to boiling. Slowly add grits, stirring constantly. Gradually stir about 1/2 cup of the grits mixture into the egg. Return egg mixture to saucepan and stir to combine. Remove saucepan from heat. Stir cheese and butter into grits mixture until melted.

2. Spoon grits into a 1-quart casserole. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.


I'm also bringing Delaney's 24 hour 7-10 layer overnight salad. John helped me make it last night. The recipe calls for 3 hard boiled eggs. Neither John nor I knew how to make hard boiled eggs. John figured it out. So John made the eggs & bacon, while I chopped & layered. It took us about an hour, but we got it done & it's been chilling in the fridge all night. I have high hopes. If it's half as good as Delaney's, I'll be happy. I'll report back.

Edited to Add: Both recipes turned out really well. I didn't think my salad was as creamy as Delaney's, but everyone loved it, especially my dad. The baked cheese grits were a hit. I think next time, I'll try shrimp grits. Yum!

The Scarf That Got Away (Almost)

Image via ShopBop

I saw a scarf in NYC that I wanted, but forgot to go back & buy. It was in my new favorite store, Madewell. I thought about it the whole time I was in NYC. Then, on my flight home, I was flipping through my obligatory in-flight read, US Weekly, when I saw it - a full page of celebs wearing Madewell scarves. Katie Holmes was wearing the one I wanted. First Tom Cruise & now my Madewell scarf. Damn you, Katie Holmes! So I decided to get online & buy the scarf once I got home. It was a little pricey for a scarf, but I was a woman obsessed.

I get home, fire up the 'ole Google, only to realize that Madewell doesn't really do internet orders. There was an 800 number where you could call & place orders from their website, but the scarf wasn't on their website. Argh. A short Google search later & I find the scarf on ShopBop & spend a week deciding whether or not I need a $50 scarf.

I met MK for coffee over the weekend & lamented about the scarf. She pointed out that if I'm still obsessing over it, I need to just buy it. So I did. It came today & I love it!

Side note: I had never bought anything from ShopBop before now. Color me impressed. No sales tax & free UPS Ground shipping. I got the scarf in 2 days. Viva la ShopBop!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Things I did this weekend that weren't writing my term paper:

Ordered Indian take-out, opened a bottle of Riesling, & watched Revolutionary Road (I heart you, Kate Winslet)
Spin (bonus points for physical activity)
Coffee with MK @ Dose (v. good coffee btw)
Cleaned the house within an inch of its life
Paid bills & balanced the checkbook
Did laundry
Decided on side dishes for Thanksgiving & made shopping list
Finished off Riesling
Went to Las Maracas with Carolyn & David
Trader Joe's, Publix, Target
Read half of Julie & Julia
Took a nap
Ate a bag of popcorn
Talked to Jessica about not writing my term paper
Made homemade baked mac 'n cheese for the first time (v. good!)
Watched very disturbing show on TCL about rebuilding people's faces

Blog Love

I've recently stumbled upon some blogs that I really like & thought you might, too:

Backyard Bill
Kind of a rough version of The Sartorialist, plus a Q&A section.

For Me, For You
I think most of you already subscribe to For Me, For You, but if you don't, you should. I covet her hair & overall personal style. Be sure to check out Bits Of My Weekend.

Pancakes & French Fries
I love this blog. The author is an attorney & a mom & she tells the most honest & funny stories about her life. My 2 personal favorites are A Deadly Walk & A Red Permanent Marker. I'm pretty sure if we knew each other, we'd be friends.

Sweet Fine Day
I don't remember how I found this blog, but I've been reading it for a couple of months now & I'm totally hooked. She & her husband own Whimsy & Spice, which some of you may of heard of. They have the 2 cutest daughters that make regular appearances on the blog. She's very honest about the struggles of owning your own business, raising 2 daughters, & being a freelance graphic designer.

Now go forth & update your Readers!

Happy Or Complacent?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I struggle with my weight. I'm awesome at losing weight, but I suck at keeping it off. My most recent weight loss success was when I joined Weight Watchers & lost 20 lbs. I've since gained at least 10 lbs of it back, if not more (I'm currently not weighing myself). At some point in the past year, I decided to quit trying so hard. I'm a healthy size 12, sometimes a 14, depending on the brand. The average American woman is a size 12. I'm average, especially in Tennessee. If you follow me on Twitter, you're well aware of how much I work-out. In fact, I've stopped tweeting my work-outs because I've realized that it throws people off, they see me & wonder how someone who works out so much can still be overweight. Good question... I don't really know why I'm overweight, aside from the fact that I clearly eat more than I burn off.

I really thought I was fine with my size. Yes, I'd love to be a size 10 again, but I don't want to do the work being a size 10 entails. I'd rather eat what I want, work-out when I can & be happy in a size 12 (or 14). All of this changed over the weekend. All of a sudden, I was all too aware of how not-average being a size 12 is in NYC. The store we went to first, UniQlo, has the best jeans that everyone on the planet raves about. I went to grab a pair, only to find out that their sizes pretty much stop at 10. I shockingly found a pair of 14's & tried them on. I couldn't even get them on, they were so tight. I felt like the fattest person on the island.

I resolved to get back in shape once I got home. Maybe I'd re-join Weight Watchers. That worked. But now, a mere 3 days later, I've already talked myself out of it. What I want to know is, am I being complacent or am I being healthy by accepting myself at this size?

NYC Wrap-Up

Thurs Night:
Tiffany & Chris took me to this Italian restaurant in their neighborhood called Fragole. It was so good. After dinner, they introduced me to Bandit, their favorite boxed white wine. It was surprisingly good & quickly became a staple throughout the weekend. I'm hoping I can find it somewhere in Nashville.

Fri:
Shopping. We started at Houston & slowly worked our way down Broadway. In no particular order: UniQlo, H&M, Top Shop, Madewell, CB2, Crate & Barrel, & Kate's Paperie. UniQlo is new. I was too fat for it, but they had really cute stuff -cheap, too. I only bought 2 things in H&M, but I really like what I got -grey sweater cape & navy knit dress. Top Shop was not for me. Again, too fat for everything in there, plus it's kind of expensive. I did get a necklace & a bracelet from their bargain jewelry bin. (I'm wearing the necklace in all the Fri night pics.) I loved Madewell. I didn't buy anything because it too was a little pricey, but there was a $48 scarf in there that I really wanted. I wish I had bought it. Oh well. I didn't buy anything in CB2, but I did buy some Christmas ornaments at Crate & Barrel. I also bought a box of cute Christmas cards at Kate's Paperie. Love that store.

We had lunch at this awesome place in Soho called Le Pain Quotidien, translation: Our Daily Bread. It was sooo good. We shared a piece of pumpkin pie for dessert -amazing.

Once we got back to Brooklyn, Tiff took me to this cute shoe store called Something Else where I bought a pair of black, flat jazz shoes. They look like what your wore to Tap when you were little. Everyone in NYC is wearing them. I'm pretty into them.

Fri Night:
How I Became the Bomb was playing at Union Hall in Park Slope. Melissa came over & we pre-partied a little with Bandit, went to dinner, then on to the show. I can't remember the name of the place where we had dinner, but it was French & it had the best hamburgers. Yum! How I Became the Bomb played, then some horrible Seattle band, then...... karaoke dance party. Melissa & Katie sang a duet, John sang Charley Pride, then "We Are the Champions" with his friend Brad, & I think Melissa sang again. It's all a blur. All the girls were there, plus Caryn & Rob. We had so much fun. I don't think we got home until 4am.

Sat:
Understandably, Sat got off to a rough start. Chris, bless him, went down the street to Mazzola bakery & brought back two loaves of lard bread. That's right, lard bread. It's this amazing bread with little pieces of salami (we think) baked into it. OMG, it's so good. We licked the platter clean. I didn't really have any other business in the city, so Tiff showed me around her neighborhood. I love where she lives. We shopped a little, got our nails done, got chair massages, had a late lunch at Bar Tabac, picked up some dessert at The Chocolate Room & headed home to get ready for How I Became the Bomb's Manhattan show. While we were out shopping, Chris, John & the Bomb guys went to Staten Island to find this old ship graveyard. The trains weren't running all weekend (of course), so it took Chris forever to get back home.

Sat Night:
Once Chris got home, we ate at an Indian place called Curry Spot in Brooklyn, then went to Piano's for the Bomb's second show. Caryn met us there. It was an awesome show -much better sound than the previous night, & a lot of people were there. Sadly, we were all still exhausted from Fri night, so we pretty much went straight home after the show. Plus, the LES is really annoying to me now in my old age. It was only midnight, but people were already falling down drunk. No, thank you. Once we got back to Tiffany & Chris' apartment, they all stayed up talking, but I promptly fell asleep on the couch.

Sun:
John was riding home with the band, so he got up super early & headed home. We slept in a little, then got up & went to brunch at this amazing Cuban place in their neighborhood called La Cubana. It was just what the doctor ordered. Spanish omelette with chorizo, peppers, & cheese? Yes, please. We had some time to kill before I had to leave for the airport, so we strolled around their neighborhood for awhile. Again, I LOVE where they live.

I had an awesome time & was sad when I had to leave. Tiffany & Chris lucked up & found this great apartment in an area of Brooklyn called Columbia Waterfront. It's within walking distance of Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, & Red Hook. I'm usually ready to leave by the end of my NYC trips, but this time I wasn't. I had such a good time. I can't wait to go back. Thanks Tiff & Chris for everything! And thanks to Caryn for coming out to see me all weekend!

Full NYC photostream here.

NYC Bound!

Tomorrow John & I leave for NYC for a slightly delayed anniversary trip. I can't wait! Tiffany & Chris recently moved into a new apartment together & she emailed me awhile back & suggested we come up in Nov. for our anniversary. Obviously, it didn't take much arm twisting. I haven't been to NYC in about a year & a half, so I'm overdue.

I really need a break from my job right now, plus a little shopping never hurt anyone. I feel like I've gained 100 lbs this month, so I'll probably end up buying more accessories than clothes, but whatever. I'll provide a full shopping report when I get back.

Our friends How I Became the Bomb are playing 2 shows in NYC while we're there. John is actually riding up with them in their van (he hates to fly), so he'll have fun doing that.

Tentative agenda is low-key dinner tomorrow night. Shopping on Fri. Bomb show @ Union Hall on Fri night. Manicures & more shopping on Sat. Possibly 2nd Bomb show @ Piano's on Sat. night. Brunch on Sun, then flight home.

One Year Later

Yesterday was our 1 year anniversary. I can't believe it's already been a year. I can't believe it's been a year since we were in Mexico. It feels like it was just a few months ago. Where does the time go.....

John & I dated for 4 years before getting married. I wasn't sure what would be different once we got married, if anything. John & I didn't live together before we got married, so I knew living together & combining finances would be an adjustment, but I didn't realize how much closer we'd become once we were married. As much as I thought we were a team while we were dating, in hindsight, it's nothing like the way it is now. There's an openness now that wasn't there before. I feel like now we really are each other's partner. When we were dating, there were things I didn't tell John, things I didn't think he'd care about, or things I didn't want him to know. We talk to each other about everything now. In a typical week, I do at least 1 or 2 things that I feel guilty about, this can range from snapping at someone at work to being bitchy to one of my friends. Before, I typically wouldn't tell John about these things out of fear he'd judge me. Now it's like this therapeutic release to come home every day & know that whatever bullshit I pulled during the day, he stills loves me &, 9 times out of 10, helps me to realize that I'm no different than anyone else.

Marrying John is the best thing that has ever happened to me & this past year has been the happiest year of my life. We have a house that we love & a sweet, little dog that we adore. John enjoys being at home & having a house & a yard to take care of, & I enjoy decorating, experimenting in the kitchen, & having people over. If you had told me 6 years ago that not only would I be married, but that I would be happy, I would have laughed in your face. So here's to exceeded expectations & many more years of married bliss.

Viva la Baldwin!

Full wedding photostream here.

Full honeymoon photostream here.

Weekend Wrap-Up

Friday:

John had to work, so I stayed home & watched Away We Go on DVD. I had heard it wasn't great, & it wasn't, but it wasn't bad either. I enjoyed seeing Maya Rudolph do something besides SNL, but unfortunately John Krasinski was just Jim from the office in a different setting.

Saturday:

Today is my niece, Abigail's 4th birthday. Her party was on Saturday. I think she had about as much fun as a 4 year old can have. She wore a princess costume all day, complete with matching crown, wand & purple high heels. Full photostream here.

Saturday Night:

This weekend was our 1 year wedding anniversary. Technically Sunday was our anniversary, but we celebrated by going to dinner on Sat night. We're going to NYC this weekend, so we're trying to save our money for the trip. John wanted steak, of course, so we were trying to decide on a place somewhere above Logan's & below Jimmy Kelly's. We ended up at J. Alexander's. We didn't do much else because John had a bad headache that quickly turned into a migraine, but it's fine, we'll make up for it in NYC.

Sunday:

Because John went to bed so early on Sat night, we woke up together on Sun, which only happens about once or twice a year. So we got up, made pancakes, gave Linda a bath, ran to Target & Publix & were back home with nothing to do by noon. We decided to go to a movie. John voted for Where the Wild Things Are, but I was skeptical because I had heard so many mixed reviews. John really wanted to see it, so I acquiesced. I loved it! I don't know what people's complaints are. Too sad? It is sad, but not unbearably so. Too different from the book? Who knows. I haven't read the book in 25 years. People are just haters. This movie is amazing. I'm typically not a crier, but this movie got me at the end. James Gandolfini, I heart you.

Ethyl's Sugar Cookies

Last year I wanted to make Christmas cookies for the first time, so my mom emailed me her recipe, with this note:

"Don't ask me who Ethyl is. It's a family secret, ha ha."

Ethyl's Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

Cream butter, sugar, eggs, & vanilla together.
Add flour.
Chill dough in refrigerator for 1 hour, or 30 minutes in freezer.
Roll out dough, about 1/4" thick.
*I use powdered sugar instead of flour to cover the counter & rolling pin.
Cut out & bake at 400 degrees for 6-8 minutes, or until slightly brown around the edges.
Let cool, then cover with frosting.

I'm lazy. I don't make my own frosting. I use either Duncan Hines Creamy Home Style Frosting or Betty Crocker Whipped Butter Cream Frosting. I have yet to receive any complaints.

I had a mother of a time (no pun intended) making these last Christmas. I couldn't get the dough to not stick to the rolling pin. Then it got too warm & had to be re-refrigerated. It was a nightmare. At some point I accepted that these cookies weren't going to get made, so I sat on the floor & ate the dough like a raccoon. Apparently the sugar bolt was all I needed because I somehow managed to make the cookies & they were really good.

I tried them again recently for Halloween & had more success. I've since learned the trick to rolling out dough, so that was no problem. I did have an issue with removing the cookies from the baking sheet once they had cooled. I couldn't get them off & ended up breaking them all in half. I'm still not sure what I did wrong. Maybe I let them cool too long? Who knows. They still tasted good.

Bon appetit!

Bad Friends

I ran into an old friend over the weekend. She's one of the handful of friends I've divorced over the years. I tend to attract people with emotional issues. I've never fully figured out why. I think it's partly because I have a strong personality & for whatever reason, weaker personalities are drawn to that. I don't know.

Over the years, I've dropped certain friends who took more than they gave. Friends who used me more as a therapist than a friend. Now these are extreme cases I'm talking about here. Obviously, friends talk to each other about their problems & everyone feels like a bad friend sometimes, but this is different. I'm talking about people who do this ALL THE TIME. People who only call when they have a problem, which tends to be every day, & who seem completely oblivious to whatever may be going on in your life.

Everyone has friends like this. But not everyone walks away. I do. It may take me a year or two, but once I reach that point, I'm done. I'm a good friend. I'm a good listener; I'm generous with my time; I'm loyal; & I'm occasionally fun to be around. I think knowing this about myself makes it easier for me to walk away when I feel I'm being taken advantage of.

I don't talk about this much because I fear it reinforces all the bad things I think about myself -judgmental, harsh, perfectionist, impatient, etc. To the untrained eye, it looks like I'm dropping friends when they need me most -when their boyfriend cheats on them, or gives them an STD. When, in fact, I'm simply fed up because said friend & I have been playing this game for some time now & I'm just done. I'm done giving sought after advice that falls on deaf ears. I'm done spending 90% of our conversations talking about your problems. I'm done with your "emergency" calls. I'm done not being able to remember the last time we talked about me.

So I ran into this ex-friend over the weekend, who I haven't seen since "the divorce." And I mean I dropped her like a hot potato. She didn't have a chance. I had been so fed up for so long, that by the time it ended, it ended badly. I honestly feel a little guilt over it because I was exceedingly harsh. Anyway, when I saw her this weekend, I remembered how much I used to like her & how much fun I had with her. All day I contemplated getting back in touch with her & trying to give it another go. I've 99% talked myself out of it. But I wonder..... Was she just going through a bad phase that she's out of now? Does she realize she was sucking the life out of me? Would I get my old friend back or would I be pulling my hair out in a month?

Please, if any of you have gone through this, let me know because I beat myself up about it & it would be nice to know that I'm not a total bitch. Or if you think I am a total bitch, let me know. I'll immediately divorce you, of course, but I'd still like to know.

Beef Teriyaki

John found this recipe for beef teriyaki in The Best 30-Minute Recipe cookbook & decided to give it a shot. He made it tonight & it was DELISH! It tasted just like beef teriyaki! Highly recommend this recipe.

Beef Teriyaki
Serves 4

If you cannot find blade steaks, substitute 1 1/2 lbs of flank steak sliced thin against the grain. Do not season the meat with salt because the sauce is plenty salty. For the best flavor, be sure to get the skillet smoking hot, & cook the beef in a single layer so that all the pieces brown properly. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds & serve with plenty of steamed white rice.

2 lbs top blade steak, sliced thin
Ground black pepper
2 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp mirin, sherry, or white wine
2 tsp cornstarch
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, minced
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 scallions, sliced thin

MAKING THE MINUTES COUNT:
Prep the sauce ingredients & assemble the sauce while the beef browns.

1. BROWN MEAT: Pat steak dry with paper towels & season with pepper. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in 12" nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Brown half of steak on both sides, about 5 minutes total. Transfer steak to clean bowl. Repeat with remaining tbsp oil & remaining steak, then transfer to bowl.

2. ASSEMBLE & SIMMER SAUCE: While steak cooks, whisk soy sauce, sugar, mirin, cornstarch, ginger, garlic, & red pepper flakes together. Add sauce to skillet, return to medium-high heat, & simmer, scraping up any browned bits, until thickened, about 2 minutes.

3. SIMMER MEAT WITH SAUCE: Add steak & any accumulated juices to skillet & continue to simmer until steak is heated through & sauce has thickened, about 1 minute. Transfer to serving platter & sprinkle with scallions. Serve.

KIM'S NOTES: John picked up the sushi at Trader Joe's. I was leery, but it was actually good. I think it was a spicy California roll. It even came with little wasabi & ginger packets. We couldn't find the blade steak anywhere, so we ended up buying flank steak. I can't imagine there's a huge difference. For the rice, we buy frozen Trader Joe's jasmine rice & we really like it. You just pull a pack out of the box & microwave it for 3 minutes.

Go forth & teriyaki!

Halloween Pics

John & I had our first Halloween party on Sat. night. I think it went really well. Pretty much everyone we invited came & came in costume, which was awesome. I made a pot of chili for the carnivores & Katie brought a pot of veggie chili for the herbivores, so we had all of our chili bases covered. In addition to the chili, I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting & pumpkin shaped sugar cookies with buttercream frosting. Then I had the usual party snacks: chips & salsa, popcorn, chex mix, wasabi peas, etc. Carolyn & David made a big pot of Rotel which was eaten in its entirety within minutes of being placed on the table. Note to self: serve Rotel at all future parties.

The party was a lot of fun. I made a ridiculous Halloween playlist that included the rare Halloween gem, "Addams Groove" by MC Hammer. I was pretty proud of that playlist. At one point later in the night, a dance-off ensued between Pee Wee Herman & Bizness the Clown. My pictures don't do it justice. It was a sight to behold.

Big thanks to everyone who came. I hope you had fun & I hope this party becomes an annual Halloween event.

Love,

Ghoulia

Full photostream here.

Halloween Chili Recipe

This is recipe for the chili from our Halloween party last night.

1-2 lbs lean ground beef
1 can kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic
28 oz can diced tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce (may need 2 cans)
Salt & pepper
1/2 tsp hot sauce
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp oregano

Cook meat & onion in large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, 8-10 minutes. Drain the fat. Add all ingredients together in large pot & cook for 1 hour (or more). When the beans are tender, it's done. Or cook in your crockpot on low for 6-8 hours.

Ghoulia's notes: I use a lot of garlic. I throw a couple of minced cloves in while I'm browning the meat, than I add more once it's all in the pot. Also, for whatever reason, this is better if it sits in your fridge overnight. I always make it the night before, put it in the fridge, then cook it the next day.

Bon appetit!