Groundhog's Day Recipe
Happy Groundhog's day everyone! Hopefully that little guy doesn't see his shadow and we all get a break from this cold weather. Although, with a spoonful from this Spicy Groundhog's Day Recipe for a great chili, that fluffy critter will be warm enough to not care.
The only word I can use to describe this chili is FLAVOR! Lots and lots of flavor. The smokiness of the chipotle peppers, the tart brown ale, and the heat of cayenne and fresh jalapeño peppers creates a thick sauce thats a sure overload for the tastebuds. (people with baby tongues, beware!) Mix this heat with the sweetness of parsnips, carrots, winter squash and slices of peppery celery, and you'll have one bite that is pure awesome. Oh and don't forget the yummy black beans, kidney beans and ground beef. It's a Groundhog's Day recipe that will fill you and the whole neighborhood up for the rest of winter, however long it will be.
I wanted to make this Spicy Groundhog's Day Recipe for two reasons. I get to use my cast iron dutch oven, which I love cooking with, it magically makes everything taste better. I also get to try out one of my new food photography backgrounds that I had shipped from the highly creative company, Soularty.
Check out my new favorite props and soularty food photography backgrounds here!
Today is a mighty cold one, I had to scrape ice off of my car window before heading out to the store this morning, which is something I haven't had to do for 12 years. I know, I'm a baby now, but hey I have been neighbors with the Sun for the past few years so I'm sure it will take a while for my body to acclimate to the chill of the Northwest. In an attempt to fight off this downright ridiculous temperature, I decided to add an extra bit of warmth and comfort to my chili making today. My family always has to have some carby goodness to soak up our chili, and I thought what's more comforting than these savory Rosemary Garlic Parmesan and Cheddar Whole Wheat Biscuits! They are dense, but packed full of cheesy goodness and the rosemary really calls out the other flavors. A perfect little crumbly biscuit to combat the spicy winter chili.
Get the recipe for the Rosemary Garlic Parmesan and Cheddar Whole Wheat Biscuits Here!
Before I start serving this Groundhog's Day Recipe up, I thought I'd share a couple of little photography TIPS for foods like chili, stews and soups. They can be a little tricker than most other dishes. The liquid goodness that makes them so delicious is also a big obstacle when trying to make it look photogenic.
1. To make the dish look full and bursting with ingredients reserve some of the cooked ingredients to the side so you can style them on top once the bowl or pot is on the table.
2. Using a baster with a bulb head to suck out some of the juice will prevent the ingredients from sinking into the juice.
3. Also, try backlighting the dish, like I did in the image here to give it that extra liquid juicy look.
4. Last tip, if your ingredients are looking a little dry from being out of the liquid for too long give them a sprits of water to freshen them up just before you snap the shutter.
So no matter what that silly groundhog does, you got to try this spicy chili with winter vegetables (recipe below) as well as the Rosemary Biscuits, I promise you wont be disappointed.
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