Week night/date night meals: Chili

I had the entire day off yesterday, and since it's been nearly a month since J and I have seen each other during normal business hours, I decided to cook up a batch of hearty chili for a fun weeknight/datenight - but added a surprising ingredient (chocolate!) to create a sexy vibe to an otherwise comforting fall meal.

In a large pot, sauté a chopped medium-sized onion and a clove of garlic in 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. When the onions are nicely browned, add your spices. This is where the chili becomes particular and distinct - personally, I opt for healthy dashes of salt, pepper, cinnamon, and cumin, a hearty amount of Trader Joe's Everyday Seasoning, and a few pinches of a special spice blend gifted to me at a party that includes cayenne, coffee, coriander, fennel, ginger, juniper, paprika, and thyme (note to self: recreate this mix asap, as I am getting dangerously low). Let the spices really soak into the onion and garlic, smell-testing as you stir. Add 1 lb. of ground beef, and cook until brown. Stir in 6-8 oz. of tomato paste, 12-14 oz. of diced tomatoes (for an added kick, I chose a can of diced tomatoes with jalepeños added in), 2 cans of red kidney beans, and 1 1/2 cups of water. Let this mixture simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Add 2-3 dashes of Worcestershire sauce and (get ready) 2 tsps. of chili-flavored dark chocolate (Lindt makes a delicious version) - this will give your chili a sultry flavor you never knew you were missing in your cooking. Cover the pot and simmer for at least 15 minutes or longer (the longer you simmer, the stronger the flavors will get). Boil 12 oz. of elbow macaroni. When the pasta is fully cooked, remove the chili from the heat and stir in the macaroni. Serve in a bowl, adding shredded cheddar cheese if desired.

Butternut squash salad with apple honey vinagrette

Even though we've been hit with a beautiful Indian Summer here in New York City, I couldn't resist the siren call of butternut squash while at Trader Joe's last week and whipped up what has quickly become one of my all-time favorite salads. I first served this with the squash still warm from the oven, but it tastes just as great a few days later and cold from being stored in the refrigerator.

How to
Peel 1 butternut squash. Slice in half, remove the seeds and other guts, and cut into small cubes. On a foil-lined cookie sheet (the foil makes for an easy clean-up later on), spread out the squash cubes and coat in extra-virgin olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until the squash is soft and starting to brown. While the squash is roasting, make the dressing. In a bowl, mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, the juice from one small lemon, 2 tbsp. honey, 1/4 cup olive oil, and a dash each of cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Whisk or blend (I used my immersion blender) until everything is completely mixed together. The dressing will be a bit frothy, so let it sit in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Add 1-2 handfuls of dried cranberries to the squash for the last five minutes of baking - this will give the cranberries a nice warm plumpness. On a large dinner plate, place 2-3 large handfuls of leafy green (I used a spinach and spring greens mix). Add the roasted vegetables and a large spoonful of feta cheese, toss with the dressing. Add walnuts if desired!

365-photo-a-day - September wrap-up

coffee on the balc - up in the air - sandwich time - sunset over astoria - grant's tomb - happy feet

rehearsal dinner - flower power - san gennaro - new kitchen table - b/w portland - congrats

old friends - new beer - tiny windows - big buildings - outdoor performance - leafy greens

citi field - old men - lemons - testing the lights - then I saw sting - beach day

stylish feet - go mets - upstate - holler for challah - macro - northwest latte

Technically (according to the rules of this project), September was my most successful month to date. With only about three exceptions, I managed to take almost one photo a day that I was proud of AND that reflected my actions and events of that particular day. Though that was and still is the original intention and goal of my 365 project, I've rarely been able to actually achieve this due to frequent long work hours, uninteresting backgrounds, overcast skies, yada yada yada. But September? She came through for me ;)

Granted, I had a lot of opportunities to get said photos. My travel extravaganza continued for three more weekends, taking me to Buffalo, Portland Oregon, and an island resort off the coast of Florida. Work was also at a minimum, so I had ample time to wander the sunny gardens, parks, and streets of New York and bask in the city's late summer light.

Unfortunately though, I fear this trend is not going to last into October. My trophy wife training time off from work has come to an end, and I'm staring down the barrel of some really long days. But (and I say this every month), that'll be the challenge - to find those photographable moments in and amongst the daily grind. I'm in the home stretch for this project, and I can't wait to see what these last three months will bring ;)

September by the numbers:

Pictures of food or drink: 7

Pictures of my feet/shoes: 2

Pictures with people: 3

Pictures of the sky: 6

Pictures of flowers or nature: 4

365/Photo-a-day is a personal undertaking to capture one photograph per day in 2013. All photos were taken by me and processed with Instagram, Snapseed, PhotoToaster, and/or the new A Beautiful Mess app. The images were compiled using Picture Collage Maker Lite. What to see my pics as they happen? Follow me - @maspad on Instagram!