Mangia,Mangia...No Talk!!!

Dinner will be served in a jiffy…

I didn’t want to spend too much time away from my guests, so for dinner, I decided on Chili; I prepared dinner earlier this morning – put it all in the crockpot and voila – Crock-pot Chili.

While I set up a few last minute items, let’s talk….

You know what; I make many claims here at Mangia, Mangia…No Talk

In one of my earlier post, I claimed this tidbit:

“To me, it’s all the same whether I am cooking a dinner for four, or preparing a party for twenty, each time it has to be good quality food and it has to be delicious. The task must be enjoyable and easy. It shouldn’t be stressful but almost peaceful, after all, I am cooking to nurture, and taking care of my family and/or guests.”

I still believe that, yet these days it’s not easy to entertain a group of twenty. We are all so busy, spread out thin and quite honestly, some of us just need moments to ourselves – or a few of us are feeling it is not worth the effort; yours truly included in that group.

Yet I want to remind us or me; that having a get together is worth the effort… a get-together and I say this often, is a real tangible gathering – it is not a virtual group social, but a real physical meeting.

Let’s face it, and be honest with one another, times are tough, in more ways than one. A get together can be costly, but there isn’t any way of getting around that.

It is what it is… Hey, let’s promise to keep it simple; and listen to me, if your guest(s) offers to help – accept it gracefully and take the person(s) up on that.

Let’s also remember that if you are invited to someone’s home; do not arrive at the house empty-handed – you must bring something. You can bring a dessert, a bottle of wine, or you can bring a case of beer. If none of these interest you, offer to bring fruit or an appetizer, even if you are given strict instructions not to bring anything, arrive with something – just bring dessert; (you can never go wrong with a box of cannolis) . On occasion l  have included a host gift; there are so many ideas and many ways to get creative. I will always find something at Home Goods, TJ Max, Marshall’s, and let’s not forget The Christmas Tree Store or Target.

One of my favorites things to do is, search for beautiful plates or platters, odd stunning plates, then bring the plates to my local bakery and ask if they would set-up miniature pastries on it, and wrap it in cellophane; the bakery is always happy to oblige. Of course, the dishes or platters are washed before I do that, and the pastries are set up the day of the event. One time I made my own chocolate covered strawberries and set that up at my home; I believe that was a housewarming gift.

Last year at a 4th of July BBQ that my sister Silvana was having; she left me in charge of the coleslaw; I made the coleslaw rather than buying it. I made enough to fill up three rectangular plastic containers – I wrapped all three containers in twine and ribbon then added on top of the containers, salad forks and a plaque for my brother-in-law that said Uncle Mark’s Bar.

See, the options and creativity are endless, but my point is, you must always bring something when invited to someone’s home… it is a good gesture (or as we say it “Bella Figura”)

Today I made Crock-pot Chili – it doesn’t get simpler than that….On the side, I made some rice, plain white rice, to add to the chili. We have corn bread that I picked up at the supermarket – (keeping it simple) one day I will make homemade cornbread. I also have a green salad with just romaine lettuce and a lemon–garlic dressing.

On the table are bowls of shredded cheddar and Monterey cheese along with some sour cream, and rolls too.

Chili in a crock-pot is simple – Chop meat, lean or chuck; beef, or turkey whatever you prefer is fine; beans, a red tomato sauce, green peppers, onions, and time. The recipe is below.

So let’s all remember that inviting your friends or family over for a dinner, or an impromptu get together, is worth the effort; because no matter what; I cannot remember a time that we didn’t laugh. Our stories from the past come out of nowhere and someone always starts to giggle infectiously, it never fails, we laugh, and we remember why we are friends.

The bonus is that days after these get together I feel lighter, a bounce to my step. I am reminded that I have peeps; they are mine and we are connected and bonded always. Then I always wonder why I waited so long..

These days we have so much on our minds, times are not easy – virtually we are all connected by Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We know what each of us is doing with our days; know what we are eating, what we stand for and what we don’t stand for. It is out there; we are out there and maybe it feels like it is normal to say, “Oh he or she is doing great, I saw a post of them on …”

But really, how normal is that….and why are we allowing ourselves to get used to that.

Bottom-line is we all know too much… my friends must know that the hippy in me will not tolerate hatred, conflict, and violence. And I know that when we get together we are laughing out loud, joking with one another and bringing up past events that bonded us forever….

Are you hungry; let’s go eat dinner….afterward we feast on sweet, sweet desserts. Continue reading Worth The Effort Crockpot Chili