Blog Archive

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Tuesday Rambles

Hello, Sunshine! What's a cookin'?

 

Well today , Black Bean Chili  is on the menu in the old Pinker house.



 Over the weekend, my oldest  daughter requested this as  her birthday meal . I thought I had prepared enough and perhaps would have leftovers, but only one bowl was leftover, and the sweet birthday girl took it home to enjoy for supper . Anywhoo, time to make it again; this time  for Mr. Pinker , myself and of course for you . 🤗

Some of the ingredients for Black Bean Chili. 

This recipe can be adjusted to your liking. 

BLACK BEAN CHILI 

SERVES:

INGREDIENTS

2 lbs of ground beef

2 to 3 ( 16 oz) jars of favorite salsa

1 can of Rotel

1 small can of corn

2 cans of black beans, drained

1/2 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni

1 packet of chili seasoning mix

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

sour cream 

Jalapenos

shredded cheese

Frito corn chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Brown the ground beef and drain . Return meat to deep pan or pot.  

2. Add the following to the ground beef: drained black beans, salsa, Rotel, drained can of corn  and a pack of chili seasoning ( I use 1/2 of the pack. Add it to your taste). Simmer.

3. In a small separate pot , cook the macaroni till Al dente. 

4. Drain the pasta and add to the chili mixture. Stir in. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes. 

5. Serve and Enjoy!  You may add toppings such as Frito corn chips, sour cream , Jalapenos, and shredded cheese. 

DOLLAR GENERAL ALERT!!! - Mom and I  visited 3 Dollar Generals this past weekend and came home with a small haul. Mom had bought a blueberry basket  earlier last week ,  so I was on a mission to get one as well. 

I came home with lots of blueberry goodness.  The glass pitcher holds 40 ounces and is heavy!  I bet you can already guess where I am going with the blueberries- Yep , blueberries on the hutch this summer! Sounds good to me- What do you think? 

Dollar General also had these items in the strawberry  and lemon theme.   The yellow tumbler glasses are very nice. Mom bought the blue ones for just a dollar a piece- not bad.   

Yesterday was a lazy day. I spent the day by the window stitching and watching the birds. This little fellow sat on the feeder for some time swaying in the wind.  

I about jumped out of my skin when this lizard crept up beside my arm along the window ledge. I had the window open and did not want the little guy to come inside .  He enjoyed the warmth of the sun on the brick for a bit and then slithered on down to the ground. Wheew!  Thank goodness he wasn't a snake! I would have had a heart attack! 

Five more days until St. Patrick's Day. My, this month is flying by.  Don't you think?  

Puttin on the Green

So what are you going to be doing today? Anything special?  I am hoping to finish working on a bunny stitch to post as a freebie sometime this week , and then I will settle down to some quilting time.  In a few short days, Mr. Pinker and I will be leaving on a camping trip. So I do need to start packing. Oh well, I have rambled long enough.  

Before you leave,  I want to thank you all for taking time out of your busy day to spend with me. It means more than you will ever know . You are the best!!! Thank you, Sweetie Pies!!!❤😘🤗

As Always...


Happy  Stitching and Quilting, ya'll

Melisa 

Warm thoughts. Soup puts the heart at ease. - Auguste Escoffer

Hugs and Stitches!!!!🤗🧵❤

 Amy's forsythia bush in bloom.  I wish she was here to see it. 

Dedicated to my dear sister, Amy. I love and miss you so much.. Love you , Amo. 

38 comments:

  1. You'd need a snake for a heart attack! - the lizard would have done for me............forsythia is a lovely bush to see - spring begining here when they appear, we had one by the front door for many years. Hope your packing and your trip go well. Elaine in UK xx

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    1. Lol I have to admit, Elaine. I jumped and about ran away! Hee ! Hee! Oh, I just love it when the forsythia blooms. I hope that you are enjoying warmer days. Thank you for the sweet Tuesday visit. Hugs.

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  2. A snake, a lizard or a small bug. Doesn't matter to me...they can have anything they want. Eek I'm not fond of black beans but I could substitute beans I do like and enjoy a yummy meal 😋 Enjoy your Tuesday. Big Ole hugs for you! DarleneJ

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    1. Lol I am with you on the critters, Darlene. We had a snake get in the house one time. Yikes ! How scary! Lol.. Oh yes, any bean would be yummy in the chili; it is very tasty with sour cream. Have an awesome day. Hugs from the holler.

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  3. Our family loves chili and this sounds yummy. It will be on the menu this week for sure. Leftover chili always leads to hot dogs for the next day. I love a good ole hot dog also. 😂😂. Y’all have a great trip, we sure miss our travel trips. It just gets in your blood. Have a great stitchy day my friend. 🤗❤️

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    1. Happy, happy Tuesday, Patti. I hope you like this chili . We served it on Sunday with hot dogs too. I was surprised how quickly it was gone. I am excited to hit the road again; you are so right it does get in your blood. Enjoy your day , sweet friend. Hugs.

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  4. (Little Penpen) those lizards get me every time! My mom brought one inside on her back, after watering her porch plants. She was on the phone with her sister, dropped the phone and started screaming. Her sister was just before calling 911, when she heard Mama yell “I have a lizard on my back!” Lol I think I’ll run up to my DG today to see if they have the blueberry baskets. So pretty!

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    1. Lol , Penny your poor Mom . I can just picture that whole scene. I would have been doing the same. I bet it scared your aunt to death too when she heard your mom. Oooh that makes me shiver! I hope you find the blueberry baskets. We went to 3 DG in a two mile area; they each had different things. Enjoy your day. Hugs.

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  5. That chili recipe looks yummy - will have to try it! Thank you for including it! We have a lot of those little lizards down here in FL - they scurry around all the time - I try hard to not step on them - they also love sitting in my potted plants when the dirt has warmed up. I finished Mike's seat cover for the driver's seat of the RV and today I would like to get a little stitching done on my Halloween project. Have a great trip - looking forward to see where you've gone!
    Blessings

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    1. Happy Tuesday, Donna. I hope you are enjoying a warm sunny day. The sun is shining bright here in the holler. Usually we have a lot of the blue tailed skinks crawling around on the house and on occasion they do come into the house. Lol Sounds like you are staying very busy. So nice that Mike has a new seat cover. I bet you all will be hitting the road soon. We are heading to Louisiana for a tractor pull; it should be interesting. . Havve a fabulous day stitching and watch those lizards. Hugs.

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  6. We had little geeko lizards when we lived in TX. You get used to them, but they are tinier then your visitor. Enjoy all the stitching time this week.

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    1. Oh how interesting, Kate. When we travel out west, I always enjoy looking at the different types of lizards and reptiles. The one that came to my window is bigger than what we usually see here. I was sorta startled and thought it was a snake at first. Usually we just have the blue tailed skinks. Have a wonderful day in the quilt room. I hope to settle down to my Alabama Beauty quilt soon. Hugs.

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  7. Oh yummy--black bean chili recipe looks so good!!
    That Forsythia is so pretty--ours haven't bloomed as yet...they border the woods surrounding our house...such a nice herald of Spring hugs, Julierose

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    1. Happy happy Tuesday, Julierose. I hope your day is off to a lovely start. Our forsythia is a little late in blooming and is not as full as usual, but it is still so lovely. Our quince bush is just starting to bloom. Hopefully, your will be blooming very soon. Have a wonderful day . Hugs

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  8. Super haul from Dollar General, Melisa! Thanks for the heads up; I will have to check out the lemon items when I get there. The Forsythia bush is lovely and I know that Amy is looking down at it with a smile.

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    1. Happy Tuesday, Robin. I hope you make a haul at the DG. I had not been in quite awhile so it was nice to visit them and see what they had available. I think the forsythia bush is one of my favorite flowering shrubs; I always try to take a photo of Amy's forsythia each Spring. Enjoy your day and thank you. Hugs.

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  9. Thanks for that black bean chili recipe! I have one I normally use for myself (Hubs - not so crazy about all the beans that I love), but I think he could tolerate this one because - meat, pasta - lol! Oh my on the lizard, he is a handsome fella. So glad you get to look forward to a camping trip. :)

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    1. Oh you are so welcome , Linda and thank you. This one has more of a Tex Mex taste to it and the sour cream really adds to the taste. It is one of those recipes where you can add what you want. Thank you for dropping by and have a very lovely day in the quilt room. Hugs.

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  10. Chili recipe sounds awesome, Melisa!! Great haul from the Dollar General. I would have had a heart attack myself...probably...seeing that lizard that close to my arm! Definitely would have had it been one of satan's little hand puppets! LOL Have a great day, my friend! Hugs!

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    1. Happy happy Tuesday, Brenda. I jumped back when I saw that big ole' fellow. I thought it was a snake at first. Thankfully , he was slow moving and did not skirt into the house. I hope you are having a wonderful day in the quilt studio. Hugs.

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  11. Oh that chili sounds delish! You got some nice haul from the dollar store. I look forward to seeing the hutched decked out in blueberries!

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    1. Happy Tuesday, Jeanna. I hope you are enjoying a sunny day! We used to eat this chili all the time. It was a quick easy meal for the kiddos. I was happy to get a small haul from DG. It had been awhile since I had been there. Have a fabulous day. Happy stitching. Hugs.

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  12. Won't those blueberry things look adorable in the hutch with Aunt Betty's at Blueberry Buckle Lane- A Summer Saltbox. I best get to a dollar general in the next couple days and see if i can find me some blueberry or lemon or strawberry things.! Hope they still have some when i can get there this week! Thanks again for sharing

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    1. Good afternoon, Jennifer. Great minds think alike! Hee ! Hee! I had thought of Aunt Betty's stitch too. I might add my blue willow plates too. My mind is whirling with ideas. Lol. I hope you are able to make a haul at your local DG. Have an awesome day. Hugs.

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  13. Thanks for sharing your recipe it looks and sounds delish!

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    1. Aaah you are so very welcome, dear Shelly . It was very yummy ; the kiddos gobbled it up on Sunday. Thank you for dropping by for a visit. Have a blessed day. Happy Stitching. Hugs

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  14. Forsythia! A sure sign of spring. My dad would count them: 1 sythia, 2 sythia, 3 sythia, 4 sythia. Still makes me remember him.

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    1. Aaaah such a sweet memory of your dad. I bet you look forward to seeing the Forysthia bloom each spring. It is one of my favorite flowering shrubs. I wish it would bloom all season- it is a ray of sunshine! Have a beautiful day and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.

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  15. Yummy chili - thanks for sharing the recipe! Your blueberry finds are fun, too. We have a Dollar General - maybe I need to go shopping... We're expecting rain and possibly snow (again!) later this week, so I'm planning to spend some time outside today and enjoy the warm weather while it lasts!

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    1. Happy Tuesday, Diann. Oh goodness, snow ! I bet you never know which clothes to pull out for the day this time of the year. It is a sunny day here again which is nice after having a few days of rain last week. The nights are still cold so I can not leave my ferns outside yet. Enjoy the warm day and thank you for the sweet visit. Hugs.

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  16. I just love your little stories. Makes my day!

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    1. Aaaah how sweet!!! Thank you for making day and for the sweet visits. It means more to me than you will every know. Have a beautiful day, dear. Hugs and Blessings.

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  17. Melisa,
    Thanks so much for stopping by!!! And for your kind comments!! I think I need to get to Dollar General very soon!!! I hope you are having a great week!
    Hugs,
    Deb

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    1. Happy Wednesday, Deb. I hope you are doing well. I bet you will find some treasures at the Dollar General for the spring and summer seasons. I had not been in awhile so it was nice to see they had a few things that struck my fancy. LoL. Hugs and Blessings.

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  18. This sounds like some good chili. I just learned about the joys of corn chips with chili recently and your recipe picture now has me hankering for some. Yum! Any small thing coming up on me unexpectedly could cause a few heart palpitations. We have a nice forsythia out front but I think we've a bit to wait before it puts on a show for us. Are you heading far, far away on this camping trip or staying close by? Once again I am reminded of the fun things to be had at DG. Love the pitcher and the little bowls!

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    1. Happy Wednesday, Ginny. Corn chips certainly add to the taste of chili don't they? I am so sorry that you have heart palpitations ever so often ; they can make one take pause. I bet you are waiting anxiously for your forsythia to bloom; I do hope it is fully bright and beautiful. Eeeh, spring is on its way!! We are not going as far this time - to Louisiana maybe Texas. This is a busy time of the year with the grandbabes so I am not sure how long we will get to stay either, but anytime we can slip away is nice. Have a beautiful day. Hugs.

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  19. Love the blueberry themed items you picked up at Dollar General, Melisa! I look forward to seeing a blueberry themed hutch this summer :) Thanks for the chili recipe--sounds very quick and very tasty! Love your final photo of Amy's forsythia bush... she sounds like she was a ray of sunshine just like those beautiful yellow blossoms ♥

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    1. Oh thank you so much, I rarely see blueberry items. Along with strawberries our family farm also included blueberries which we picked for the public so the berries are near and dear to my heart. Amy was a ray of sunshine; she is always on my mind. Have a blessed day. Hugs.

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