How Am Supposed to Live Without You

I'm calling this Confetti Chili.  The colors before it cooked down a bit more were so vibrant and appetizing.  This was made with ground chicken so it was essential to add lots of flavors with spice and vegetables.  In went red and green bell peppers, onion, carrot, celery, canned fire-roasted tomatoes, green onion, cumin, chili, lots of garlic.

I also added two beans, pinto and black for a bit of variety.  I still have a hard time loving big beans like the kidney but I know how beneficial they are. Someday I will bite the bullet and go for full on kidney.

Because I'm not doing the sour cream and cheese over the top these days, I opted for diced garlic-dill pickles and cold onion.  This was something shared with me by an old roommate in SF.  Funny how those simple little regional tips can really add so much to a dish.  The pickles cut the heat and the onions are nice to crunch into when everything else is sort of chunky but soft.

When we changed our diet at first I was sneaking Cracker Barrel cheese bars in flavors like Cracked Black Pepper and Mediterranean Herb in my produce drawer for nice snack sized chunks.  I still want to believe cheese is not a trigger for my migraines but the fact that they have subsided a good portion of the month leads me to the inevitable conclusion.  But how could something I love so much and cherish be bad for me?  How could life be so cruel as to take something I enjoyed so passionately away?  How can I ever live without my cheese?

This chicken chili is a good start.

You May Say I'm a Dreamer

So I'm not eating cheese because P thinks it may be one of the triggers for my migraines. I think he just gets joy in robbing me of some of my greatest loves. Did I mention he also took me off Lay's potato chips? But its been a month now and I did have less migraines than in the previous month, so maybe there is something to it. However, I did start taking Butterbur, the herbal supplement at about the same time and that is supposed to help in the prevention of migraines.

I haven't even a chance to taste so many of the astounding cheeses out there. I can only imagine the stunning flavors that exist. In fact, I count that as one of the possible heaven scenarios. A tasting room of all the expensive cheeses. The room would be girlie and have assorted teas in the prettiest tea pots imaginable. And cute little bite sized pastries as well on delicate hand-painted china. The cheeses would be under glass and paired with appropriate fruits and breads. There would be big bouquets of fresh flowers and flowering branches, say apple blossoms donning the room, highly decorative moldings and tall ceilings. The room would be carpeted in a soft pure white fabric and there would be French doors leading out to a little sunny courtyard. Lots of comfy Victorian inspired upholstered high back chairs to sit and take it all in. I could go in the room at any time and even invite a favorite friend to sit and chat. Upon entering the room we'd be transformed. Our hair and nails would be done, we'd wear big fancy hats and gorgeous shoes with elegant but flattering dresses. We'd wear lipstick in the perfect shade and just a hint of blush on our perfect skin. We'd look wide awake and not tired and over it. Yep.

But anyway, on this day here on earth I took the leftover ground pork from yesterday and mixed in canned pinto beans, yogurt, pickled penos, onions and toasted the burritos up in the oven for an easy cheese-less lunch. Crispy, earthy and wonderful in its own right.