Girl's Night Out (Day 9)

Once a week, I join some lovely ladies (my awesome nieces and sis-in-law) over on Sunny Acres for some dinner, conversation, and awesome TV (right now we're rocking through glee...and I have to say, I was opposed, but now I love it!!). We trade off cooking (ok, I pitch in once in awhile), and since she made an awesome roasted pork rib dinner last week, I thought it was fitting that I make something tonight.

I spent the greater part of this afternoon concocting Black Bean Chili with Butternut Squash. If you want a cheap way to feed a large group of people, this is an awesome, delicious way to go! I don't think anyone missed the meat with the possible exception of my hubby, but he was a good sport (yes, he joins us for dinner, then takes Liam home so I can have some girl time).

I did find out over the course of the afternoon that even if you don't follow the recipe exactly, it WILL come out delicious. I omitted the chipotle chiles in adobo (no idea where to find them in town even if I was spending money), and the coriander. I had just run out of canned fire-roasted tomatoes, so I had to improvise (just kidding--I've never seen those in a can!). It turns out that you CAN oven-roast frozen tomatoes. They take a little longer, and are a little mushier, but they are delicious, and perfect for a chili. Even after all that work, though, I had to use half crushed tomatoes, because I miscalculated how many to roast. I also used canned beans, instead of dried (I just used less water) and substituted quinoa for the quick-cooking bulgur. Everyone enjoyed it, and we have leftovers to enjoy the next few days.

Even vegetarian chili needs an accompaniment, and what is better than cornbread? I used this easy and delicious recipe from my friend Leah. Her mom is an amazing cook--I don't think I've ever eaten anything less than super delicious at her house, and this cornbread was no exception. In fact, I ate way too much of it at dinner.

This dinner, along with a couple episodes of glee: season 1, made tonight delightful, and kept austerity looking pretty good! Good Night!