My Favorite No Bean Chili Recipe

It was only in the mid 50's this morning here in Pittsburgh - such strange weather for August!  We dressed in long sleeves  and jeans, with pairs of summer abomination - socks.  In honor of the chilly weather, I thought I'd share one of my favorite recipes I've recently fallen in love with - No Bean Chili.

I never grew up eating chili as I didn't (and still don't) like beans.  After discovering this recipe, it's become a family favorite - one I even like to enjoy while I'm on my Weight Watchers wagon.

Heather's No Bean Chili

My recipe is base on the one found here but with a few extras thrown in.

1 lb Ground Beef

2 Cloves Garlic

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 T Red Pepper Flakes (or more to taste)
Salt and Pepper to Taste

1 T Dried Oregano

2 T Chili Powder

2 T Frank's Red Hot
BKW Steak Seasoning (optional)

1 Can (28 oz) Crushed Tomatoes

1 Can Diced Tomatoes

1/4 c Red Wine Vinegar

Suggested Toppings Frito's, (Light) Sour Cream, additional fresh chopped onion, (light) cheddar cheese

First, brown the ground meat in the bottom of a dutch oven, adding onion and garlic when almost cooked through.  Season the meat with the Red Pepper Flakes, Salt and Pepper (I do 5 cranks) Chili Powder, Oregano and Red Hot stirring to coat evenly.  Add the Crushed Tomatoes and Diced Tomatoes (with the juice) and vinegar, stirring to combine.  Bring to a boil then turn to low and simmer for as long as you can stand to wait - at least 20 minutes.  

My recipe removed the Cumin from the original recipe, and adds red pepper flakes and diced tomatoes.  I like the extra spice and heartiness!  I also add some steak seasoning from time to time.  It definitely adds a little something, but it's delicious without as well. 

I recommend loading it up with lots of toppings mentioned above.  If you're watching your calories, by using low fat beef, light sour cream and light cheese, you have a "point" friendly dinner that will really fill you up!   

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Snip Snip Sniffle

When Brayden got his hair trimmed right around his first birthday, I was so proud of what a champ I was!  Not a sniffle to be snuffed or a tear to be trickled.  I was just so glad to see that little "rat tail" disappear!

But lately, my adorable little shaggy "surfer boy" has been having trouble seeing through the hair hanging in his eyes, and I knew it was time.  So since my mom was ready to head home after spending most of last week here making piles of hair bows, we figured we better get out the scissors.

Brayden did so well, munching on his chocolate, sucking down a "squish pouch" and laughing at his Dad's distracting antics.  I on the other hand did not fair as well - tearfully looking away as my baby turned into a little boy right before my eyes.  (Here I go again - waterworks as I type).  And I know how ridiculous it is -  he's still the same Brayden with or without his hair.  But I struggle knowing that it'll never be quite the same.
My Dad tried reminding me that I haven't lost anything, just have lots of things to look forward to with each age.  Sorry to say, that doesn't make it any easier.  I realize how blessed I am every day and, much like a little child, feel like I like these days the best.

And in my own feminist ways, I make it more complicated than it probably is - pondering how for the first time, cultural norms have physically altered his appearance.  Julie's feminine curls still hang from her head while Brayden's waves are on my deck.  It's just the beginning of the man he'll have to become - the man that will grow up and move away to lead his own family.  Yes, I know I'm probably taking it a little far, but I'm a sappy mama here and my mind has a tenancy to take things down the road a bit.

He looks handsome and I'm sure I'll get used to it.  My mom did a great job courtesy of youtube and her 20 year past experiences.  In the meantime though, I'm going to pout and wait for it to grow back.

For your comparison - Brayden before and after his "sheering."

iTunes Giveaway and Touch 'n Sing Review

Brayden and Julie are getting to the age where anything musical is just thrilling - they smile, bop their head and dance along.  When you pair this with the colorful excitement of my cell phone or tablet, it becomes a great combination that will really hold their attention!

We recently had the opportunity to check out a new app for kids from SumahoMAMA called Touch 'n Sing and it was a total hit!  The app has been out or a while on itunes and recently launched for android.  Designed for kids aged 2-7, Touch 'n Sing (short for Touch and Sing Along Picture Book) hopes to entertain and engage with bright colors, movement and music, while adding a touch of education.

The app is actually a suite of smaller games which kids can access from one place.  The app is free to download and includes two free games - The Hokey Pokey and The Alphabet Game.  Twinkle Twinkle Little Star is also a special freebie until September 1st.  These three are great to get started and my kids loved the songs so much that they'd run across the room to play when I opened the app.  At only 19 months, they're a little young for some of the games, but still loved the cause and effect experience of touching the screen and activating a special little sound or motion from the cast of characters.

When your little ones have mastered the free games (or you're just hoping for a little variety), additional games are available for purchase - most of which are only $.99.  They even offer two "Super Value Packs" where you can get six games for $4.99.  
As a family who likes to have it all, we bought both Super Value Packs so we could try all of the games. Here's a few of our favorites:
- Ten Little Indians
- Old McDonald Had a Farm
- I've Been Working on the Railroad
- Parade of the Wooden Soldier

These four were ideal for us because the child didn't really need any "skill" to have fun.  Touch the screen, and it'll make a noise, label the item, do a little dance, or give some other cute little gratification.  I would definitely recommend these for the littlest players!

For older children, I loved the pattern practice offered in The Farmer in the Dell, sorting in Under the Spreading Chestnut Tree, and the interactive matching challenge in The Muffin Man.

I will give one slight caution though to some conservative parents that are easily shocked - there are a few surprises you may want to watch for for sensitive/overly curious kids.  The Itsy Bitsy Spider does have spiders that eat butterflies and ladybugs if you guess incorrectly.  Similarly, the dog in BINGO will run over the young boy if he's not the correct pet indicated.  I was just slightly disturbed by the "baby or egg" choice in Turkey in the Straw and very surprised to see the animal on my screen simulating a birth of said baby or egg.  Nothing that's a huge deal in my perspective, but just another reminder that families should always be actively involved with their children's digital entertainment experience.

Overall, Touch 'n Sing is a fabulous app that I am so excited to have in my entertainment arsenal when we're out and about with twins.  I'm thrilled that I can have it right at my finger tips, where ever we go, and that with such a range of ages, it'll grow right along with them.  It's rare that I find an app that appeals to both of my toddlers, and Touch 'n Sing review seems to offer a little something for everyone.

Touch 'n Sing is available for download on iTunes and at Google Play.  Learn more about the app and it's developers on the SumahoMAMA website, twitter and facebook page.

SumahoMama wants to help you get started in buying additional games for your favorite kid by offering a $10 iTunes Gift Card!  Enter using the Rafflecopter form below - Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Contest ends August 13th at Midnight and winner will be contacted by email.  Winner has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.


Make my day and vote for me - please and thank you! :-D

The Pout-Pout Fish: Our Favorite Tales

Some of my favorite childhood memories were cuddled up with my Dad, reading a story. This was an EVERY night occurrence and something I am so thankful for.  So it's no wonder that with my own children, I am committed to offering these same memories for my own babes - albeit a little harder with four grabby hands lunging for the book.

I've decided that I'd like to share some of my favorites with my readers in a series called "Our Favorite Tales."  Up first is Pout-Pout Fish written by Deborah Diesen and illustrated by Daniel Hannah.

I first ordered this book without much thought from the Scholastic Book Club but am so thrilled I did!  My absolute favorite thing about this story is the sing-songy rhythm created by the terminal rhyme of each verse.  Great alliteration makes it a joy to read out loud.  I have so much fun with it that I'm not sure who likes it more - my kids or me!

The plot line centers on the Pout-Pout Fish who can't seem to shake a bad case of the grumps.  He seems pretty settled in that being  "just the way I am" despite numerous interventions with friends who recommend that he "turn that frown upside down."  Mr. Fish is always polite though in his declines of advice.  His catch phrase throughout is "blub, bluub, bluuub" which is great to vocalize when reading out loud.  Another great line is "Hey Mr. Fish with your daily scaly scowl, I wish you wouldn't greet us with a grimace and a growl."

I won't spoil the surprising and unexpected ending for you as it warmed my heart in the best kind of way and I'm excited for you to experience it for yourself.  I will say though, that someone interesting comes into Mr. Fish's life that changes his whole way of thinking.  A fantastic happy ending!

I'd really recommend this book for all ages - from birth to six.  A board book edition is also available which might make a great choice for the littlest readers.  With sweet sing-songy rhyme, adorable pictures and a truly climatic plot (for a kids book) this one is a top choice!

If you want to catch a preview of all the things I love about this book, listen along to Gordon True's youtube version, set along to music.  I told you it had great rhyme and verse!

Like our review?  Please vote for our blog at the links below!

Pittsburgh Free for Kids Link-Up

This summer has been so fantastic in finding free or inexpensive activities in Pittsburgh.  We were thrilled to have found Curious Little Kid's "20 Things to Do in Pittsburgh for under $20"  and Macaroni Kids whose resources offer great suggestions for families.

I've seen so many great Pittsburgh posts recently that I thought it would be fantastic to start a Pittsburgh Free for Kids link-up to bring many of them together!

So have you written a post lately about somewhere you've been that was free (or nearly free) that you'd like to share?  Fill out the form below and share with us!

Just a few requests to keep the party fun:

1 - Click the link below, and a new window will open for you to enter your post title and link.  Once completed, come back here to confirm that you're added to our list!

2 - All posts should be about places within a 2 hour drive of the City of Pittsburgh.  All posts should include information about free or inexpensive activities (under $20).

2 - Consider including our Link-Up button (linked below) in your post!  Copy the code under the image and put it into the HTML portion of your post.  Not required, but we'd love to be included!  We'd also love for you to pin or tweet this post to help us help you get more viewers!

3 - Click around and visit some posts to find even more fun things to do with kids in Pittsburgh!

4 - Come back and link again next time you post another great activity!  We'll keep the button in our sidebar so you can find it easily.  

Thanks for visiting, and we can't wait to see all the places you have to share!

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