a little over a year ago, our old grill bit the dust. i was pretty devastated since i am a BIG fan of the grill. nothing adds flavor like cooking food over an open flame. for whatever reason, we hadn’t yet replaced it. other gadgets and kitchen toys always took budget priority.

but we majorly lucked out last week when a neighbor was moving and giving away a gently loved grill. we snatched up that offer so quick and i got right back to grilling.

ribeye is one of my favorite cuts of meat. they are usually beautifully marbled and pack a lot of flavor. when i rubbed a couple of them down with honey and chipotle and grilled up them up they were sweet and smokey heaven. and absolutely delicious in a taco.

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper.

slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos.

when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side.

once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips.

top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade.

squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.

xo, a

honey chipotle ribeye tacos + red onion & pineapple salsa

serves: 4

prep time: 10 minutes

cook time: 20 minutes

total time: 30 minutes

ingredients: 1.5 lbs ribeye steaks, patted dry. 2 chipotle in adobo peppers. 2 tbs honey. 2 tbs olive oil. 2 garlic cloves smashed. handful of cilantro leaves. half a pineapple, skin removed and sliced into 1 inch long sticks. half a red onion, sliced into .5 inch thick rings. 1 lime, sliced into wedges. .25 cup crumbled cotija cheese. 1 tbs kosher salt. 1 tsp freshly ground pepper. 8 of your favorite tortillas.

tools: grill. food processor (if you don’t have one you can always just finely chop your ingredients and combine in a bowl. meat thermometer, optional.

start by heating your grill to a high heat. in the bowl of your food processor, combine the honey, olive oil, chipotle pepper, a few cilantro sprigs, the garlic and half the salt and pepper together. blend until smooth. season both sides of your steak with half the remaining salt and pepper. slather most of the honey and chipotle marinade all over your steaks. reserve a little bit of the marinade to garnish your tacos. when your grill is nice and hot, add your steak to a hot part of the grill. allow the steak to get a nice sear on both sides, about 6 minutes a side. my steaks were about an inch thick and i like mine medium rare. if you want to ensure the proper doneness you like and you aren’t sure, i recommend using a meat thermometer. while your meat is cooking, season the pineapple and onion with the remaining salt and pepper and add them to the grill. cook them till they have nice grill marks on both sides. about 3-4 minutes per side. once they are done, remove them and chop them up to make your salsa. toss them in a bowl with the juice of half the limes and the remaining cilantro. once your meat has finished cooking, cover it lightly with aluminum foil and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes. slice the beef into strips about .25 inch thick against the grain. while your grill is still hot, quickly warm your tortillas on the grill. 20-30 seconds a side should be good on a hot spot. top each tortilla with steak strips. top with pineapple salsa, cotija cheese and a small spoonful of the sweet and smokey marinade. squeeze with some of the remaining fresh lime, serve and enjoy.

there are many reasons i wanted to go into business for myself, but one of the biggest reasons was my schedule. i detest living on someone else's schedule. while i'm a hard worker and work most of my waking hours, i want to work on what i want to work on, when i want to work on it. if that happens to be at eleven at night on a tuesday, so be it. it's on me. 

of course there are downsides. there is never anyone to cover for me, there is no "vacation" time and i work most holidays. but i do have control over my days off. so this sunday i scheduled myself off so i could actually ATTEND a party. 

naturally, i'm bringing some food (it is my bestie's house, i can't not contribute). and when she suggested i make chili, i knew exactly where to go searching for the perfect recipe... 

last year when i stopped working and was finalizing all my wedding planning, i went DEEP into chili recipes. i tried at least a dozen recipes and used wes and my mother as test subjects to hone in on the BEST chili. i was looking for a classic, go to chili you count on for events just like the super bowl. 

after flipping through pages of scribble recipe notes covered in oil droplets and sauce stains, i found just what i was looking for. the page with a large note at the bottom. "WES REALLY LIKES THIS ONE." winner, winner. 

super bowl chili
serves: 5-6
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
inactive time: 2 hours
total time: 3 hours
ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, diced. 1 bell pepper (your choice of color), diced. 1 jalapeno pepper, all but about 10 seeds removed, and small diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and small chopped. 1 tbs fresh chopped oregano. 1 tbs cumin. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 bottle of beer (i used new castle but use what you like to drink). 1 14oz can diced tomatoes. 1 14 oz can kidney beans, rinsed. 1 14 oz can pinto beans, rinsed. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .25 tbs ground pepper. 1 cup mexican blend cheese. handful of cilantro for garnish. lime wedges for garnish. 

in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. add in the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. 

season with one fourth of the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes. 

press the veggie mixture to the sides of the pot. pat the ground beef dry and season the meat with half the remaining salt and pepper. turn up the heat to medium high. 

add the beef to the center of the pot and allow the meat to sear on one side before flipping it. about 5 minutes. 

allow the other side of the meat to sear before breaking it up with a wooden spoon. 

when you have broken up the meat, add in the garlic, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, chipotle and stir well tog combine. 

continue to cook the mixture, stirring every minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. about 2-3 minutes.

pour in the tomatoes. 

and the beer. 

bring the mixture to a simmer. allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes. 

add in the last of the salt and pepper, chicken stock and beans. 

stir well to combine and bring the chili to a boil. once boiling, reduce the heat till the liquid is gently simmering. simmer on low for 1-2 hours for the liquid to reduce a bit and the flavors to meld. 

serve hot, topped with cheese, lime and a couple of cilantro sprigs. 

xo, a

super bowl chili
serves: 5-6
prep time: 20 minutes
active time: 40 minutes
inactive time: 2 hours
total time: 3 hours
ingredients: 1 lb ground beef. 2 tbs olive oil. 1 brown onion, diced. 1 bell pepper (your choice of color), diced. 1 jalapeno pepper, all but about 10 seeds removed, and small diced. 5 garlic cloves, minced. 1 chipotle pepper, seeds removed and small chopped. 1 tbs fresh chopped oregano. 1 tbs cumin. 1 tbs brown sugar. 1 bottle of beer (i used new castle but use what you like to drink). 1 14oz can diced tomatoes. 1 14 oz can kidney beans, rinsed. 1 14 oz can pinto beans, rinsed. 4 cups chicken stock. 1 tbs salt. .25 tbs ground pepper. 1 cup mexican blend cheese. handful of cilantro for garnish. lime wedges for garnish.
in a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat until hot. add in the onion, jalapeno and bell pepper. season with one fourth of the salt and pepper and cook until the onions are translucent. about 7-10 minutes.
press the veggie mixture to the sides of the pot. pat the ground beef dry and season the meat with half the remaining salt and pepper. turn up the heat to medium high.
add the beef to the center of the pot and allow the meat to sear on one side before flipping it. about 5 minutes. allow the other side of the meat to sear before breaking it up with a wooden spoon.
when you have broken up the meat, add in the garlic, oregano, brown sugar, cumin, chipotle and stir well tog combine.
continue to cook the mixture, stirring every minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. about 2-3 minutes.
pour in the tomatoes.
and the beer.
bring the mixture to a simmer. allow it to cook down for about 5 minutes.
add in the last of the salt and pepper, chicken stock and beans.
stir well to combine and bring the chili to a boil. once boiling, reduce the heat till the liquid is gently simmering. simmer on low for 1-2 hours for the liquid to reduce a bit and the flavors to meld.
serve hot, topped with cheese, lime and a couple of cilantro sprigs.