Monday, November 24, 2008

Stupid Math and Delicious Chili


Good morning, my friends!! I know most of you probably hate Mondays, but since I don't have class until 6:30 at night, Mondays aren't that bad... so suck it up!!! haha I have Trigonometry tonight, and we're getting our tests back. Have you ever taken a test and started laughing because you had NO idea how to do anything on it? Well, that happened when I took the test. I tried to look through all 4 pages of math problems, hoping to find an easy one, and but there weren't any. Great. haha I looked around the room at everybody else and they all had the same "oh shit" look on their face, so hopefully I wasn't the only one who decided to trace their hand on the back of the test because it seemed like the only logical thing to do at the time. haha I love this comic because it describes my night perfectly (just click it to make it bigger).

Alrighty. There's something I need to ask you guys. What deodorant/antiperspirant do you use? I'm testing the Secret Platinum in "Jasmine Orient" on my left armpit this morning and the Tom's long-lasting care in "Apricot" on my right armpit. I did the opposite of this yesterday morning because I want to see if my 2 armpits sweat differently. Tom's worked pretty well on my left armpit yesterday, but the Secret was useless after about 4 hours. Do you guys have any tips about when to apply deodorant/antiperspirant? And honestly, I have no clue what the difference is between deodorant and antiperspirant. I always thought they were the same thing, but my step-dad told me otherwise.

Ok. Hopefully you're still reading after all that nonsense. You'll be happy to know that the past 2 days I've been eating a normal dinner!!! I know, I'm just as surprised as you are. I found a Cornmeal Chili Bake from Dreena Burton's "The Everyday Vegan." I am addicted to it. It's the best chili I've ever had, and I'm not a big chili fan in the first place. I had to sub some ingredients because I didn't have them, but my most brilliant substitution was using pineapple in place of the onion. I didn't have an onion, and figured that pineapple was it's cousin anyways (veggie and fruit). haha It turned out insanely good!!!

Here's the recipe:
Cornmeal Chili Bake

Cornmeal Topping:
3 cups water
1 tsp sea salt
1 cup quick-cooking cornmeal or fine cornmeal
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp chili powder
a couple pinches of tumeric

Chili:
1 1/2 tsp olive oil
3/4 cup celery, chopped
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped (save juice is there's any left)
1/2 cup mushrooms, chopped
2 medium-large garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cumin
3/4 cup corn kernels(I used frozen)
1 15.5 oz can beans of choice (I used black)
1 29 oz can diced tomatoes, do not drain
1/4 cup tomato pasta
1 tsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp organic cane sugar
1/4 cup parspley
freshly ground black pepper

Directions: For the chili: in a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and add celery, carrots, and salt. Cook for a 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pineapple, leftover pineapple juice, and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano, and cumin and cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add corn, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, soy sauce, and sugar. Bring up to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and let simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove lid, let cook for another 3-5 minutes, and then stir in the parsley.

While the chili is simmering, move onto cornmeal topping.
For cornmeal topping: In a medium pot, bring water and sea salt to a boil. Lower heat and slowly whisk in cornmeal until thickened, 1-2 minutes (this happens VERY fast). Add remaining ingredients and stir well. Turn off and let sit until chili is ready.

To assemble: Preheat oven to 375F. Spoon chili into an 8x12 baking dish. Spoon cornmeal mixture on top of chili, covering all the chili. Bake for 28-30 minutes, until cornmeal has started to brown. Serves 5-6.

28 comments:

MamaBecky said...

That cartoon cracks me up!!!!!!!!
You always end up getting the excellent grades, Jojo - no matter how tough!

Even though I didn't try to chili,
it smelled so good! I can't wait to try to vegan pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.

Love from your mom.

Pearl said...

LOL that cartoon is so funny - i so remember that!

wow - i've never thought of adding pineapple in chili! how creative! what did it taste like, with the substitution of pineapple for chili?

and i'm sure your test will turn out just fine :)
have a wonderful monday!

River (Wing-It Vegan) said...

Ha! We had a veggie stew with biscuit topping last night, and I thought how good it would be to have a chili with cornbread topping instead. This is pretty close! We're in sync! :)

I use Jason Tea Tree Deodorant Stick and I love it. It doesn't keep you from sweating, it just keeps you from stinking! :)

I loved that comic - good luck with your test results!

Maggie M. said...

I use something by Dove... it's really good. I've been using it for years now. If you want something really strong I would try Mitchum - it's ridic.

Jen said...

pineapple in chilli? hmmmm. i mean if pineapple salsa tastes good on a burrito, why wouldn't it go well with chilli? i'm all about sweet n' savory.

as for deodorant vs. antipersperant. deodorant does just that--keeps you from smellin' funkay, and antipersperant is supposed to prevent you from sweating, which just ain't natural as far as i'm concerned. that's how your body regulates heat! you can make your own deodorant by mixing salt with your favorite body lotion, essential oil and rubbing it under your pits. this can be kinda grainy but it works. if you're about the commercial stuff you can use tom's, jason, alba, or dessert essence which i believe all are vegan.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the expresso tip!
Ugh, I'm sorry about the test, hopefully you did well though!

Anonymous said...

Ps. I think that your scientific experiment with deoderants it awesome! Haha, I have neevr thoughtto try that but it's kind of funny:p I woudln't know what deoderant to tell you to try. I rarely use deoderant because I rarely stink, which is super lucky I guess. Good luck in your search!!!

grace said...

interesting experiment--i can honestly say i've never been that curious about my armpits. :)
meanwhile, your bake sounds fantastic for these increasingly cold nights, and i think the pineapple is a wonderful addition. :)

For the Love of Guava said...

hey lady... bethany already stole you but I've given you a butterfly award as well!

Reeni said...

I'm taking Trigonometry too, now I don't feel so bad for not knowing what the hell I'm doing!!! Your chili looks yummy, especially with that cornbread on top.

Anonymous said...

Hilarious cartoon! It is so chili time - I actually snowed here for nearly an hour today (it usually only snows once or twice a year here). Good luck with your test results - let us know what you find!

jessy said...

yay for cartoons - and some mighty tasty chili bake! thanks for the recipe! :)

i use mitchums unscented deodorant/antipersperant. mitchem is one of the few deodorant/antipersperants that isn't tested on animals (although there are tons of natural deordorants that aren't). and cruelty free makes me most happyfaced. you can visit http://www.caringconsumer.com/ to find out what products are cruelty free, too!

disabled account said...

holy cow this looks good!

regarding antiperspirant vs deodorant...what jen said. also, i can't use antiperspirant because it makes my pits get all rashy and that's just not attractive. i use deodorant mineral salts. they come in a rock which you wet and rub under your pits (or on your feet) or in a spray. it took my sweat glands about 3 weeks to regulate (i sweated a lot during those first three weeks-guess they had some catching up to do) and now i hardly sweat at all unless it's really hot out.

Elizabeth said...

You are hilarious! :) I use Tom's. It didn't work at first but then it kicked in. I like it since it doesn't have aluminum in it. As for Mondays -- um cough cough (I'm jealous) -- make sure you enjoy it!!! School (and the wonderful flexible days it brings) go by way too quickly! :)

Liz Ranger (Bubble Tea for Dinner) said...

woah, pineapple in chili, that's so creative! I'm so curious about the flavour, and being a pineapple-head I might just have to try it!

Anonymous said...

I love your idea of using pineapple instead of onion. there's a lot of onion haters out there who would totally dig this too. (I love onions and I know you do too, I'm just thinking...)

amy. said...

hey girl! lovely recipe. nice and comforting i bet :) you asked about my waffles---i don't make them, but they *taste* homemade! i buy them from Wegman's (the supermarket at my school). If you have a Wegman's near you, I'd check it out! Its a great place.
Have a good day :)

Zesty Cook said...

funny cartoon, great chili. thanks for sharing :)

zesty

For the Love of Guava said...

OMG... Apricot Jasmine Orient pit lady! You're my favorite!! HEhehe... and I've totally drawn on tests I couldn't finish before... I remember vaguely leaving my professor a pleading cartoon at one point... plus on multiple choices I was always adding my own options (come to think of it I got a couple of those but it might have been the argumentative nature of my major not sure it would hold up in math class). At any rate that chili bake looks delicious and if you want to go really natural you could always just use some baking soda and water... everyone's going to know what a dirty hippy I am now but I did this for awhile... I wasn't doing any strenuous activity but it really wasn't too bad... now I just use AXE Phoenix... I like boy deodorant better... but it's probably not very good for me. :) And I'm not sure what the vegan factor is on it.

Becka Robinson said...

I use men's antiperspirant so that Mr. Beagle and I can share and save money. They also seem to be stronger than women's.

Theresa said...

Pineapple in chilli sounds yum!

Antiperspirants usually have metals in them like aluminium to stop you sweating. They're linked to parkinson's disease, which is a bit scary! Deoderants, on the other hand, kill the bacteria that lead to the stink. I used to use this salt crystal (like, a big rock that you get wet and rub on) but I found it in roll-on form, called The Body Crystal, if they sell it around you it's really good! No animal testing, and no scary chemicals!

Adam said...

Have I ever laughed at a test? That's like asking if I've ever stolen monkeys from the zoo... OF COURSE! :)

I can't believe I read that whole deodorant thing... I was cracking up the whole time. Um, I'm a guy, I just wear deodorant, wish I could help ya.

And nice chili by the way, the pineapple sounds like a nice idea.

Unknown said...

Hahahahahahahahahahhahahsnorthahahah!

i seriously love u Jo! what an awesome idea on the pit test :D i use dove lemongrass-something or other. its okay. i happened to think most antipersperants dont work well, i always have to reapply later. im not that sweaty of a person, but im paranoid about being one lol. let me know what u come up with!

oh yeah,and i seriously want that vegan blondie recipe. soo good! can u believe i donteven own a food processor? what kind of baker am i? i plan on getting one just for blondies and those bird-seed-looking nut disks lmao. :D

anywho, have a great Thanksgiving, and i'll see u in World Religion next Tues!!! yea!!
<3 crystal

Noodlegirl said...

That cartoon is so funny!
Your grade is fine! Lets put it this way if i even got 60% for math I will be in lala land!

I think I might try makin that chilli one day!

Kelly said...

You crack me up. I love the deodorant test.

Brandi said...

OMG You crack me up! Math, Deodorant and Chili....mmmm. I used to use that Secret scent really liked it (more than the vanilla smell).

The chili has made me very hungry, despite reading about deodorant just prior. Going to eat now.

Bethany said...

I love math, but sadly I'm usually the odd woman out. I do love how you traced your hand on the back. that's awesome.

I know why you had the chili for dinner. because it had a muffin like top. you can't fool me :)

I use Tom's unscented liquid roll on deodorant. I can't have smelly products because I'll get a headache. If my body is in stinky mode (thankfully it's been a while), I will apply it after I shower, then again about 1/2 hour later. I even keep some in the car :). I also do the same thing w/ moisturizer because my skin has become so dry.

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