It's Getting Chili

I have never been good at making chili and to tell the truth unless it is just "right" I don't really like chili. The other day I was watching some videos on a site like health.com or cookinglight.com for some lite meal inspiration and one of the videos was chili and it sounded good. I figured if they can make a light chili sound good I had to try it. It turned out great! Of course I did my own version but still yum yum. The only issue I now have with it is I can't find good old American chili powder here in Mexico. My mother is mailing me some but I don't expect to see it until Halloween.
2 thick slices nice smoky bacon, cut into cubes
1 medium onion, chopped
10 ounces lean beef
5 ounces ground chicken (this is what I can find at teh stores here)
minced garlic, 2 cloves
1 bottle beer
15 oz can stewed tomatoes with juice, break the tomatoes up with a spoon (or your by squeezing with your hand)
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon smoked chipotle powder
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
pepper
can black beans drained and rinsed (or what ever bean you like)


Brown bacon in a deep pot, once brown add in the onions and cover and let cook over medium heat until translucent, about 5 minutes. add into the pot the garlic and ground meat and let it brown. Once the meat is brown add in the beer and cook until it evaporates and the meat is really cooked down, about 10 minutes. add in the rest of the ingredients except the beans, cover and cook for about 30 minutes. add the beans and cook for another 5 minutes.

Server with Cornbread

On the way to Puebla

A few weeks back we took a trip to Heroic Puebla de Zaragoza. This was one of the first cities founded by the Spanish in 1531 that was not built on top of ruins of local civilizations. When visiting this city it is apparent that it was a European planned city because the streets are square, they are not set a odd angles with strange intersections but laid out in a grid formation.

Colorful Puebla.

Puebla University, I hear it is a very good school.

Beautiful brick work

along one of the store fronts in front of the Zocalo (city center or downtown) is a bronze model of the city, this was unexpected for me.

The kids posing in front of one of the sculpture

This is a very interesting sculpture. It is a cylinder with half moons on each side and it is sculpted like leaves a trees.

The Cathedral of Puebla.

Photos of the colorful city.

The Drive from Mexico City to Pueble is one of the most beautiful drives I have ever taken. It was mountainous and green and spectacular, unfortunately or is a narrow highway without a shoulder going up or down the mountain so I was unable to get many photos of the mountains, but I managed a few of the volcano. The highway between Mexico City and Puebla bass next to volcano Popocatepetl and volcano Iztaccíhuatl and these are beautiful indeed.

Eating out in Mexico City - What I have to say about the Restaurants

I am not much for reviewing restaurants. I may say it is good and a friend may say the opposite. I think that Restaurants for the most part are ever changing, from one day to the next and from one item to the next, so I don't often write about them here on my blog. However, I have been eating out here in Mexico and some places I have enjoyed very much, but what I find when I do a search on the net for a place to eat is laking, the results tend to come up a little short so I have decided to say a little bit about the places I visit and provide a few photos too, photos never hurt.

Today I am going to tell you about a Thai place we went to in La Condesa called Mibong. I learned of this place through my Spanish tutor who happens to be a big Thai fan just like my husband.

We set out with the address in a Taxi and after the taxi drove around for a while (Condesa is full on one way streets, not easy to get around in) he dropped us right in front of the restaurant.
I had Pad Thai, it was very nice, the noodles were cooked perfectly the chili has a very Mexican flavor to it and the sauce has a nice peanut flavor to it. This is not the Pad Thai I am used to eating in Michigan but it was a great dish done well.

My Husband ordered a fried rice dish that our 5 year old daughter stole from him and ate us so I can't tell you first had how good it was but she seamed to love it, good enough for me.
We also tried a seafood soup that they offered and it was very nice. We all got to have a few bites but in the end this was the big hit for my 3 year old son and he got to eat most o it. The kitchen is small and well used but clean!
The menu has much to offer with both sides full of many appealing looking items listed.

MiBong
Thai, Malaysian, Vietnamese
Campeche 396-B
ph. 5211-2078
Sun – Wed: 1 p.m. – 12:30 a.m.
Thurs – Sat: 1 p.m. – 1:30 a.m.

He is turning 4 and he is eating Batman's head

Not a whole lot to say, just wanted to post the cake I made for my babies 4th Birthday...well I guess he is not my baby any more he is my big boy and he is into cars, robots and super heroes.
I actually made this cake at 3AM because I just could not sleep.  I was done about the time the kids got up for the day.
  and of course he wanted to eat Batman's head

I used cocoa powder and blue food coloring in chocolate frosting to come up with the black.   once I had black I added some to white frosting to make the silver.

A peek at what has been on the table

Loving Michigan

I know I have been MIA yet again but the kids and I are off in Michigan visiting family for the summer. We will be back in Mexico next week with a schedule again and regular blogging will take place once again. Until then Enjoy the summer, we are.