Eat Your Heart Out, Nancy Drew

So, my very first post on this blog (and, indeed, the very name of the blog itself) referenced my love for Nancy Drew and my not-so-secret wish for red hair.  I've always had the attitude towards hair (at least mine, anyway) of, "it's just hair - it'll grow back or you can dye it back or whatever if you hate it."  So, about 2 and a half or 3 weeks ago, when I went for my regular six weeks hair appointment, I turned to my trusted hairdresser (seriously, Billy Hoyt's been doing my hair (and my mother's and he cuts my dad's) since I was thirteen, except for a brief stint while I was in college) with a picture of Kate Walsh and said, "What do you think?"  I'm not going to lie - Billy and I were both apprehensive (but not apprehensive enough not to go for it).  So, an hour and a half later, et voila :

(It's especially dramatic if you knew me and my blonde hair previously).  Everybody at the hair salon loved it (Billy and I included, although our love was also tinged heavily with relief that it turned out well - hair dye is always a gamble - ha!).  I then went through the (I think, almost obligatory) period where you ask yourself, "Oh God, what have I done?!"  And now I'm back to liking it a lot.  The color that it is now is slightly less intense than it was on the day it was done (which is the way it is with all dye jobs, but particularly red) but I actually think that has helped me like it more over time.  And it's been hilarious to watch people's reactions when they see it for the first time - everyone has been positive (or very nice if they don't like it, so much so that I can't tell if anyone is really horrified by it).  The best reaction was my grandparents:  Papa told me he liked it and that it was just the color of Grammy's hair when she was younger. 

Speaking of Grammy, Alan and I had some delicious Grammy chili on Monday night (we have to have easy-to-prepare foods on Monday night because Mondays take everything out of both of us, and that was especially true this Monday since I had a trial the next morning).

Looks delicious, right?  Here’s the recipe (confession:  this is Grammy’s chili recipe at its heart, but Alan has modified it with the use of the deer meat and jalapenos … everything else is original Grammy though):

Grammy Chili

• One bell pepper, diced
• One small onion (red or white, your preference), diced
• 1/8 to ¼ cup of chopped pickled jalapenos (depends on your tolerance for hotness) and a splash of the pickled jalapeno juice
• one pound of ground deer meat
• one pound of deer sausage
• two cans of kidney beans
• two cans of tomato sauce
• salt and pepper to taste

Sauté the pepper and onion in the bottom of a large pot with a splash of olive oil until they are just softened and the onions are translucent.  Add the deer meat and deer sausage plus a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper, and cook through.  Add the kidney beans, tomato sauce, and jalapenos and jalapeno juice (if using).  Cover and let it simmer on low heat for a minimum of 30 minutes (the longer you simmer, the better it tastes). 

Simple, right?  The best recipes usually are.  If you haven’t tried it before, I highly recommend sour cream as a garnish in chili – it’s delicious!  Fall and winter are my two favorite seasons because they just beg for the preparation of delicious and hearty soups, stews, and chili. 

Only 4 more days ‘til our ultrasound appointment – can’t wait!