Obama Rama

Since this is President Obama's first real week in office. Here is my first post on my blog. For Inauguration Day I insisted on having an office potluck while watching the inauguration together. There was a lot of delicious food - especially a quinoa salad (which will be featured on a later post). Also, my coworker Shari brought me this awesome cupcake from Eleni's NYC (pictured above). I couldn't eat it that day for I felt it was sacrilegious, but I didn't feel bad the next day. For the evening I had a Chili and Cornbread Party in honor of Obama. After doing some research I found out that Obama's favorite food is chili (based on a bunch of random things I read online). Honestly, if it isn't - I don't care because it is a fav of mine. Chili is so easy, quick, and filling. It is also great for leftovers (which is something I hate). I also made Jalepeno Cheddar Cornbread courtesy of Ina Garten. It isn't that traditional, but still really flavorful and easy to make!
Here is the recipe for the chili (the picture above is double the recipe):

Ingredients:
-1 Can of black beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of Cannellini beans (drained and rinsed)
-1 Can of fresh corn (drained and rinsed)
-2 Cans of stewed tomatoes (chopped if you want smaller chunks)
-1 Large can of tomatoe sauce
-1 Packet of chili mild seasoning (I like it hotter, but for guests I kept it mild)
-1 Long hot pepper (chopped and seeds removed depending if you want a milder version)
-1 Large sweet pepper (chopped and seeds removed)
-2 Cloves of garlic (minced)
-1 Large onion (white, yellow, or Spanish - chopped)
-Olive Oil (or whatever oil you have)

Directions:

-Saute onions in a couple tablespoons of olive oil until translucent on medium heat.
-Add garlic and peppers and cook until soft
-Add everything else and simmer until the flavors meld (about 1/2 hour).

Note: I love to serve this with Fritos and extra sharp cheddar shredded on top. It is a must for the ultimate chili experience. Oh yeah, and you can also add meat, but I don't think anyone missed it - but they could have just been being polite :)