Mary Had a Little Lamb

There's not many farm animals cuter than a baby lamb. (except maybe a baby goat)

The other day the children and I went to check on the sheep and lambs. We've been getting quite a few new babies these days and we noticed one off by itself.

We picked it up and took it over to where the rest of the sheep were, but it wanted to follow Ava back to the Gator.

I tried putting it down, jumped in the Gator and took off but it came running after us for all it was worth! I finally said, "Ok, you win." We took it home with us and put it in our empty chicken coop for now and the children have been having fun bottle feeding it.

Really Good Chili Recipe:

There's nothing like a hot bowl of chili on these cold, winter evenings. Today I'd like to share a really good recipe for you to try. Hope you enjoy!

Killer Chili

• 8 oz. bacon, cut in 1/2 " pieces
• 3 lb. beef roast, cut in cubes
• 1 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp. coarse black pepper
• 1 med. onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ​2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
• 1-2 T. cumin
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1 T. ground ancho chili powder
• 4 c. water
• 2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes
• 1 (12 oz.) can Coke
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cans pinto beans, rinsed
• 2 T. cornmeal
• Sour cream and lime wedges

In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until browned. Remove bacon. Reserve 2 T. bacon fat. Discard the rest.

In a large bowl combine beef, Kosher salt and pepper. Brown meat in the 2 T. bacon fat. Add onion, jalapenos and garlic and cook until tender.

Stir in cumin and chili powders. Add tomatoes, Coke, bay leaves, bacon and water. Heat to boil. Cover and put in 300* oven for 2 hours. Add beans and cornmeal.

Cook uncovered 30-60 min. until the beef is very tender. Serve with sour cream and lime wedges.

Recipe by Calvin Koehn

Here's to a really good week and hopefully Spring is just around the corner! Take care,
Craig