Monthly Archives: December 2012

I could list hundreds of ways I’m the best wife ever. I do obvious “wife” things like cook and the occasional load of laundry. I also do less obvious things like buy The Husband Legos for Christmas every single year and shave the back of his neck between haircuts.

But today, I reached the pinnacle of best-wife-ever-ness. It started with a day off. Completely off with NOTHING TO DO.  A rarity. Let me fill you in on the details.

After the husband slept in until an hour I will not mention, coffee was waiting for him. Followed by omelettes, local double smoked bacon and toast. You’d think I could have called it a day after all that, but no. When breakfast was over, the husband and I made a nest of blankets in the middle of the living room floor. Was this a cozy place to watch movies? Nope. Was this a love nest? Not today, my friend.

This was a place to play video games. For four hours straight.

True Love

When I say video games, I don’t mean Wii or even old school Super Mario. I mean RPGs, The Husband’s hobby. For those of you not keen on the world of video games, RPG stands for Role Playing Game. There are lots of different types of  RPGs. Basically, you as the player assume the role of a character and play through the game, solving puzzles, destroying enemies with special moves, visiting new areas on the game’s map, using strategy to fight each and every BOSS (the big enemies) and most importantly, gaining levels. (I should get extra best-wife-ever points for that description. I’ve obviously been paying attention.)

So there I sat. Playing a game called Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom (from 2006 and an easy one for a novice like me to play). My character was a scout I named Sparrow. Using her twin blades on enemies, Sparrow kicked butt. Rather I kicked butt, because I’m really good at pressing a bunch of buttons at once or in quick succession.

Sparrow, my alter ego

After some harrowing game play, we were hungry.  So I made a huge pot of chicken chili, for which I gained several more wife levels and achieved the status of BEST WIFE EVER.

Chicken Chili with White Beans and Local Corn

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 carton organic chicken broth or your own stock! (32 ounces)

2 (15 ounce) cans diced tomatoes

1 (7 ounce) can diced green chiles (oh, how I longed for home grown peppers for this recipe!)

1/2 cup beer (I used a beer from local River Horse Brewing Company)

1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/2 teaspoon ancho chili pepper

1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander seed

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

2 (15 ounce) cans white beans (I used cannellini beans)

2 cups fresh corn (I used local corn I processed and froze in September)

1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more depending upon your taste)

Freshly ground black pepper

Local sweet corn, the only thing I managed to save for the winter months

Heat oil over medium high heat in dutch oven or soup pot. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to oil and cook until browned, about 7 minutes. Remove chicken from pot.

Add onion and garlic. Cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Stir in broth, tomatoes, chilis, all the spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the beans. Simmer for 5 minutes.

This next step is optional, but I think it gives body to the soup: Using a hand blender, pulse the soup about 4 times to break down the beans. Don’t overdo it as you still want the soup to have lots of whole beans.

This step gives the chili a thick and hearty consistency

Add the chicken and the corn. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste for seasonings and add salt and pepper, if needed.

Enjoy with your favorite chili toppings, such as cilantro, sour cream, and cheddar cheese.

Enjoy while leveling up your guys!