Sinus Infections & A Recipe (Say What?!)

(Well, with a title like that, who doesn't want to read this post?  Mmmmmmmm.)

So, last Friday I learned that it's not really a good idea to run into a minor emergency clinic shouting "help, my brain is exploding!"  Even if you have been laying in bed all day, hearing little pops in your sinuses, and feeling that your eyeballs are about to pop out of your head from the built up pressure. 

Be prepared for "who let the crazy lady in here?" looks.  Not that I know from experience or anything. 

Except that I do.

You should also be prepared to receive antibiotic shots (in a place that will not be named), from a doctor who is not amused to have to keep reassuring you that your brain is not, in fact, exploding.

You may have noticed that we've had a string of sickness around here.  And by "we," I mean, "me."  Something else I learned on Friday was that my doctor should've given me antibiotics SIX WEEKS ago.  And didn't.  And the final thing I learned is that I will not be going back to said doctor ever again.

Anyway, since I got the magic shots that made me feel like a human again, I tried to be very Martha-like and cook last night.  My sweet friend, Jessica, gave me a recipe for some amazing pumpkin chili she brought me back when I had AG.  Since it has all the things I look for in a recipe (namely, dumping cans of stuff into a crock pot), I made it last night. 

And guess what?  It was AMAZING.  Yes, I am bragging.  But only because most of the time when I cook, it's either unedible, or a possible culprit of food poisoning.

Here's the recipe, for anyone else who wants to make something delicious in 5 minutes that will absolutely impress whomever you decide to share it with.

Pumpkin Chili: 

(Except I could NOT find pumpkin anywhere in my grocery store, so I decided a can of yams would work instead.  So really, this recipe is called "Yam Chili."  Which sounds much less inviting than Pumpkin Chili).


1 package lean ground beef

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can "chili hot beans," not drained (pinto beans in hot chili sauce, Kroger brand)

1 can chili beans in mild chili sauce, not drained (Bush's brand)

1 can store-brand pinto beans, drained and rinsed  **I left these out because pinto beans are the devil, and I had to limit the amount I was putting in my body.

1 small can tomato sauce (no salt added kind)

1 can pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling, just pumpkin) **2 cans of candied yams, if you want your chili to taste like a delicious plate of diabetes.  1 can if you're not a sugar monster, like me.

1 packet McCormick's chili seasoning

1 teaspoon cinnamon

dash of garlic powder

dash of oregano

cheddar cheese for topping

salt and pepper to taste


Put everything except beef, cheese and 1/2 of McCormick's packet into the crock pot and cook all day. 1/2 hour before serving, brown beef in olive oil and season with the rest of the McCormick's packet. Once fully cooked, add ground beef to crock pot and let simmer 1/2 hour more.

Now, go put your feet up and congratulate yourself for being extremely Martha-like.  Enjoy!