My husband is a man of many talents.  Getting him to write them down or talk about them, however, is akin to tugging a toy out of my grand puppy’s ever so cute but yappy little jaws.

Well, FYI, the hubs and I can both pretty much rock it in the kitchen.  He prefers the elbowroom of cooking by himself.  I rather enjoy the process of cooking together, or at least having company in the kitchen while I’m doing so.  True, I maybe interject my “thoughts” from time to time, which he doesn’t always welcome.   In the chili department, however, it’s hands-off for me.  I’ll occasionally venture into white chicken chili territory, but as a former firefighter (and paramedic and police officer, and don’t forget Eagle Scout—basically freaking Captain America) and highly-sought-after-back-in-the-day firehouse cook, traditional Firehouse Chili is all him, all day long. 

I wouldn’t have it any other way.  

Scott’s Firehouse Chili was a consistent favorite when we had our restaurant in downtown Benton Harbor from 1999 to 2002, The Main Street Café.  We served it mild (as written here), medium, Hot Damn, or Somebody Call 911.  It remains beloved among friends and family when he makes it today, and it promises to be a big winner for your Super Bowl or other gathering. 

If you happen to be the sort with venison in your freezer, chili is a super #MOREin2014 way to rotate VARIETY into your diet using a cleaner, leaner meat*.  If you’re not the sort, my apologies, but we’re from Michigan, and we are.  Or my husband is.  And thank goodness, because the meat he was able to put in our freezer has been a welcome and necessary addition this long, frigid, underemployed winter**.

I believe one of the major issues our nation faces in terms of wellness is lack of variety in our diets.  Eating the same few things (which generally include wheat three or more times a day, or rice if you're gluten free) day in and day out, week after week, is extremely stressful and/or over stimulating to the immune system.  So think outside the (processed) box by cooking at home, and outside the chicken, pork, turkey, or beef quadrangle.  Those who choose to eat meat might seek cleaner sources from local farmers who sell shares or sides of the livestock they raise.  Ask questions and be mindful of how they feed, accommodate, and treat their livestock, to make sure their standards align well with your own.

Bottom line, chili is a hearty, healthy, delicious, flexible and naturally gluten free meal that can satisfy anyone, and this recipe is among the best out there, because my hubby is among the best out there, in my humble opinion.  I think I’ll keep him.

Follow my GANEPossible.com board on Pinterest for many #MOREin2014 ideas.  If gluten-free is a particular concern for your family, then you might like my Gluten-Free Moms board.  And do subscribe (right over there --->) to receive my upcoming Quick Minute to GANE Empowered Wellness Newsletter in your inbox!

Wash and dice all the vegetables and combine with all the beans and tomato sauce and diced tomatoes in a large stock pot.  Season with chili powder, pepper, salt, garlic, and black pepper.

In a separate pan, brown the beef/venison, etc. seasoned as above (at approximately half the amounts listed) for the vegetables.  You’ll taste and adjust along the way.  Once browned (you may want to drain off some of the fat), combine in the pot and bring to a slow boil.

Add the mushrooms, continue to cook, and re-season to taste – add some of the chipotle pepper here too.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer for up to 2 hours.  Turn off – better refrigerated overnight and eaten the second day if you can wait that long.

Serve hot with fresh raw onion, cilantro, cheese and a dollop of sour cream.  

And you won’t be sorry for making a batch of my Gluten Free Cornbread to go with!

Copyright 2014 (c) Scott R. Gane, All Rights Reserved

LOVE my ladies over at Midlife Boulevard and READ some of the other great Super Bowl Party Posts!!

*If you’re not a hunter or don’t know anyone who is, venison can be purchased at better butchers and supermarkets (although it would be farm-raised and thus not as clean as wild and not considered sustainable unless the farm in question uses sustainable practices).  Bison, lamb, goat, turkey, chicken, or beef, ground or in bite-size chunks, would all work, too.  If you prefer a vegetarian chili, HVP-type (hydrolyzed vegetable protein, which is not considered safe for those that require gluten-free, and let’s face it, is fake) chunks or crumbles or tofu would work equally well.  This is heavy on the beans, so you could opt to serve it over brown rice, which would complete the chain of amino acids necessary to provide a complete protein without any meat or meat substitute. 

**I am proud of my state’s dual concern for conservancy and the wellness of our land, where maintaining the proper balance in the deer population is an ever-changing annual effort and concern. 

Require Gluten Free?  Use Caution with these ingredients:  cheaper store brands or blends of canned beans may contain wheat starch (we like to use organic when we’re able, and BPA free).  Read the label.  Packaged, pre-shredded cheese may contain a separating agent.  Check with the manufacturer to make sure it meets your family’s needs or shred your own from a block using a box grater.    

There's a reason I hadn't written a new post on my *other* site since the beginning of the school year when my stomach was in knots over my food sensitive kid's first male teacher (he's doing fine, btw).   A number of things have occurred since, which left me ambivalent about continuing with a gluten-free site at all (especially with one called GlutenNaziMom). 

After almost two years blogging, today I received my first hate comments.

I was advised having such a brand would take some special care, but that there were ways around it.  It was catchy.  It worked for Seinfeld.  When my son was born and I had teenaged daughters in the house, Seinfeld was still a part of our social landscape.  I have to wonder now if social media would have put a stop to the running SoupNazi skit from it's first airing.  Instead, it became a part of nearly everyday language in our house, and in many houses across America.

I had teenagers making PB&Js, macaroni and cheese, frozen pizzas, all while I was trying to navigate life with a newborn.  The puzzle of figuring out what made him uncomfortable, difficult to please, aka, "high needs," combined with the risk of cross-contamination when I was still learning and trying to catch my bearings did make me a GlutenNaziMom.

Seinfeld, however, I am not.  

My son took six years to get here.  I believe that was because of food allergies.  My husband had colitis bordering on Crohn's Disease, I had PCOS and endometriosis and wicked seasonal allergies.  There are reasons our reproductive systems shut down first.  And yes, I believe our food system has a lot to do with why infertility is still rising meteorically.  So I was.  I was a GlutenNaziMom.  Crazed in my efforts to try to get some damn sleep, more than a 20-30 minute catnap at a stretch out of my newborn, which was barely long enough to take a real shower with hair washing and leg shaving and the whole zen peace and solitude thing.

It was a name my teenagers gave me.  It was our effort to find humor in a difficult situation.  It was an effort to laugh at life even when my feelings were hurt.  Even when I had to stand and rock a thirteen-month-old for hours in the middle of the night because otherwise he was screaming, I could only assume, in pain because I'd inadvertently eaten something wrong, possibly the size of a crumb.  It was the way our family, and a whole lot of families that deal with one "food-allergic" kid in the house, try to get through it all from one day to the next.  

It was about vigilance in order to survive our stressful days.  Writing about our struggles and trying to help others was my way of eeking some good out of an often difficult situation.  Would I have traded my son, who took six years to be, for any of it?  Of course not.  But that didn't change the fact that it was a roller coaster more often than not.

When we know better, we do better.  

In mid-2013, I became associated with a remarkable group of midlife women bloggers, several of whom have heritage deeply entwined in and forever affected by Jewish history.  Were any of these remarkable, insightful, supportive women people I wanted to hurt in any way?  Is anti-semitism something I want to contribute to in any way?  My God, no.  

My friend Sharon Greenthal, founding co-editor of the site, Midlife Boulevard, wrote a post on her blog, Empty House Full Mind, which gave me pause (as did the Sunday Review piece which inspired her post, "The Banality of Robbing the Jews").  My own piece and the frustration and fear I expressed back when school began also gave me pause.  I felt ensconced in a ten-year-old (47-year-old?) defeatist attitude.  I don't want to be banal about or laugh at something so painful for millions of people, and I don't want to rob anyone of their things, their dignity, or simply their otherwise peaceful day.  Though I don't think the commenter is someone familiar with peace.

And I was tired.  

And my son is ten.  He often chooses and prepares food for himself these days.  Everyday he shows me that he's becoming more and more his own man.  And what am I discovering?  That remarkably, my son embraces an attitude of, "that's gluten free?  You mean I can try that," versus, "Whoa-is-me, I can't eat anything!"  

The truth is, because our grocery cart and thus our crisper drawers are always full of good things, because the meals we prepare at home are chock full of items from the produce aisle and contain far fewer boxed and prepared processed foods than many typical American ten-year-olds might encounter on a regular basis, my son recognizes that the world is full of an abundance of foods he can eat--Variety and Vegetables.  I did that.  My grandfather, who lived to be 100, and my mother did that.  I did that for my daughter even when I was a single mom.  It's a legacy my family has passed down which does something pretty magical:  It keeps us well.

That's the gold.  That's what is unique and special about my family and how we approach the fact that we happen, now that my daughters are grown women in charge of their own households, to be a gluten-free one.  And I can embrace the positive.  I can forgive myself for my prior process of scarcity, blame, fear, to embrace a new philosophy of #MOREin2014.

The truth is, crunchy and militant isn't for everyone.  We all have our own struggles and stresses and we have to choose the battles that make sense for our families.  If more of us just do a little better, become a little more aware, it has the power to be far more impactful than a handful of crunchy people waving signs around.

And I'd much rather be a part of a positive movement than cause someone to viscerally recall such a negative, hurtful, devastating moment in the collective history of our humanity.  

A year ago, I didn't have a clue what I would do if I weren't defined by GlutenNaziMom.  If I weren't locked in the baggage of life's difficult moments, what could I do?  What could I be?  It's taken me this year to process.  With some pretty intense coaching from Nancy Kaye, of Define Your Destiny, and the best piece of advice she gave me--CLAIM YOUR WORTH!  There is NO REASON on Earth You Don't Deserve Success and Happiness--it took me all of 2013 to grow and embrace all that my life is, versus all that's maybe a wee bit difficult about it.  And to roll with the punches, to keep on keepin' on, even in the face of nastiness.

I thank the commenter who provided the impetus I needed to take the step I was having a hard time committing to—I’ve taken down the site.

I'm a work in progress.  When we know better, we do better.  I'm still here.  And I surrender.  

Letting go of scarcity to embrace my grandfather's and my brilliant and beautiful son's attitude of abundance feels pretty damn great.  And I'm just a little proud of my part in getting him, getting us, there. 


NOTE:  This post was written (meh, a couple days late to the party, albeit a very timely topic) as part of a #MidlifeBlvd bloghop.  One thing I know about these ladies?  There will be a plethora of hugely valuable best advice and information they ever received.  I hope you'll read through some of the other posts.