Rate the Hate the Let them Judge YOU edition #1

Whew, this one was TOUGH. All of the recipes entered sounded luscious and super fabulous. Here's the recap:

The Retropolitan entered Retro's Mexican Chili. No surprise. He's hot; so is his chili.
Molly entered Molly's Amazingly Rich Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes. I have heard tales in far off lands of these potatoes. I think there are a few odes to them out there.
Ducks Mahal submitted his version of Maque Choux, which he has cleverly re-named Maque Choux #2. It goes in a rice bowl. He's singing my song.
Katharine submitted Black Bottom Pie, which she borrowed from Martha. If I know anything, it's that Kathy steals the very best recipes. I had a scandalous one-night-stand with this apple pie she made one Christmas.
Andy entered a Krispy Kream bread pudding recipe he got from Food & Wine magazine. Which sounds like a contradiction. But also sounds freaking awesome.


There was no way I could choose from one of them. So I didn't. Josh's birthday was Wednesday and I made him, totally unwittingly, decide for me.

Me: What do you want for your birthday dinner? Fancy or easy?

Him: Not fancy, for sure.

Me: Comfort food-y (Molly's potatoes)? Ethic? What?

Him: Oh, ethnic for sure.

Me: How about Maque Choux (Ron's #2)?

Him: Can I dump Cholula all over it?

Me: I'm thinking NO.

Him: Not that, then. Something I can drown in Cholula would be good. Maybe south-of-the-border.

Me: Mexican, then? (she angles for the chili) (Sometimes we forget that we have a new south of the border now)

Him: And chocolate fudge cake.

Me: How about PIE? (Kathy's perhaps) What about a nice bread pudding? (Andy's)

Him: Hell, no. CAKE.

So, I baked a cake. Which rocked. And the lovely The Retropolitan was the winner of this months' contest.

Without further ado, Retropolitan's Mexican Chili Extraordinaire!

1 can white beans
1 can reduced fat chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes (with onions and garlic if available)
1- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into chunks (can
also use turkey breasts or chicken thighs)
1 or 2 medium chipotle peppers seeded, diced (also a little bit of the adobo sauce for extra spice)
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced (more or less to taste)
1 Tbsp mustard
1 Cup water
1 Cup Salsa (medium or to taste)
1 Tbsp Woostershire sauce (that's how he spells it, about that is CUTE)
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (or about 7 or 8 shakes)
1 tsp. oregano

(His notes: By can, I mean the small 10 oz (or so) cans. I adjust
the seasonings to taste, usually using more salsa and mustard than
I've indicated and less cumin. The diced tomatoes usually come either
with garlic and oil or onions and jalapenos which are better than the
plain ones. I get the chipotle peppers canned in adobo sauce.)

(My notes: I used exactly the salsa and mustard indicated, and I couldn't get chipotle peppers, so I used the powder, 2 tbsps, I think. It worked fine. I also added a can of kidney beans, because we appreciate a good fart-fest. I let it simmer in the pot for around 2 hours, and served it over basmati rice.)

Saute onion and garlic in large pot with olive oil until fragrant.
Add chipotles and sauté until lightly brown (2-3 minutes). Add all dry
spices and sauté 30 seconds. Add chicken broth, salsa, mustard,
water, diced tomatoes, woostershire sauce, and chicken. Bring to
simmer. Simmer 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add white
beans and cook another 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
Serve with sour cream and grated cheese. And just how did it go over? Well, 2of3 wouldn't so much as look at it, 1of3 put a lot of sour cream in it, and he said he liked it, but he didn't actually eat so much of it. It was Hallowe'en, though; they were distracted. I didn't even bother giving the baby more than the beans, but Josh and I? Oh, my, we have a new true love. We ate, and ate more, and ate some the next night, and the next night, and it gets better every day. I give it a perfect score. So, congrats to The Retropolitan. Your prize will arrive soon. And next months' contest starts NOW. Email submissions to heymrlady [at] gmail [dot] com.