Halloween is by far my favorite time of year. This year was extra special because my family surprised my niece and nephew with a trip to Disney World. We purchased tickets for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween which took place after 7pm in the park. I haven’t been to Disney World in something like 27 years, and I was CRAZY excited to go back.

The Disney World Halloween party is a riot. After 7pm the park turns into a Halloween playground for adults and little kids……it’s like going to the biggest Halloween costume party of your life.

I was a dud and didn’t wear my Miss Piggy costume, but Kieran was a sport and wore his “Where’s Waldo” getup all night. No joke, Kieran counted 58 times when other people would shout out, “I FOUND HIM/WALDO!!!!”, it was hilarious. We even heard an Italian guy scream out, “Guarda! ho trovato Waldo!” At one point a group of people asked if Kieran would pose in a picture with them. We couldn’t believe a red hat, glasses, and a red and white sweater would bring so many people happiness! It was fun seeing my hubby transform into a mini costumed celebrity.

The best part of Disney was being able to re-live the park through my niece and nephew’s eyes. I got to enjoy a trip down memory lane as we rode on rides like The Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, and The Pirates of The Caribbean, and make new memories as we rode Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train!

NOTE: I recommend you download the free Disney app called “My Disney Experience”. The app shows you the wait times for ALL the attractions at the park (I believe it shows wait time for Disney Characters too). By using this app, we were able to avoid major lines! The longest wait was for the new Seven Dwarf ride (45 minutes) but we literately almost walked onto every other line!!! I should point out we visited the park on a Sunday, mid October, which is typically off-season for the park, so the lines may have been shorter for that reason.

Anyway, as you can imagine we felt our trip went by WAY too fast, so here’s hoping we can go again in the near future (hint hint to the hubs).

Now on to the beer chili!!!

Like many others on vacation I splurged on what I ate at Disney. I mean…who can resist those adorable Micky Mouse ice cream ears? So I figured we would clean up our eating upon our return home……of course…..some folks may judge and say putting beer in my food isn’t exactly “clean”….but those people can suck it….I like beer.

Best part, you only need a CUP of beer which means you HAVE to drink the remaining beer! You’re welcome 😀

Now get this….I have a food blog and I have Never. Made. Chili. Before. In. My. Life. Never. As I ponder how inappropriate this is, I realize I have a good excuse…..wait…no I don’t….damn.

Putting together this recipe was the best introduction to chili I could have asked for! It was fantastic!

This recipe is vegan (expect for the toppings, which you can omit or substitute if you are vegan) and it was wonderful. I’ve mentioned before I’m primarily a meat eater, but I like to change it up and eat vegan at least once a week.

If skipping meat is never going to happen in your life, you can easily add ground beef, bacon, or your favorite kind of chili meat, to this recipe.

If you want to get your carnivore on, cook the chopped bacon first. Cook it until it’s the crispiness you like. Then add the ground beef/steak and cook that until it’s browned. You can either drain the fat after the meat is browned, or leave some in to add crazy flavor to your chili! After that you can start the recipe below!

Meat or no-meat, this chili is kick ass! Special thanks to Thug Kitchen to turning me onto many wonderful vegan dishes while keeping me laughing at the same time!

Bean and Beer Chili

Shock Munch

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Ingredients

Chili:

1 tablespoon olive oil
8 oz mushrooms, sliced (see notes)
1 onion, diced
2 green peppers, diced
1 red peppers, diced
2 ribs of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 cups chopped fresh tomatoes (optional)
3-5 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz can of diced tomatoes
15 oz can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz black beans, drained and rinsed
4 oz can diced green chilies
1½ cups precooked or canned hominy, drained and rinsed (see notes)
1 cup of beer (I used O'Fallon Smoked Porter)
1 tablespoon oregano
1½ tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
½ tablespoon chipotle chili pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons of brown sugar (optional)
1 cup vegetable broth or water
Juice of ½ a lemon

Toppings:

Cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream
Green onion
Sliced Jalapeño
Cooked elbow noodles
Cilantro or parsley
Serve with rice or alone.

Instructions

Heat the olive oil, over medium heat, in a dutch oven or a large pot.
Add the onions and cook them until they become translucent, then a little brown (5-10 minutes).
Now toss in the bell peppers, celery, and carrots. Stir everything around and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
Make a well in the middle of your cooked vegetables in the pot. Pour a capful of olive oil in the pot and cook the garlic in the center of the well until you can start to smell it (approx 30 seconds). Stir the garlic into the rest of the vegetables.
Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt and cook for 1 minute.
Now it's time to add the beer, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, green chili's, and broth. Be sure to scrap the bottom of the pot to unstick any vegetable or spice bits. Simmer for 5 minutes.
Now add all the beans and hominy. Stir all the ingredients together and turn the heat down to medium low. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, remove the cover and stir, if the chili isn't as thick as you normally like it, keep the lid off and simmer for another 10-20 minutes.
Once the chili is at the thickness you like, add the lemon juice. Now taste. Depending on the brand of canned tomatoes you purchased, you may need to add the brown sugar to even out the acidity in the tomatoes. Taste again and add more salt or seasonings if need be.
This chili isn't very spicy, so feel free to add hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper to achieve the spiciness you like best.
Serve and eat as is, or on top of some rice.
Add any toppings you like!

Notes

Picky eaters in your house? Love mushrooms but other people in your household loath them? Have no fear your food processor is here!!! Throw the mushrooms in your food processor and pulsed them until they are cut into tiny little mushroom bits, just shy of a puree. Add the tiny cut up mushrooms instead of the sliced mushrooms and no one will ever be the wiser!

When you add the mushrooms to the cooking pot, I’ll admit they made the vegetable mixture look WEIRD, you will think you just ruined the chili. Rest assured, they will cook down and vanish into the chili. No one will know you added them! It’s the prefect way to sneak extra vegetables into the chili for picky eaters.

Hominy- I found this in the aisle that housed Mexican food at my local grocery store. It’s kinda like corn, but more puffy looking. You can substitute corn for hominy if you don’t like the taste.