SPICY VEGGIE CHIlI

Today is the first full day of Fall! That means cooler temperatures & warmer foods :) Now, two of my sisters are vegetarians, & the rest of us are basically. SO, for the second Cooking with Katie feature we made a Family Staple: Spicy Veggie Chili. This recipe was adapted ever so slightly from Joy the Baker. Do not be intimidated -- it's very easy! Just a lot of chopping & a lot of veggies (it is vegetable-tarian, after all) (smirk emoji).

You will need: (Seems like a lot but it's mostly veggies) (which, by the way, were pleasantly affordable!)

• 2 T(ablespoons) olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 2 zucchini, diced (I just learned zucchini is the same thing as "zucchini squash" while shopping for these).
• 1 yellow squash, diced
• 5 smallish cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 or 2 jalapeno pepper(s), seeds removed + diced
• 1 can of beer (I used Mad Tree's The Great PumpCAN because, why not?!)
• 3 heaping T steak seasoning (McCormick is best!)
• 2 heaping T chili powder
• 1 T cumin
• 1 t(easpoon) coriander
• 1/3 c barbecue sauce (Montgomery Inn, because it's Cincinnati)
• 1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed
• 1 15-oz can kidney beans, rinsed
• 1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 or 3 cups vegetable stock
• 1 -2 ears fresh corn kernels..or a cup of frozen

In a large pot over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions & saute until translucent & slightly browned. (Don't stir them too much or they wont start to brown.) 

Add the peppers & zucchini & cook for 4-5 minutes, until they begin to soften.

Add garlic, jalapeno & all of the spices into the cooking vegetables. 

Side Note: The jalepenos are a big part of the "Spicy" in Vegetartian Chili. To decide if your recipe requires one or two, literally tongue test it. After one second, if your tongue is on fire -- one will be just fine. (I dove for the kitchen faucet moments after this.)

Cook for two minutes. It's going to look pretty thick & kinda goopy...that's normal!

TIme to add the beer! It's very important to taste test, of course :) 

The beer will do something called "deglaze" the pan. Keep the pan hot + scrape all the good stuff off the bottom. 

Once the beer has stopped sizzling, add the barbecue sauce, beans, diced tomatoes, corn & vegetable stock. 

Bring to a low boil & cook for at least 15 minutes. 

Serve with some plain greek yogurt + shredded cheese!

+ beer bread, of course ;)

COFFEE ICECUBES

I live + breath coffee. But sometimes even I have a little extra french press in the morning. Pouring the life source down my kitchen sink was torture (torture I tell ya!), so I took to refrigerating the extra liquid gold to later add ice + serve cold.

BUT. THEN... 

I saw this unbelievable idea from Offbeat + Inspired: Coffee Ice Cubes. Seriously?! How have I never thought of that?! I hopped on board immediately + have been decorating my Almond Milk (both vanilla + chocolate) (though I love the chocolate more, obviously). It takes a little while to infuse, but it's sooo good. 

Cheers! To never wasting the end of another good french press! + to every new way I can consume coffee on this Monday :)  

SUMMER HATS FOR FALL

This summer my love for hats reached a whole new level. I went from never wearing a fedora to owning four. I styled them here, here, here, here + here. We all found big floppy hats +  wore them here. I realized hats are not just stylish but also functional (seems obvious, I know, but this was a huge revelation for me). + best of all,  I learned "good hat day" means I have few extra glorious minutes in my bed every morning.  (Because otherwise I comb my hair every day.) (I really do!) (Well.. most mornings.) (Smirk emoji.)

Even though last week I brought the wool baseball cap back into my wardrobe, I'm not quite ready to put my summer hats away (partially because I don't know where to store them in The Studio...). So, sweet Magical Simplicity readers, let's transition! This amazing summer hat called to me from a boutique at The Market while I was visiting Colleen in NYC. The moment I was told about it's end-of-summer 40% sale - it was mine. It's bright pink + so obviously a sun hat. I suppose that makes it's natural habitat the sizzling summer months. But I think I can stretch it out :)

As the weather cools, the trick is to mute the rest of your outfit with basic colors: blacks, greys + whites. It will make room for this transitional pop of color. Plus, don't you think it's rude to distract from something so beautiful, anyway? If you've been obsessing over hats this summer  (like me!) (I mean, really though, can we talk about how much less makeup you need when hats are the ootd?!) --  I'd love to hear how you plan to transition yours into the fall. Suggestions + comments always welcome. + as always, thanks for reading :)

Hat: The Market in NYC
Pants:  Madewell Skinny skinny ankle coated motorcycle jeans
Shoes:  Frye Laney Lace Up
Photography: Jackie Butler

CINCINNATI'S FINDLAY MARKET

Findlay Market
9a-6p Tues-Fri / 8a-6p Sat / 10a-4p Sun 

You've all been to Findlay Market, right? If not.. you must. Findlay Market, on Elder Street [map], is not only Cincinnati's oldest Public Market, but the oldest, continuously run Public Market in the state of Ohio. Located in historic Over the Rhine, Findlay Market is one of the most colorful + iconic features of our city. 

Essentially, Findlay Market is an indoor hallway lined with about two dozen vendors. & surrounded on the outside of the building with two dozen more vendors. There are meats, cheeses, desserts, vegetables, teas, wines, beers, fresh flowers, local eateries (in fact, some of my favorites are at Findlay! Remember Taste of Belgium? Eli's BBQ? Dojo Gelato??), the list goes on &  on. 

The vegetables are so colorful, right? Findlay's Farmers Market (the outside portion) is open seasonally.  You simply must stop by before Fall shuts it down. But, what's more colorful than the Farmers Market is the people! Every corner of the city is here. It's one of my favorite places to style watch :) 

So here are a few tips for navigating Findlay: 

• Bring a canvas bag (for your groceries).
• Head down in the morning, that's when there is the best selection. 
• Surrounding parking lots have very reasonable rates. But, if you can't find one, there's always street parking! 
• Cash is king & there are ATMs on site.
• Come hungry! (& thirsty!) There is local flavor everywhere you turn + a biergarten. 

I love Cincinnati. So much. & Findlay Market has always been one of my favorite features (remember my Tamino on the Town adventures with Teddy? One of our locations was Findlay!). Lately I've noticed some really amazing storefronts coming in to rejuvenate Elder Street: Maverick Chocolate Company (they make their own chocolate inside the store!), Eli's BBQ (coming soon!) (you all know my feelings on Eli's!) & more.  

I've spent many a happy morning at Findlay Market. I hope, if you have a little time,  you get to explore for yourself :) Tell me how it goes! xoxo 

BEER BREAD

Hellllo!!! Welcome to Magical Simplicity's first food post featuring my lovely sister Katie! We are excited to jump into a new series for you. (Don't be fooled though, I am definitely the one benefitting most from this endeavor.) (I get all the left overs.) We thought we'd start you off with a simple recipe: Beer Bread. My family loves bread. I don't mean like. We. Love. Bread.  How much? I didn't know that built-in "bread drawers" weren't standard for all American kitchens until I was in college. What's cool about this recipe is that the beer acts as your yeast - so you don't need to let it rise & it's only six ingredients. Let's get started :)

You will need:

• 3 cups All-Purpose Flour, sifted
• 2 tablespoons Sugar
• 2 tablespoons Honey
• 1 tablespoon Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 can or bottle of Beer

(Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.) I'm going to include this step because I didn't know how to sift flour (smirk emoji). So, you need one of these tiny little strainers (above). I'm told it's called asieve. Before you measure out your flour you want to shake it through the sieve. Katie says this is what makes the bread fluffy (I've never done this step in the past + can confirm it makes a big difference). So, sift your flour and measure out 3 cups.

Now add the rest of your dry ingredients: 1T baking powder, 2T sugar, 1t salt. Stir to combine.

Add honey (2T) and beer (1 can)(any beer will do, but lagers + ales are best) (I, however, have a true love for Mad Tree's PshycHOPathy that I could not betray).

Stir gently until just combined. Dump into greased loaf pan. 

Bake 45 minutes - 1 hour.

& enjoy! This is the best bread in the land & the perfect side, always. But you know what it goes best with? Vegetarian Chili. Recipe coming next week :) Update:  here it is!