As we approach the one-year mark of this here blog, we’ve challenged ourselves more and more. Zelda’s hard at work on her 15 New Things, and Scout’s attempting to conquer the kitchen. This is the love child of those two quests, a little series we call, Eat This, Drink That! Last time, armed with a recipe from Zelda’s mother, Scout attempted the Southern staple of cornbread, while Zelda shook up a Mamrie Hart cocktail. This week, we’re at it again!

This past Friday, we hit the grocery store (after a necessary bagel stop), armed with Scout’s grandmother’s recipe for White Chicken Chili. We were going on a lot of faith, since Gaga had texted the recipe, and in true grandma fashion it included the directions: “1 or 2 cans of chicken broth” and “1, wait no 2 teaspoons of cumin.”  Between the inexact instructions and the stock at the local grocery, we had to fly by the seat of our pants a little bit, substituting turkey for chicken and lucking out when Zelda had a can of green chiles lying around (remnants of an abandoned whim to make artichoke dip).

Luckily for Scout, the recipe itself is pretty simple. Combine 2 cans of navy beans, 1 can of chicken broth, 1 large chopped onion, 2 cloves minced garlic, 1 teaspoon white pepper, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, 4 cups cooked chicken (or in our case, turkey), 2 cans of green chiles, and 1 cup of water into a large pot. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours. Yes, it really is that simple, just the way Scout likes it.

With some help from Zelda, Scout followed the recipe and managed a pretty good result. Maybe it’s not your traditional chili, but it certainly tastes good, just like Gaga makes. We’re declaring this kitchen fear conquered. Now time to break out the tupperware and make all the roommates try it.

Zelda followed the same theme from our last entry in this series, with a Mamrie Hart concoction dubbed the Alabama Blizzard. Like the White Chicken Chili, this recipe’s biggest plus is that it is super easy, and she happened to have all the ingredients handy and accessible (no small feat given her recently moved state).

For this drink, you will need 4 bags of black tea (Zelda went with Irish Breakfast, but English or plain old Lipton’s would suffice as well), 8 oz. bourbon (Bulleit, in our case), 3 oz. lemon juice, 2 tbsp honey or simple syrup if you’re fancy, and 3 cups of frozen peaches. Place the tea bags in the bourbon and let steep for one hour (no more, or it gets bitter).  Then combine your tea-infused liquor with the other ingredients in a blender, and blend until well-mixed and drink-consistency! Pour into glasses (this makes 2-3 drinks), and enjoy. This stuff can be thick, so we recommend straws.

This may not be the prettiest drink in the bunch; the most common comparisons from our test audience (read: us and our friend Katie) were baby food or butternut squash. But it tastes damn good, and packs a surprising kick. Which just goes to show that, as with chili, the best things don’t always come in the prettiest packages, but they can be wonderfully delicious all the same. Until next time!