It’s time to start thinking about what to serve for those family holiday get-togethers. And nothing satisfies better than an elegant beef tenderloin.

Also known as Chateaubriand, there are so many ways to prepare this tasty dish. This one’s an absolute crowd-pleaser . . .

For Thanksgiving, we served two turkeys — one brined and roasted and the other smoked — and a spiral-cut ham. Plus, we had zillions of sides. It was enough to make your pants split.

We plan to do the same for our Christmas dinner. What’s a holiday season without gaining a few pounds?

Boring. That’s what.

Here’s the roasted turkey fresh out of the oven. That brine made it so tender and flavorful we all ate like we’d been stuck living in the wildnerness with the wolves for a few months and had been surviving on berries up until that point.

Then, we smoked one in this smoker — the 1400. It rocked. I don’t like it too terribly smoky — just enough apple wood flavor to give it a little kick. It was perfect.

I had a hard time deciding which one I wanted to eat so, of course, I had both. Plus ham. Plus sides. Oy.

Yeah, we used our Christmas dishes. Wanna make something of it? We’re not going to be at our house for Christmas so we wanted to use them at least once.

We’ll probably break them out for the kids’ chicken nuggets in the coming weeks, too. We are totally getting in the spirit around here.

How about you? What are you planning to serve for your holiday dinners?

Oh, the weather outside is frightful . . . so let’s do what we can to make our homes warm and cozy.

A big part of that is making great meals that fill our tummies and warm us up. This chili recipe is great to have on hand when you have lots of company at your house for days at a time. Whenever someone is hungry they can just heat themselves up a bowl, grab some crackers, grate some cheese on top and have at it!

Also, be on the lookout for some ingredients here you might not have thought of . . . they’re spectacular.

Vidalia Chili

(Serves eight)

1 lb. Vidalia Sweet Onion Ground Beef

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

2 Jalapeno Peppers, seeded and chopped

1 large Can Crushed Tomatoes

2 oz. Mexican Chocolate (or 2 Tbsp. Baking Cocoa)

3 Tbsp. Chile Powder

2 Tbsp. Ground Cumin

1 Can Black Beans

1 Can Pinto Beans

1 Can Kidney Beans

Salt and Pepper to taste

Over medium heat, in a heavy bottomed pot, cook the ground beef until done and strain off grease.  Add jalapeno and garlic and cook for five minutes.  Add chocolate, cumin and chile powder and cook for five more minutes.  Add tomatoes and beans and cover with water, season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and reduce heat to low.  Cook for 1 hour, or until thickened.

I get my Vidalia Sweet Onion Ground Beef here.  It has amazing flavor and it gives this chili that extra taste that makes it special.

Enjoy!