This winter has been unusually cold and snowy. We’ve started to feel like it will never end. Our beloved vegetable garden is buried deep in a snowy tomb making it hard to picture that we will ever be able to plant anything but icicles there anytime soon. And by soon, I mean in the next six months. <br /> <br />I am a New Englander. I expect winter to be long, but I don’t have to like it. I do, however, have to try to invent ways to help keep us warm, fed, and not quite so frustrated with the longest indoor season. So, when my husband pointed out a new chili recipe in the February issue of Bon Appetit, I was all eyes. After I read the recipe, I felt a pang of guilt as I considered cheating on our beloved 1840 Farm Chili, but desperate seasons sometimes call for desperate measures. <br /> <br />Then my husband had to raise the stakes a little further and point out a recipe in the January/February issue of Men’s Health for a chili puree from Chef Tim Love. Off I went to the pantry. I was in luck. I actually had all of the ingredients to make my own version of this recipe. I also love a challenge, so figuring out a way to modify these recipes and use them together seemed like a good way to spend my morning. Especially if it meant that there would be chili for dinner. <br /> <br />Tim Love's original recipe for chili puree calls for dried chilies. Since I didn't have them on hand, I substituted chipotle chilies in adobo which I always have in my pantry. I also added a little instant espresso powder to the mix to give the coffee flavor a boost. <br /> <br />

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