Hannah Lorence: Food & Film: Hell or High Water

Talking about a film while eating good food with people I love is possibly my favorite thing ever. I've got the perfect movie and meal combo for a date night in or get together with friends, so consider your weekend plans made.

Hell or High Water is a movie that besides its Oscar nomination, in my opinion, didn't get enough attention last year. It's set on the dusty roads of West Texas where wide open skies, beautiful sunsets, and cowboys are not in short supply. Chris Pine and Ben Foster star along with Jeff Bridges.

The story follows two brothers (Pine and Foster) who team up to save their family's land by robbing the banks that have taken advantage of their dying mother by trying to repossess it because of its valuable oil. Bridges, along with his Native American partner, are the lawmen trying to anticipate their next move and bring them to justice.

This film touches on themes of brotherhood, sacrifice, and justice with excellent performances as well as writing from Taylor Sheridan who knows a thing or two about West Texas, being from there himself. I watched this movie for the first time after having moved back to Texas myself.

I have the easiest Tex-Mex chicken stew recipe to share. My husband hadn't seen the movie yet, so we warmed a big bowl of Tex-Mex stew and watched it together. Here's the recipe, inspired by this Texas tale:

Slow-Cooker Tex-Mex Stew

Ingredients:

- 2 red bell peppers, chopped
- 2 jalapeños, chopped
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 can black beans, rinsed
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 can tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon canola oil

To start, chop all of your veggies:

Combine all of your veggies in a bowl with the tomato paste, chili powder, and oil and microwave for 2 minutes. Add to slow cooker.

Season your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add to the slow cooker. Add the chicken broth and tomato sauce and cook on low for 4-6 hours.

Once the chicken is easy enough to shred with a fork, remove the chicken and set the slow cooker to warm. Shred the chicken like so:

Skim the fat off the top of the chili in the slow-cooker and rinse your black beans. Add the shredded chicken back in, black beans, and corn and let it heat through for 5 minutes or so. Finally, season with salt and pepper to taste.