Chow down on Chili

With all the ball game gatherings and snowy days ahead a quick and easy no fail chili recipe is an essential part of life. You can use it to top hot dogs. Make it the crowning touch on a nacho buffet or just eat it by the bowl full with great bread, saltines or tortilla chips. If you have friends from Cincinnati you may want to cook up some spaghetti noodles to douse with chili.

Four pounds of chopped sirloin
1 12 ounce can of tomato paste
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
4 medium onions diced
1 poblano or several mild green chilis diced
8 cloves of garlic chopped
1 tbls of oregano
1 tbls of basil
1 tbls of cumin
3 tbls of chili powder
1 tsp of salt
1 tbls of hershey's chocolate syrup
1 tbls of cooking oil

Add ground cayenne by the tablespoon for spiciness.
1 tbls for mild
2 tbls for hot
4 tbls for sizzling

Brown onions, garlic and sirloin in a tbls of cooking oil
Place everything in a stock or crockpot and cover
Cook on low for 3 to 4 hours
Add water as neccesary

Now you are ready to go
chopped onions, peppers, sour cream and cheese make for great toppings

Serve at halftime and they will be snoozing in the fourth quarter.

Holidays mean party time. From caroling through the neighborhood to watching your favorite bowl games a little winter party warms the heart. It seems from Thanksgiving to the first of February we are either answering the door or knocking on someone's. It's good to have something easy to fix and unique too for either situation.

One of my favorites is Baba Ganoush. This is a healthy, easy to make and travels well party snack that everyone loves. Thanks to the folks at Budweiser and their mention of Baba Ganoush, even your least daring friends will give it a try.










Ingredients:

1 medium eggplant
1 whole bulb of fresh garlic
1 lemon juiced
2 tablespoons of tahini (you can substitute plain yogurt)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of finely chopped parsley (you can mix fresh basil and cilantro in too)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
Peel the garlic so that you are left with whole cloves less the skins
Wash the eggplant and make quater inch slits all over the surface
Place garilc cloves in the slits of the eggplant
Bake on a sheet pan for 30 minutes or until soft

Allow the eggplant to cool for about 10 minutes
Cut in half and scoop out the flesh
Combine eggplant, garlic and remaining ingredients and blend or mix until it becomes a smooth paste

Chill for one hour before serving with pita chips or tasty crackers

Baba Ganoush and Bud Lite for a tasty party treat that won't fill you up and hits that spot. Save a Guinness for me.

Boiled Peanuts Delight the Soul.

Boiled peanuts are a delight to behold all over the world. Their roots are in Peru but they tickle the taste buds from China to South Carolina. This is a treat with a select audience and not for just anyone. Those who are in love with them can't wait for fall and the coveted green peanut to emerge.

Green peanuts are the best for boiling. Green peanuts can be found in farmers markets from late September to November in the Southern US. Asian markets have them available for much of the year. Green peanuts will cook to a perfect melt in your mouth consistency in just an hour or two at the most.

Raw in the shell peanuts are the next best candidate and can be found all year long. These peanuts may take four to five hours to cook on top of the stove and as much as eighteen hours in a crock pot. Raw shelled peanuts may be used as well and taste just fine though the romanticism of shelling them is lost.

Wash those nuts. This is most important with the fresh green peanuts as peanuts are an underground crop. Just fill that kitchen sink up with water and soak and scrub, soak and scrub until you could pop one in your mouth without hesitation.

I recommend one quarter cup of salt to one pound of peanuts. The peanuts will get saltier if you let them soak in the briny water after cooking. Use 3 teaspoons of dried red pepper powder per pound and up to 1/4 cup per pound for spicy boiled peanuts. For Chinese style use 2 whole star anise per pound plus salt with or without pepper.

Cook your peanuts in the biggest pot you've got. Crockpot cooking is good too. The Peanuts will float for a while so put them in first and then add the water. As the peanuts absorb the water they will began to sink and more water may need to be added. Try to keep the peanuts covered with water.

Check for desired doneness, we like firm but squashy at our house. Don't want to cook them yourself, Then buy online from my favorite southern boys the Lee Brothers

Thanksgiving in America

Happy Turkey Day to All

Counting down the hours until the annual Okies in Atlanta Thanksgiving Feast begins. Here the usual suspects, turkey, cranberries and broccoli casserole will gather for their unwitting demise. A surprise witness or two will surely surround the table. Out come the knives along with our insatiable appetites and the frenzy is on.

American Thanksgiving has no real rules. Turkey is traditional and holds a place of honor for most but from there it can go hog wild. Folks from Miami, North Carolina and Bayou Teche will use this weekend for a whole hog roast. Some meals will start with Samosas or eggrolls, others with salsa and chips, ours is likely to have both.

Cranberries may be found in the relish, jelly,salads or even rice. Breads can be flat fry bread, fluffy challah or some variety made from corn. Side dishes of Mfungo, crawfish empanadas, Thai yums and sweet potato bakes cruise side by side. Is there a better place to live and eat in November? No way.

We can't stop now. It is time for the final dive into that lemon merangue or sweet potato pie. Pecan pie bars on fresh churned vanilla bean may be the one. By now it is just a cookie or two for a pre-nap snack. Then a little sneak back to pack up a midnight snack.

Be Thankful for Thanksgiving in America.