Althouse: At the Hot Pepper Café...

২৪ সেপ্টেম্বর, ২০১২

At the Hot Pepper Café...

... we're just getting warmed up.

৬৭টি মন্তব্য:

edutcher বলেছেন...: Are ju goin' to go loco y caliente, Senor y Senora?; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৩২ PM
MadisonMan বলেছেন...: I covered up my pepppers last night, and Saturday night. Now we'll have two weeks of fine non-frosty weather, and I can get a bigger crop.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৩৫ PM
Issob Morocco বলেছেন...: Ghost Peppers in the Sky!!; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৩৬ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: You want green peppers? (Si!) I'll give you green peppers. Come out to the garden... Coplas!; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৩৭ PM
Amartel বলেছেন...: That's hot.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৩৮ PM
Lem Vibe Bandit বলেছেন...: I didn't see the Univision Obama interview but I'm hearing on Rush that apparently they peppered him pretty good.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪১ PM
CJinPA বলেছেন...: For no reason...

I'd like to see the rest of the prof's headshot at the top of the blog.

Every time I see it I picture her at the helm of a large boat.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৪ PM
traditionalguy বলেছেন...: Are those weaponized chili peppers? Red ones are usually the suspects. Take the first bite, Eve, and let me know how it tastes?; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৫ PM
Tyrone Slothrop বলেছেন...: Hot peppers are good for diabetics like me. They improve circulation in the capillaries preventing neuropathy. The sweating is just a bonus.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৫ PM
Curious George বলেছেন...: Reminds me that I made my awesome chili for a friends party Saturday night. Was a huge hit, always is. Want the recipe, let me know.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৫ PM
Chip Ahoy বলেছেন...: Here's how to make a chile chameleon.

Get an image of a lizard that you want to use and put it in a layer on top of this one. You do that by simply copy/pasting it on the original. Adjust the size to fit the pile of chiles. You do that by telling it what dimensions you want or by tugging at the corners.

Outline the chameleon with a path and save the path. Change the path to a selection and use the selection of the outlined chameleon on the chile patch. That is, copy the chiles in the outline shape of the chameleon. Copy. Paste. That creates a chile-chameleon in a layer on top of the chile pile. That is, a transparent layer of chiles in the shape of a chameleon. Discard the original chameleon layer for it has served its purpose.

Copy the chameleon layer and adjust the chameleon's legs to make it look like it's walking if you can do that, and create a separate layer for each leg position. Name the chameleon layers, for example, original, front leg move, rear leg move, that sort of thing, or simply 1,2,3. The layers can be duplicated as a set, if you want the chameleon to walk off the page then create sets of chameleon layers and position the transparencies as if the lizard is walking.

Or, you can shake the lizard layer by creating just one alternate outline and copy it three times or four times and position it alternately layered so that it appears to shake when run in sequence. My British friends showed me this, with chameleons. A stack of transparencies positioned directly above the original image in the shape of the chameleon but cut from the rug and changes to the chameleon that when run as frames appear to shake, like the camouflage poodle on a patterned rug.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৮ PM
jungatheart বলেছেন...: http://www.youtube.com
/watch?v=mzJj5-lubeM; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৪৮ PM
Chip Ahoy বলেছেন...: Perhaps a better example would be the giraffe in the woods. Because that was done in the manner described.

In the poodle example the dog was already there and the rug had to be reconstructed. That was a lot harder than it first seemed. Nothing matched. And it's a complicated pattern.

But the giraffe was not there in the woods, that was a separate picture unrelated to the original so no reconstruction of of the missing woods was necessary.

How to hide a blue elephant is another example of that. The elephant is unrelated to the original blue tile wall. Just as a chameleon would be to this pile of chiles.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১:৫৯ PM
chickelit বলেছেন...: @deborah: Did you ever see "Funky Monks"? Lots of wanking and goofing off but there is one interview with Anthony Kiedis that makes it worthwile.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:০২ PM
edutcher বলেছেন...: CJinPA said...

For no reason...

I'd like to see the rest of the prof's headshot at the top of the blog.

Every time I see it I picture her at the helm of a large boat.

That was my impression when i suggested she use it for the masthead.

(no pun)

Lem said...

I didn't see the Univision Obama interview but I'm hearing on Rush that apparently they peppered him pretty good.

Fausta does a good job of summing it up (Glenn Beck skewers him good, too).

If you liked that, you'll love this.

chickelit said...

You want green peppers? (Si!) I'll give you green peppers. Come out to the garden... Coplas!

On my wedding night, I did not sleep a wink. (Hokay!) So, I switched to Sanka.

Coplas Revisited.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:০৩ PM
jungatheart বলেছেন...: Haven't seen it, chick, but will try to check it out, hopefully from the library.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:২৫ PM
Farmer বলেছেন...: MadisonMan said...
I covered up my pepppers last night, and Saturday night. Now we'll have two weeks of fine non-frosty weather, and I can get a bigger crop.

Oops. I guess my vegetables are dead.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:২৯ PM
sakredkow বলেছেন...: এই মন্তব্যটি লেখক দ্বারা সরানো হয়েছে।; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৩০ PM
sakredkow বলেছেন...: ~~Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun
Dust on my face and my cape~~; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৩১ PM
ricpic বলেছেন...: The Mystery

How did it come to be?
Were the peppers tossed on the blanket?
Arranged artfully?
Or the third possibility: tossed and then "edited?"
What about the blanket?
Was it there to begin with?
Or did the maker pull the blanket and the peppers together?
See a combination, where there were only peppers, and a blanket, before?
At which point the mystery takes a deep dive down
To a place where silly questions have no place.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৪৪ PM
ricpic বলেছেন...: Hey, I just realized that's your rug not a blankie, So no mystery at all. You tripped and the peppers fell out of the grocery bag onto the rug and voila! a pitcher.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৫৫ PM
Chip Ahoy বলেছেন...: Those chiles are green. That means they are not ripe. But this you already know from your plant knowledge.

Bobby Flay went down southwest to learn himself about chiles, and it was so ridiculous the way he went around asking all those nice people in New Mexico what was their favorite type of chile red or green? They all looked at him nonplussed at first before responding because they are all the same chiles except at different stages but the people are all too kind to say, quit asking us that stupid question you dumbass. But now he's learned better.

Also chefs on Food Network continue to propound the nonsense about capsaicin heat being in the seeds. It's not. The heat is concentrated in the membrane that attaches the seeds to the pod. That stuff is hot, if the chile is a hot one, The inner clump and the ribs of the chile. You can test that yourself by getting the hottest chile imaginable and carefully removing the membrane with an X-acto and boldly fearlessly consume the seed. Hold it right there on your lip. Go on, try it, I said.

But here's a chile chameleon. The little curly one is what dun it.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৫৬ PM
David বলেছেন...: On 60 Minutes, Obama called the events in Libya "a bump in the road." He's getting flack for that. It's terrible phrasing but in the broadest sense not a lie.

In the same response he asserted that the US has been aligning itself with the forces of democracy and freedom in the Middle East, and that this was the right path despite the bumps.

Tell that to the Syrian rebels, who are being murdered daily. For that Obama won't even vote present. He made a public statement that the Syrian government rightly interpreted as saying the US would intervene only if they used chemical weapons against their own people. This enabled Assad to step up has assault with jet fighters, artillery and infantry.

Obama is acting as if the massacre in Syria does not exist. And of course the crack interviewer on 60 Minutes lets this pass. Steve whatever his name is. Fools. Both of them.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৫৬ PM
David বলেছেন...: An exacto for seeding chilies! Of course. I've been fumbling with knives for years.

Thanks Chip.; ২৪/৯/১২, ২:৫৮ PM
bagoh20 বলেছেন...: "I'd like to see the rest of the prof's headshot at the top of the blog.

Every time I see it I picture her at the helm of a large boat."

I see her waving goodbye to Obama as he rides away on his new bike with training wheels, helmet and mom jeans.

"Be careful lil' fella, and don't talk to strangers."

"Yea Meade, it was nice having him around to play with, but what an asshole!"; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:০৩ PM
garage mahal বলেছেন...: @Curious George
I'll take that recipe, please.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:১১ PM
CJinPA বলেছেন...: That was my impression when i suggested she use it for the masthead. (no pun)

Would make a fun photophop exercise.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:১৩ PM
Mark বলেছেন...: এই মন্তব্যটি লেখক দ্বারা সরানো হয়েছে।; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:২৭ PM
Mark বলেছেন...: Actually, those aren't peppers (piper nigrum), but rather chilis (genus capsicum).; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:২৭ PM
Toad Trend বলেছেন...: Beware the green peppers...

They can be VERY ’hot’; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৩০ PM
Aridog বলেছেন...: এই মন্তব্যটি লেখক দ্বারা সরানো হয়েছে।; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৩৮ PM
Curious George বলেছেন...: "garage mahal said...
@Curious George
I'll take that recipe, please."

In a 5 quart crockpot:

2 - large cans Red-Gold diced tomatoes
1 - Small can Red-Gold Crushed tomatoes
1- Small can Cooked Black Bean (Frijoles Negros )
1 - Small Can Cooked Pinto beans (Frijoles)
1 - Diced White Onion
1 - Diced Green Pepper
3 - Diced Jalapenos (lg)
3 - Tablespoon Chili Powder
1 - Tablespoon Brown Sugar
1- Pound ground beef browned and drained
1 - Pound Chirizo* browned and drained

Cook in crockpop at low heat for 12 hours.

* I used Johnsonville Grilling Chirizo last time, cut open the sausage and pulled out the filling.

This has a nice medium heat. It's not blow your head off chili so it appeals to a wide audience. Also, it's easy on the beans (I like more in my home version) so bean haters don't mind, or it's less to pick out.

Eat with some rustic bread, and a cold beer.

Try it!; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৩৯ PM
yashu বলেছেন...: ~~Hot chili peppers in the blistering sun
Dust on my face and my cape~~

Such a great song/ story; it's like a Sam Peckinpah movie.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৪৪ PM
Aridog বলেছেন...: Chip Ahoy is, of course, correct about where the heat is in a chili...the membrane inside, not the seeds. If a seed feels hot on the tongue, it is because of residual membrane still attached to it.

Traditional Koreans prepare their ripe red chilies by slitting them lengthwise and removing the seeds by running a thumbnail through the slot. The really old school dry the split chilies in sunlight. Once dry, the hulls, with members intact, are ground in to coarse flakes to fine powders.

The seeds add nothing to the flavor of chilies, nor the foods prepared from same. I buy my Korean chili grinds from Korean owned groceries. Two pound bags, one coarse and one fine, last a long time. Just make sure they're Korean original, not Chinese, which is cheaper, seedy, and less well prepared.

You just can't convince my numerous Arabic food shops of that, however, they firmly believe the heat is in the seeds....and usually label their grinds as hot pepper seeds....that uniformly taste like pepper flavored wood chips.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৪৬ PM
Christy বলেছেন...: Spent about 10 hours with my hands in ice water once because, after all, jalapenos aren't really hot. Used up an aloe plant to finally find relief.

I'm wondering why the Obama campaign is running ads here in Tennessee. I thought we were a foregone conclusion.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৪৬ PM
garage mahal বলেছেন...: Thanks CG, I'll have to give that a try. I might try rehydrating some chili peppers instead of the chili powder. What do you think?

My friend in FL is an unbelievably good cook. He made this chili by rehydrating chilis and it turned out amazing. He won't give me the recipe for it though. What a dick!; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৫১ PM
garage mahal বলেছেন...: CG
I'm going after some kings next weekend off McKinley Marina pier. Some guys I work with have been killing them. You ever eat anything out of Lake Michigan? Or should I say, would you?; ২৪/৯/১২, ৩:৫৯ PM
Toad Trend বলেছেন...: Curious George

Always looking for different chili recipes - thanks for this, I will give it a try.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:০২ PM
Hagar বলেছেন...: Chile is a vegetable. Chile con carne is a dish, as is green chile stew, chile rellenos, etc., a.s.o.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:২৪ PM
Curious George বলেছেন...: "garage mahal said...
CG
I'm going after some kings next weekend off McKinley Marina pier. Some guys I work with have been killing them. You ever eat anything out of Lake Michigan? Or should I say, would you?"

Haven't, but would. I think you just need to limit consumption. Same as with many bodies of water.

As far as the chili powder substitution, go for it. I use it because it's easy, and chili is a lazy man's food. The rest of the recipe is fresh though.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:২৫ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: How many of you put beans in your Chili? I know it's a sacrilege to put pasta in it.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৩৩ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: My daughter brought me some chili powder from Sinagapore, much different than ours. Ours has a blend of chile and cumin in it I believe.

I'd rather add cumin in proportions I like to chili.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৩৬ PM
Triangle Man বলেছেন...: Looks like the next shot at Romney from the left is speculation that he is refusing to reveal his tax records because they will show he participated in the IRS amnesty for tax cheats from the UBS whistleblower case.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৪২ PM
Chip Ahoy বলেছেন...: Garage, The guy is a bastard. I hate when people do that. Once Wolfgang puck was interviewing his own mother demonstrating something special that she makes and she got to the secret part that could not be revealed and I'm all, what? I'm not even going to tell you what I thought after that, but it wasn't nice, and it ended, die with your recipe then.

I will attempt to compensate for his ill behavior.

If he rehydrated chile peppers, then that would be like those ristras Althouse showed a few days ago, the string of red peppers. You can buy the same things in bags.

They come in different strengths. They're everywhere over here. The problem is, they give no clue to their heat capacity so all that is experimental.

They are heated in a cast-iron pan to excite the molecules and get their dried oils moving. Just force them flat onto a hot pan for a few seconds, but don't burn them. They soften right up and puff a smoke to reveal their hidden essence. Then soaked in hot water and blended. Sieved to extract all the tiny bits. That's a very important step to those cooks, they want it completely smooth. Salted, flavored standard ways, and that forms a traditional sauce for tamales and such. It's very tasty just as it is.

So, cubed pork into a pot and browned all over the place and removed. In stages, do not crowd the pot. Onion, garlic, sauce from dried chiles, additional fresh chiles if you want chunks of vegetable chile, and who doesn't? potato if you want that in there, return the pork and boil until the pork comes apart. Which is fast. Tomato, peeled, if you don't then the peels come off by themselves and roll up into pins, disconcerting little tomato pins throughout the chile, or canned tomato, last because it goes mushy as the pork cooks,

Bay leaf. Cumin and coriander are the essential spices along with salt and pepper. Oregano is another.

Chipotles for smoke if you want that and increased heat, and additional vegetative chiles, powdered paprika for smoke and additional heat.

But no tricks like liquid smoke, or liquid bouquet, or worcestershire sauce unless you want tamarind, cooks use those because they're grasping for additional flavor that you can put there the real way without substitutions.

Pork cooks a lot faster than beef and lamb and other things. It surprised me how fast it goes, and how fast you can start eating it. Before it's done as stew, testing along the way, it's all good.

Consider beer, corn, pistole, which is corn treated with lye, not pistola which is a gun, masa harina for thickener, the same stuff used for corn tortillas, or soaked tortillas. Tomatillos, which have a papery outside that once removed leaves a sticky surface, and that cooks to something akin to a raw tomato but, eh, I don't know, once I over did it with tomatillos because a bunch came in a bag and it put me off tomatillos, honestly, I don't know what they're supposed to do.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৪৬ PM
Patrick বলেছেন...: Beans in chilli - yes.
Pasta in chilli - ARE YOU CRAZY?

My people do not have a long chilli tradition, but several generations hence, we will.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৫৩ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: chickelit that's a great quote by your father, "If people can't control themselves, the government will. If the government can't control itself, another government will." I'm printing it out and taping it to the bathroom mirror.
Regards - Muns; ২৪/৯/১২, ৪:৫৩ PM
garage mahal বলেছেন...: Chip
Perfect, appreciate this! I think this is precisely how he prepared his chili. Hah!

Going to have to bookmark this. Seriously, thanks again.

I wonder if I can get this together soon enough for the chili cook off next month.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৫:০৫ PM
rhhardin বলেছেন...: Believe in America campaign sign, making two Romney and one Obama on the bike commute.

Breast cancer porch light, one of many attractive breast cancer products celebrating football season.

Green tennis ball.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৫:০৯ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: Patrick, I actually never did like pasta in chili and especially now with the lowcarb thing. I do like pork as the meat for chili too, but I think beef gives it a richer base flavor.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৫:২৩ PM
yashu বলেছেন...: rhhardin, I always enjoy your photos, and I adore your dog.

And I love your flickr username, which immediately calls to mind Chaucer. Love that Old and Middle English.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৫:৩৬ PM
ad hoc বলেছেন...: Beans - Yes

There's a restaurant that specializes in chili. They serve three types; Texas-style, Cincinnati-style, and veggie. You can get any of them served over pasta. It's pretty good.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:১২ PM
pm317 বলেছেন...: palladian, thanks (I removed the pic on the other thread -- I guess I got punk'd).; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৩৮ PM
Tim বলেছেন...: "Oregano is another."

Uh, no.

Just, no.

YMMV, though.

Oregano.

Geezus.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৪০ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: Romney is finished. FINISHED, I tell you. The WH dinner at the Oval Room was SUPER FANTASTIC. The latest polls from Nate S. from NYT (he personally gave it to David Axelrod, who is mentioned in the Jaws movie - he is celebrity after all).

Oh, my, what a defeat for Romney. The best and greatest POTUS is 10% up with 340 electoral advantage.

This is hush-hush. Off-the-record. Romney is TOAST.

NB: Phillpe Rienes will be promoted to the WH in the 2nd term. We love the way he told F.O. to the reporter. If a reporter does not support us, we have one word: F.O.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৪৫ PM
Tim বলেছেন...: Chili?

Must include seared/grilled jalapenos, tomatoes, and chuck roast.

Preferably over Mesquite or Red Oak, Santa Maria-style.

And if you don't know what Santa Maria-style is, then you don't know tri-tip, properly prepared.

Which means you're missing something terribly good.

Pity, that.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৪৫ PM
Cedarford বলেছেন...: Chip S. from a previous thread:

Catching Ms. Consumer Protection on a violation of the principal consumer-protection rule governing her profession is absolutely hilarious.

If the story persists, and more facts are known, I hope our Ms. Althouse comments more on this.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৪৫ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: Romney is finished. FINISHED, I tell you. The WH dinner at the Oval Room was SUPER FANTASTIC. The latest polls from Nate S. from NYT (he personally gave it to David Axelrod, who is mentioned in the Jaws movie - he is celebrity after all).

Oh, my, what a defeat for Romney. The best and greatest POTUS is 10% up with 340 electoral advantage.

This is hush-hush. Off-the-record. Romney is TOAST.

NB: Phillpe Rienes will be promoted to the WH in the 2nd term. We love the way he told F.O. to the reporter. If a reporter does not support us, we have one word: F.O.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৪৬ PM
Tim বলেছেন...: And, from New York, we readReuters: Defiant Ahmadinejad says Israel will be 'eliminated'

Barack says "...just noise."; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৫১ PM
Toad Trend বলেছেন...: Beans in chili, yes, red or black. Beef is preferred.

Pasta in chili, no, lets leave the goulash to the Hungarians.

Red beans and rice is another great comfort treat that isn't difficult to make...cajun fans???; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৫৪ PM
Cedarford বলেছেন...: David - "Tell that to the Syrian rebels, who are being murdered daily. For that Obama won't even vote present. He made a public statement that the Syrian government rightly interpreted as saying the US would intervene only if they used chemical weapons against their own people. This enabled Assad to step up has assault with jet fighters, artillery and infantry.

Obama is acting as if the massacre in Syria does not exist.."

Oooooooo! David evokes the supreme moral authority of "Tell it to The Victims!!"
Part of the problem is we are realizing that a good chunk of the Noble Freedom Lovers fighting the "evil Assad regime" happen to be Salafists and al-Qaeda allies.

If they win, certain people say they will make Egypts Muslim Brotherhood gang look tame and pro-Western in comparison. And question if it is wise for the "compassion people" to force the US into erecting yet another vehemently anti-West, anti-Christian regime. (Minority groups are tolerated in Syria as long as they don't stir up shit. Syria has the biggest Christian population in the ME. Plus many other minorities that are not in constant fear of their safety.)

Yes, for the Israel-Centric posters, Assad is no friend of Israel. But what would replace him is in all likelihood worse.

Sometimes "dictators who kill their own people" serve the greater good of humanity if the people being killed want a dictatorship or even Islamist democracy worse than things under the evil dictator. Contrary to what the idiot Bush said about leaders who kill their own people, (like Lincoln??), being the most awefulest stuff Dubya could imagine.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৫৫ PM
নামহীন বলেছেন...: Tim, funny that tri tip is so popular out there in CA, I have friends who moved here from CA, the hubby rags on Wisconsin beef and says one can't get good steak in Wisconsin, because it comes form cows as opposed to steer, how the hell would he know?

They love tri tip.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৬:৫৭ PM
Synova বলেছেন...: Wow... enough Ozone here to clear the sinuses out completely. I'm really hoping some rain comes with it. We need the rain.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৭:৫৮ PM
Carnifex বলেছেন...: Story time!!!(haven't had one in a while)

When you first start seeing other older people there comes the time when you have to face the inevitable...you have to meet "the children"!. I don't have any so my now wife had it easy. She had three, 2 were adults by their own rights, and the youngest I had met before(she was still a child).

So my wife fixes a big, big, BIG mess of chili, and invites me, her kids, and the kids partners. Now my wife had heard me brag about chili, I've had it everywhere, and everykind. Love the stuff. The hotter the better. So she tells me to get ready, she made the best chili in the world, and I was gonna' be introduced to it, and her kids at the same time!(no pressure)

So, it's late November, dark outside, the house was humid from her cooking, and the kids start arriving. Her son, who though shorter than me outweighed me by about 100 lbs., typical redneck for Kentucky, dressed in brogans, bluejeans, and a torn tee-shirt with some faded Nascar logo on it. Her older daughter came dressed as a vampire(going through a goth stage),with a prissy boyfriend that sent my gaydar off(I was right). And her youngest who still lived at home.

So we're all in the dining room and kitchen, making drinks, passing out crackers, and generally getting ready to eat. So we sit down, and laddle up the chili, and my wife tells me, "Get ready. This is the best chili you ever had" and the kids all nod their heads in agreement.

(I should add as an aside that very few people can stand up to my wife, she is a force of nature, so I do NOT blame the kids for what happened next.)

I get a big spoonful of chili and load my mouth up. It's got spaghetti, no beans, (no onions, I'm allergic), looks good. As it settles in my mouth, I roll it around my tongue like a wine taster...and an alarm goes off in my head...and I can't stop, it's a conditioned reflex...(OMG)I spit it out! I...spit...it...out!!!!

Every head turns to look at me(OMG! I spit it out!) The look on my face told some story that I couldn't hear. My wife says, with concern and worry(she thought I was ill) "What's the matter? What's wrong?"

I my shock and disbelief, I tell her the truth(OMG!)..."Jesus! That is the worst chili I ever put in my mouth!"(OMG! Did I just say that? In front of her kids!)

Silence settled on the house, like when you see yourself about to be hit by a car and you have enough time to notice, say "Oh shit!", and then you hear the screeching tires, smell the mustiness in the air. All of lifes' little things we don't notice while we are busy...

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THAT'S THE WORST CHILI YOU EVER TASTED!!! EVERYBODY LOVES MY CHILI!!!! TELL HIM!!! EVERYBODY RAVES ABOUT MY CHILI!!!"

(OMG! What do I do? Tell the truth! Yeah! That'll work!) "Sweetheart, when you were making this chili, at any time, did you use any 'chili'?"
Reply"No...why would I use 'chili'?"
My response "Oh...I don't know...the name maybe"
"But everyone loves my chili, don't you kids?
No one moved a muscle.
"Sweetheart, if this is what you have fed them for 20 years, telling them it's chili, then they don't know any better. This is just watery tomato sauce, hamburger, and spaghetti. There is NO chili in your chili!"
"Everybody I ever served this too loved it!"
"Then they lied to you. Here, do you have some chili powder?"

We doctored up that spaghetti soup til' it was edible. But I don't know why she just didn't throw me out. By rights she should have. I contend if we could make it past the chili fiasco, we can survive just about anything.

And she makes passable good chili now...one pot for her, and the big pot for the rest of us.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৮:০৮ PM
Revenant বলেছেন...: On 60 Minutes, Obama called the events in Libya "a bump in the road."

They probably just need a crew out there to replace a couple of the good intentions.; ২৪/৯/১২, ৯:২৩ PM
ad hoc বলেছেন...: Carnifex,

That is a great story, especially because it ended well.; ২৪/৯/১২, ১০:১৮ PM
kentuckyliz বলেছেন...: 'fez--poor family, more concerned with getting enough to eat, rather than its quality?; ২৫/৯/১২, ১২:০৪ AM
LordSomber বলেছেন...: No pasta in the chili. I will start off with a little bit of rice and chicken stock though, with some dried arbol peppers thrown in before I add everything else.
Have been experimenting with various habanero varieties, like the red savina and "chocolate" types. They go well with black beans.
A dash of aromatic bitters brings out the flavors after the pot has been sitting for a couple of hours.; ২৫/৯/১২, ৯:১৪ AM