Thursday, February 22, '24, National Chili Day, and National Magarita day!

[pepperhead212]

So is anyone else making chili, or just Maragitas?

I have some chili cooking - already smelling fantastic! I can't call it Texas chili, since it will have some beans in it, but it's the same style.

I made some chili today, but no Margaritas - maybe if I had someone to help me with the drinking, too.

Here's the update, after I finished it. I got a lb each of ground beef and venison from the freezer, and thawed it most of the way in the microwave. I browned the beef first, then the venison, which doesn't brown as well, due to very little fat. Meanwhile, I cut up a large onion, and started that sautéeing in the Instant Pot until golden, then added a tb of minced garlic, the green chiles, a tsp of Mexican oregano, a tsp of ground cumin, and a half tsp of ground coriander, plus all the chili powders, stirred 30 seconds or so, then added the tomato paste, (which was 1½ oz dried tomatoes, soaked, then blended, with 2 toasted tortillas) and some water, then hit OFF. Then I mixed the browned meats together in the sauté pan, deglazed the pan, and added all that to the Instant Pot. Mixed that, added a little more water, added a little salt (more later, since I didn't know how much those pintos would add), then set it to Slow Cook/high, and let it simmer about 2 hours. Then I added the large can of rinsed pintos, and simmered another 45 min. Served with some monterey jack, and a couple flame toasted corn tortillas.
Venison on L, beef on R, browned separately, ready to add to the Instant Pot, and deglaze the pan. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Four different chili powders, plus a tb of sweet paprika. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Onion and garlic, cooked in EVOO, with the frozen green chilies, Mex oregano, Mex chocolate, cumin, coriander, tomatoes, and chili powder, added to the meat by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Everything in the chili except for the pintos, starting to simmer, on Slow cook "high". 29 oz can of pintos goes in later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Rinsed and drained pintos, added to the chili, after simmering about 2 hours. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Pintos simmered about 45 minutes in the chili, ready to serve. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished chili, wit a couple of flame toasted tortillas, before topping with a little cheese. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

 

[medtran49]

Marinated mushrooms, grilled asparagus wrapped in prosciutto with a lemon butter drizzle, and Caprese bites with roasted red bell instead of tomato with a balsamic based drizzle.

 

[caseydog]

I didn't know it was National Chili Day, or I might have made some good ole "Texas Red."

Way back when, beans would not have been "in" chili, but were sometimes served as a side "with" chili on the cattle trails. Today, beans are not a big issue with most Texans, but the proper beans would be pintos (no kidneys, please).

BTW, the original chili would not have any tomatoes, either (in any form). They weren't available out on the cattle trails. But, most Texans use tomatoes (usually sauce) in chili now. That, and ground beef would not have been available to the Texans who invented chili, either, so diced beef would have been used. I go back and forth between batches with diced beef and batches with a course-ground beef (called a chili grind in Texas stores). Ground beef cooks quicker, so it is easier to knock out a batch. Both taste good.

As a Texan, I'm pretty flexible about Texas chili, as long as people don't stray too far from its roots. If someone made a "Texas style vegan chili," with tofu instead of beef, I'd have serious issues. But, with or without beans is just fine with me.

CD

 

[caseydog]

Everything in the chili except for the pintos, starting to simmer, on Slow cook "high". 29 oz can of pintos goes in later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Hey pepperhead, do you dry your own chilis? I make my own chili powder with ancho (dried poblano) and chipotle (smoke dried jalapeño) chilis that I lightly toast in a cast iron pan, then fine-grind, followed by running through a sieve. It is WAY better tasting than store-bought chili pepper.

CD

 

[blissful]

WW toasted avocado romaine sandwiches, zucchini/plum/cherry bread, salads.

 

[taxlady]

We ordered from Allons Burger. I had a build-your-own burger. DH ordered a "Santa Fe" crispy chicken "burger". We had sides of chicken nuggets and fries.

 

[Kathleen]

I didn't know it was Nat'l Chili day! So I made a fried tenderloin sandwich with a side of fried mushrooms. I had to cut my tenderloins in half because they were too big for the fryer!

 

[rodentraiser]

I put a pork loin topped with garlic and onion in the slow cooker with an envelope of onion soup mix, a little soy sauce, a cup of chicken broth, and a bottle of one of those small Sutter Home wines, Cabernet Sauvignon. I wasn't sure I'd like the pork, but it was delicious. I also had Stouffer's scalloped potatoes which is a new product for them. The scalloped potatoes left a lot to be desired. I still have 2/3 of a box left and I'm trying to figure out how to make them more tasty because I really don't want to toss them.

 

[caseydog]

The scalloped potatoes left a lot to be desired. I still have 2/3 of a box left and I'm trying to figure out how to make them more tasty because I really don't want to toss them.

One word... Bacon.

CD

 

[caseydog]

I had a light supper, just a Black Forrest Ham with cheese sandwich on some good bakery bread -- and Duke's mayo. I had some unsalted tortilla chips and salsa for an appetizer.

CD

 

[rodentraiser]

Bacon sounds good. Maybe some more cheese, too. They're supposed to already have Parmesan cheese but I could have been fooled by that one.

The other thing is, the box said to microwave only. I'm really getting tired of all this microwaving. I think things taste much better if you put them in an oven and let them develop a little flavor.

 

[rodentraiser]

I had a light supper, just a Black Forrest Ham with cheese sandwich on some good bakery bread -- and Duke's mayo. I had some unsalted tortilla chips and salsa for an appetizer.

CD

That sounds so good.

 

[cjmmytunes]

Turkey thigh with gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, sweet potato souflee for dessert.

 

[pepperhead212]

Hey pepperhead, do you dry your own chilis? I make my own chili powder with ancho (dried poblano) and chipotle (smoke dried jalapeño) chilis that I lightly toast in a cast iron pan, then fine-grind, followed by running through a sieve. It is WAY better tasting than store-bought chili pepper.

CD

I make some of my own powders, but a lot of them I've found that I really liked, I stocked up on, vacuum sealed some in bags, and froze it. I'll have to find that company I got them from, but they were "pure" chili powders, not with garlic powder and chives added, and they have various mixes of chills, giving different flavors, and colors. I'll look on my desktop, when I go up there, to find that website.

 

[Aunt Bea]

A bowl of spoon sized shredded wheat with a dilapidated old banana and off to bed!

 

[Jusa]

So is anyone else making chili, or just Maragitas?

I have some chili cooking - already smelling fantastic! I can't call it Texas chili, since it will have some beans in it, but it's the same style.

I made some chili today, but no Margaritas - maybe if I had someone to help me with the drinking, too.

Here's the update, after I finished it. I got a lb each of ground beef and venison from the freezer, and thawed it most of the way in the microwave. I browned the beef first, then the venison, which doesn't brown as well, due to very little fat. Meanwhile, I cut up a large onion, and started that sautéeing in the Instant Pot until golden, then added a tb of minced garlic, the green chiles, a tsp of Mexican oregano, a tsp of ground cumin, and a half tsp of ground coriander, plus all the chili powders, stirred 30 seconds or so, then added the tomato paste, (which was 1½ oz dried tomatoes, soaked, then blended, with 2 toasted tortillas) and some water, then hit OFF. Then I mixed the browned meats together in the sauté pan, deglazed the pan, and added all that to the Instant Pot. Mixed that, added a little more water, added a little salt (more later, since I didn't know how much those pintos would add), then set it to Slow Cook/high, and let it simmer about 2 hours. Then I added the large can of rinsed pintos, and simmered another 45 min. Served with some monterey jack, and a couple flame toasted corn tortillas.
Venison on L, beef on R, browned separately, ready to add to the Instant Pot, and deglaze the pan. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Four different chili powders, plus a tb of sweet paprika. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Onion and garlic, cooked in EVOO, with the frozen green chilies, Mex oregano, Mex chocolate, cumin, coriander, tomatoes, and chili powder, added to the meat by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Everything in the chili except for the pintos, starting to simmer, on Slow cook "high". 29 oz can of pintos goes in later. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Rinsed and drained pintos, added to the chili, after simmering about 2 hours. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Pintos simmered about 45 minutes in the chili, ready to serve. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

Finished chili, wit a couple of flame toasted tortillas, before topping with a little cheese. by pepperhead212, on Flickr

I had chili for breakfast!

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Sweet dreams, @Aunt Bea. When you get up with the chickens, you should go to bed with the sun.

We had chili earlier this week. I'm not sure when, since I didn't take a photo. Instead, I made Brussels sprouts with bacon and mushrooms, sautéed chicken breasts with Herbs de Provence, and seasoned long grain and wild rice. It's like I'm cooking real meals again!

 

[Jade Emperor]

Bangers and Mash with Fried Onion Gravy (very UK!)

 

[Kathleen]

Bacon sounds good. Maybe some more cheese, too. They're supposed to already have Parmesan cheese but I could have been fooled by that one.

The other thing is, the box said to microwave only. I'm really getting tired of all this microwaving. I think things taste much better if you put them in an oven and let them develop a little flavor.

Think: Loaded baked potato. Bacon, sour cream, green onion, cheese.....