French's Mustard

Safeway can't compete with the non-union Wal-Mart and such, so they have to go upscale, or at least pretend to. But they seldom get tourist business in my part of town, although I have seen busses full of Japanese tourists, on the way back to the airport, loading up on cantelopes and such.

We get better stuff at smaller neighborhood stores, often cheaper too.

Jonh

So did our Safeway in Grass Valley. In a predominantly blue collar environment, going "upscale" is the kiss of death. If their parking lot is half-full, they've got a hell of a crowd while the new SaveMart across the street is full sunup to sundown.

I give them a year to stop bleeding red ink and either go back to a real Safeway or pull the plug entirely. The funny part is that the building they are in was once a Lucky's (excellent) taken over by a Ralph's (sorta OK) to this abortion of a Safeway.

Jim

--
"If you think you can, or think you can\'t, you\'re right."
        --Henry Ford



"John Larkin"  wrote in message

> Our Safeway remodeled and went "upscale", which meant mostly different
> lighting and higher prices. And the writing on the products, which
> used to be English and Spanish, which makes sense here, is now mostly
> English and French, which doesn\'t.
>
> John
>

Not much to it, really. Soak the kidney beans in water overnight, in a covered bowel in your fridge to soften them. (Distilled water is good, if available.)

The next morning you brown the beef, and cover with water. Cover it and stick it in the fridge till the beef fat hardens on the surface. Spoon off the fat, then add onions, and the spices. I use chili powder, black pepper, a tiny bit of garlic, and a teaspoon of lemon juice.

I prefer to use home grown Italian sauce tomatoes, when I have them. Cut the top and bottom off, and slice lengthwise into quarters. (The skins are very thin, so they will separate and float to the surface as they cook.)

Add the beans and anything else you like. (Thin slices of Red, yellow or green peppers, etc.) Slow cook for four to eight hours, stirring it every 15 minutes or less. I used to use a four quart dutch oven, and a one quart pot on the electric stove, then add the quart to the dutch oven as some of the water cooked away from both pots.

I like the 80/20 beef or leaner, Vidalia onions and dark chili powder, but you may have to substitute what you can get. I have not been able to grow tomatoes since I moved south, so I use canned diced tomatoes. Sometimes I add tomato juice, or sauce. In a pinch, the large can of Hunts Regular Spaghetti sauce will work. I like to make minor changes every time I make it, but not enough to make big changes in the flavor.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I\'ve got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

^^^^^ The Scottish approach? (See also: haggis.)

Tim

-- Deep Fryer: A very philosophical monk. Website @

RST Engineering (jw) snipped-for-privacy@rstengineering.com posted to sci.electronics.design:

A lot of that will depend an what you are looking for. I am way over in the "A Bowl of Red" region, no beans, no meat, no other extras, just the chilis, garlic, cilantro, and enough liquid to make it blend. You are not too far away to obtain a sample. Heat ranges start with (mild) jalapeno and go up.

No, I'm sure it's not if you keep to something like this. I said a RECIPE, not a NARRATIVE.

Jim

Sorry, Jim, but I never measured the exact amounts of each item I use. I learned to cook like my mother did. Just toss in what seems to be the right amounts, from experience. She grew up on a farm during the depression, and at six was cooking for their extended family of 18 people. An excellent cook, but she couldn't tell you what amount of anything she used for any dish, even though she'd made them for 40 years. She won a lot of blue ribbons at the Hamilton County, Ohio Fairs over the years, for her food, soap and quilting.

I have never been able to duplicate her cornbread, or several other favorites, even though she tried to teach me. I think part of it was that she had an antique cast iron skillet that was silver plated inside for her cornbread. Always golden brown on the outside, yet fully cooked through the center. It was the only pan she would use for cornbread.

I simply watched her prepare a meal, then would try to make it myself. After a couple tries, I usually had exactly what I wanted. Very few bad meals, but a little change here and there would fine tune it.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

I have a couple of cast-iron things that make cornbread sticks that look like little ears of corn. You preheat them to 400F, spray a little Pam, spoon in the batter, and bake until the tops are brown. I think I bought them in a little shop on Royal Street, in New Orleans.

Hmmm, gotta get off my butt soon and pick some blackberries in the canyon, make a pie or cobbler or something.

John

[snip] [snip]

My wife has a set of those that she's had since childhood. Given to her by her grandmother.

Likewise old clay bean pots.

...Jim Thompson

-- | James E.Thompson, P.E. | mens | | Analog Innovations, Inc. | et | | Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus | | Phoenix, Arizona Voice:(480)460-2350 | | | E-mail Address at Website Fax:(480)460-2142 | Brass Rat | |

| 1962 | America: Land of the Free, Because of the Brave

Gail just brought a set home with her that she got at a corn grinding facility outside of CHicago. Sucker still uses a waterwheel as the prime mover. If anybody wants to Google Graue Mill they might have a web presence.

Jim

Jim

-- "If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." --Henry Ford

"Jim Thompson" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com...

And just found the pan on the Target web page ... $9 apiece.

Jim

-- "If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right." --Henry Ford

The trick with cast iron is to never wash it with soap. A quick rinse and dry is as far as one should go. A little old grease never hurt anybody.

John

My own personal chili recipe:

Texas Armadillo Roadkill Chili

You see, there is this little place in west Texas that raises Armadillo just for chili. Once a month, during the full moon, they herd the adult armadillo onto a special section of concrete roadway. Seems that to get just the right amount of tenderization, you have to run over the armadillo with an 18 wheeler partially loaded at exactly 58 mph. The headlights scare the critters, so the meat is a little tougher, so they do it at the full moon so no headlights are needed. They run the truck through the herd, scrape up the goodies, run the truck through again, scrape again. They then package and freeze the meat for shipment all across the country. No internet presence ever since PETA got to them... :-(

Now, for the recipe.

Take about a pound of top round, london broil or other good beef, and cube it into about 1-2 inch pieces. Marinate in a bowl with a little hot sauce, about 2 tbls of brown sugar, and a little worchester sauce.

Take any trimmed fat, and put it inot a cast iron dutch oven and render till there is a good layer of fat on the botton, and then dispose of the fat. Brown the meat in the fat. When just browned, add the armadillo meat (if you don't have any, I like to use hot italian sausauge... 8-) ) and brown it. Then add some bell pepper strips (Trader Joes frozen, a small onion, chopped, and a couple of cloves of garlic, and about a half teaspoon of chili powder. When the onion is softened, add whatever tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste or other similiar ingredients you want.

Now, in a crock pot, you have your beans. I usually use one large can of chili beans, and one large can of pintos, but use your own judgement. Put the crock pot on high, and when the beans get hot, add the meat/tomato mixture. At this point, you can also add any additional chili powder or hot sauces. Depending on how thick, how soon you want to eat it, or whatnot, you can either leave the crockpot on high, and things will be ready to eat in about 2-3 hours, or better, turn it to low, and give it at least 8 hours to 'mature.'

Charlie

BEANS? In TEXAS chili? You, sir, must be an imposter; in fact, I strongly suspect that you must be from Noo Yawk City....

Bob M.

sounds like it's going to be a smelly nighT!

--
"I\'m never wrong, once i thought i was, but was mistaken"
Real Programmers Do things like this.
http://webpages.charter.net/jamie_5

I kijed the Chile my mom used to make, and I like Wendy's chile. I don't have any recipies, but I like these guy's chile....

greg

Take one can Hormel Chili. Dump into pan. Heat. Serve with cheese & crackers.

Cheers! Rich

I heard this from an Oklahoman: It takes 3 Texans to eat an armadillo

- one to do the eatin' and 2 to look both ways for traffic.

$50 Chili July 2003 John Popelish

Making this recipe is a bit like planning an invasion. The=20 whole process takes about three days, after you finish the=20 shopping. The idea behind this recipe is to make a complex=20 and subtle chili, with no single flavor dominating. Every=20 bite tastes and feels a little different from the last.=20 Makes 5 quarts.

Ingredients: (in order of use)

1 pound dried black beans 14 oz can chicken broth 14 oz can beef broth 1 pound bacon 1 pound ground sausage, mild. I like Jimmy Dean's. 1 pound ground chuck. Don't use extremely lean. 1 pound rib eye, New York strip or Delmonico steak 29 oz can tomato sauce 12 Roma tomatoes (the shape of large eggs) 2 stalks celery 1/4 head red cabbage 1 red onion, large 1 bulb garlic 1 red bell pepper 1 Casablanca pepper 3 jalape=F1o peppers 4 dried chilies de arbol 2 dried ancho chilies olive oil vinegar ground cumin dried basil ground cinnamon salt brown sugar bittersweet baking chocolate

Day 1:

Rinse 1 pound of dried black beans cover with 1.5 quarts of=20 cold water in a glass bowl. Cover and place in refrigerator.

Day two Replace the water and return to the refrigerator, covered.

Day 3, the ordeal: Place beans and water in a 4 qt. stainless pot , and heat=20 slowly, over low heat, to a boil. After water reaches boil, cover and simmer for 1 hour. Drain water. Put beans in an 8 qt. stainless pot. add:

14 oz. can of chicken broth 14 oz can of beef broth. Cover and reheat over low heat. Simmer for one hour.

During the simmer: Fry a pound of bacon to crispness. Drain on paper towels. Cut bacon into about 1 inch pieces. Add bacon to pot. Strain the bacon fat through a paper towel folded into a cone. Wipe skillet with a paper towel to remove most of the coating. Put the filtered fat back in the skillet. Pinch marble sized pieces of the sausage into this fat. Fry till browned and crisp on edges. Drain sausage on paper towels. Add sausage to pot. Mince or grate a quarter of a red onion and a couple buds of=20 garlic and 1/4 teaspoon salt into the ground chuck and mix well. Pinch marble sized pieces into the fat. Fry till browned. Place a paper towel in a strainer, and pour the meat and fat=20 into the towel, to separate the meat and fried onion bits=20 from the fat. Add fried meat and onion bits to pot. Wipe the skillet with a paper towel and pour the fat back in. Trim the fat and gristle from the steak. Cut into bite sized pieces, preferable triangular or odd=20 shapes, not cubes. I try for elongated pieces about half=20 the length of my little finger. Season with about 1/4 teaspoon salt. Fry the steak in the fat that has been flavored with bacon,=20 sausage, beef, onions and garlic, till browned on the edges=20 of the pieces. Drain on paper towel. Add to pot.

After the beans have been simmering in the meat broth for=20 an hour, Add 29 oz. can of tomato sauce. Cover, and bring back to a boil over low heat. During this time: Remove the stem end from 12 Roma tomatoes and cut in half=20 lengthwise. Arrange cut side up in a 9X13 inch cake pan. Brush or spray with olive oil. Bake in a 350 degree oven, till starting to brown, about 1 hour.

While they bake, Cut up and add to the pot: Two stalks of celery, cut lengthwise, and then in about=20

1/8th inch slices. 1/4 head of red cabbage, slivered (about 1.5 cups after=20 cutting). The remaining 3/4 red onion, chopped coarsely. The rest of the bulb of garlic, crushed and chopped.

(If you want to make the final texture really velvety,=20 Stick a fork in the stem end to make a handle, and do not=20 burn yourself on the hot end of the fork when you pull it=20 out. It can be very hot. Burn the outside of these peppers=20 with a propane torch till completely black, and then till=20 the black coating glows red a little. Work on a small spot=20 till it is done, and then slowly progress over the whole=20 pepper. Then run cold water over the pepper and rub the=20 burnt coating off with a vegetable brush. Then cut the=20 peppers up. The tough plastic skin on the peppers is not=20 very digestible, and going through this extra effort makes=20 the chili much smoother going down, and quieter staying down.)

1 large red bell pepper. 1 large green bell pepper 1 poblano pepper 3 jalape=F1os chilies. Also add add the following dried peppers. 1 chipolte chile (minced very finely, to let the smoke out.=20 I discard the seeds. ) 2 dried ancho chilies slivered with scissors. (I discard=20 the seeds.)

4 dried chilies de arbol (cut finely, scissors may help).=20 This is the main source of heat. But you will need to wait=20 till tomorrow to tell if it is right. It starts out hot,=20 then mellows as the heat soaks into all the other=20 ingredients, then gets hotter again, as the last capsaicin=20 seeps out of the seeds. If you like really mild chili,=20 eliminate this ingredient. They contribute little taste.

When the tomatoes are done baking, add then to the pot along=20 with:

2 cups water (you can add more later if cooking makes the=20 broth too dry) 1 tablespoon ground cumin 3 tablespoons vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, rubbed between thumb and palm=20 to crush 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Bring back to boil over low heat (scorching is a problem at=20 this stage, so stir every 10 minutes or so).

After an hour of simmering, add:

1/4 cup brown sugar 1 ounce bittersweet baking chocolate Continue to heat and stir for a few more minutes, to make=20 sure the sugar and chocolate are well blended. If the sauce=20 is coarser than you prefer, simmer another hour.

At this point the chili is assembled, but it gets better=20 with a little aging. I like to wrap the covered pot in a=20 couple bath towels and let it sit, slowly cooling for a=20 couple hours, before refrigerating or serving. It is even=20 better after reheating the next day.