Texas Fall/Winter thread!

[pacerron]

Sunrise on an icy pond.

I always get comfort and stress relief from pausing to look at the sky and its ever changing mural of beauty.

Lou, we are all glad to hear that Betty is doing so well.
Ron

 

[jinman]

Lou, great news about Betty. I'm looking forward to hearing that she is going home.

 

[Western]

Great news Lou!!! I have no doubt, this "incident" would make a man do some "reflecting" (not spotlighting there Lou ) Great to hear she'll be home soon keeping you "in-line":thumbsup::laughing:

 

[two_bit_score]

All that have gave Betty and I your wishes and prayers thank you so much and the ones that didn't but felt the pain thank you too,, it is working,, they call her the miracle woman,, Right now looks like a 100% recover..

I did take some advice and took a walk in Hermann park and found a place to set,, watched a homeless man smile and wave at the children riding the small train,, some waved back others didn’t because the parents turned their head.. Is that what we become,, don't let them see the real world,, But let them play game where they can kill by pushing a button on a computer and it's looks real.. But I am no better,, I walk by the homeless and act like they are not there.. I guess some have a choice and some don't but they are homeless just the same.. My wife had a major heart attack and a lot of good people rush to her aid and saved her,, I wonder if they would for the homeless man.. For some reason I feel they would.. Would you,, would I?.. Lou

Thanks for the good update Lou!

And Thanks for the reminder to look at others as we should. The ground is level at the Cross.

 

[bindian]

That's wonderful Lou. Please keep us updated and I'll send more prayers.
hugs, Brandi

 

[jinman]

Yesterday was Texas Chili making day at my house. I decided to use the recipe I found online because it had lots of stuff made from scratch/fresh instead of using commercially available chili powder. Of course, I got distracted and didn't get every step of the process, but I think I captured enough to give you and idea.

Here is a list of ingredients:

1. Four fresh Poblano peppers in addition to 6 dried New Mexico peppers
2. Ground cumin - 2-1/2 teaspoons
3. Salt 1-1/2 teaspoons and 1/2 tsp of black pepper
4. 3 tablespoons of lard ( the recipe called for 5, but the meat was oily and I only used 3 tblsp)
5. 3 lb of chili ground beef (course grind) and 1 lb of cubed beef stew meat
6. 2 medium yellow onions, chopped and 1/3 cup of purple onion, chopped (I like onion)
7. Minced garlic - 2 heaping tablespoons
8. Beef stock - 1 26 oz carton
9. Corn Masa Harina - 2 heaping tablespoons (more if you want for thickening)
10. Brown sugar - 2 tblsp
11. White vinegar - 1-1/2 tblsp
OPTIONAL:
12. Tomato sauce - 15 oz
13. Tomato paste - 6 oz
14. Salsa - home made - 1 qt
15. Sour Cream
16. Grated cheddar



PREPARATION:
1. Remove seeds from all peppers. It's easy with poblanos and dry peppers.
2. Toast chili peppers. Add 1/2 tsp of olive oil to a skillet and slightly roast/toast the peppers. Be careful with dry peppers that they do not burn and become bitter. 3-4 minutes per side is plenty. The green poblanos can take more roasting than the dry peppers. Put the roasted dry peppers only into a bowl of hot water (almost boiling) and let them sit for 20-30 minutes.



3. Cut up poblanos into small squares and add them and soaked peppers into the blender. Add 2 tsp of cumin powder, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of water. Blend until the mixture becomes a reddish brown paste. More water may be needed. If you are going to add add additional chili powder for extra spice, a teaspoonful or more to this mixture will ensure it is mixed well with the paste. Set aside the paste till later.

Sorry! I did not get a picture of my blender/paste, but it just looked like a brown mixture, thin enough to pour out of the blender easily.

4. Bring skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of lard. Add 1-1/2 lb of chili meat and 1 chopped onion to the pan once the lard is hot. Cook the meat until it is cooked all the way through, but not seared. Pour off the meat into a big stew pot and repeat for the remaining chili meat. I had two packages, so this was an easy choice.



5. Let the skillet cool a bit and then add 1 tablespoon of lard and the remaining 1/3 cup of purple onion and minced garlic. After browning slightly, add the two heaping tablespoons of corn masa and stir into the mixture to get rid of all lumps. Add 1-1/2 cups of water and then the reserved chili paste. Bring to a simmer until well mixed and then reduce heat. Pour off the skillet's contents into the stew pot and mix with the cooked meat and onion mixture.
6. Bring stew pot mixture to a simmering boil and add another 1/2 cup of water if desired.



7. Make sure stew meat is cut into 1/2" cubes and then heat a small amount of lard in the skillet and add the meat. I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cumin and some chili powder (1/2 tsp) so its flavor cooks into the cubed meat. When the meat is cooked through, add it to the stew pot with the remaining mix.



8. I like pure chili with no tomatoes, but it is too intense for many people. To cut the strong flavor, I added tomato sauce, tomato paste and a whole quart of my home made salsa. My salsa is tomatoes, onion, garlic, lemon juice, jalapenos (seeds removed), bell peppers, and banana peppers. It's a mild salsa with a lot of interesting flavor. It mixes perfectly with the chili and makes what is a traditional "almost Texas" chili for those who just can't handle the intense chili taste. After adding so much tomatoes, you might want to adjust the salt, cumin, and chili powder to bring the mix to your taste. Simmer this mixture for about 2 hours slowly, stirring often and adding water if it cooks down too much. You should have 1-1/2 gallons or more.

9. Serve with cornbread, cheddar sprinkled on top, and a dollop of sour cream. Cubed lemons help to cut the greasiness and go well with a beer. YUM!:licking:

 

[MossflowerWoods]

Yesterday was Texas Chili making day at my house. I decided to use the recipe I found online because it had lots of stuff made from scratch/fresh instead of using commercially available chili powder. Of course, I got distracted and didn't get every step of the process, but I think I captured enough to give you and idea.

Here is a list of ingredients:

1. Four fresh Poblano peppers in addition to 6 dried New Mexico peppers
2. Ground cumin - 2-1/2 teaspoons
3. Salt 1-1/2 teaspoons and 1/2 tsp of black pepper
4. 3 tablespoons of lard ( the recipe called for 5, but the meat was oily and I only used 3 tblsp)
5. 3 lb of chili ground beef (course grind) and 1 lb of cubed beef stew meat
6. 2 medium yellow onions, chopped and 1/3 cup of purple onion, chopped (I like onion)
7. Minced garlic - 2 heaping tablespoons
8. Beef stock - 1 26 oz carton
9. Corn Masa Harina - 2 heaping tablespoons (more if you want for thickening)
10. Brown sugar - 2 tblsp
11. White vinegar - 1-1/2 tblsp
OPTIONAL:
12. Tomato sauce - 15 oz
13. Tomato paste - 6 oz
14. Salsa - home made - 1 qt
15. Sour Cream
16. Grated cheddar

View attachment 352053View attachment 352054View attachment 352055View attachment 352056

PREPARATION:
1. Remove seeds from all peppers. It's easy with poblanos and dry peppers.
2. Toast chili peppers. Add 1/2 tsp of olive oil to a skillet and slightly roast/toast the peppers. Be careful with dry peppers that they do not burn and become bitter. 3-4 minutes per side is plenty. The green poblanos can take more roasting than the dry peppers. Put the roasted dry peppers only into a bowl of hot water (almost boiling) and let them sit for 20-30 minutes.

View attachment 352051View attachment 352052

3. Cut up poblanos into small squares and add them and soaked peppers into the blender. Add 2 tsp of cumin powder, 1 tsp of salt, 1/2 tsp of black pepper, and 1/2 cup of water. Blend until the mixture becomes a reddish brown paste. More water may be needed. If you are going to add add additional chili powder for extra spice, a teaspoonful or more to this mixture will ensure it is mixed well with the paste. Set aside the paste till later.

Sorry! I did not get a picture of my blender/paste, but it just looked like a brown mixture, thin enough to pour out of the blender easily.

4. Bring skillet to medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of lard. Add 1-1/2 lb of chili meat and 1 chopped onion to the pan once the lard is hot. Cook the meat until it is cooked all the way through, but not seared. Pour off the meat into a big stew pot and repeat for the remaining chili meat. I had two packages, so this was an easy choice.

View attachment 352058

5. Let the skillet cool a bit and then add 1 tablespoon of lard and the remaining 1/3 cup of purple onion and minced garlic. After browning slightly, add the two heaping tablespoons of corn masa and stir into the mixture to get rid of all lumps. Add 1-1/2 cups of water and then the reserved chili paste. Bring to a simmer until well mixed and then reduce heat. Pour off the skillet's contents into the stew pot and mix with the cooked meat and onion mixture.
6. Bring stew pot mixture to a simmering boil and add another 1/2 cup of water if desired.

View attachment 352059

7. Make sure stew meat is cut into 1/2" cubes and then heat a small amount of lard in the skillet and add the meat. I like to add 1/2 teaspoon of powdered cumin and some chili powder (1/2 tsp) so its flavor cooks into the cubed meat. When the meat is cooked through, add it to the stew pot with the remaining mix.

View attachment 352060View attachment 352061

8. I like pure chili with no tomatoes, but it is too intense for many people. To cut the strong flavor, I added tomato sauce, tomato paste and a whole quart of my home made salsa. My salsa is tomatoes, onion, garlic, lemon juice, jalapenos (seeds removed), bell peppers, and banana peppers. It's a mild salsa with a lot of interesting flavor. It mixes perfectly with the chili and makes what is a traditional "almost Texas" chili for those who just can't handle the intense chili taste. After adding so much tomatoes, you might want to adjust the salt, cumin, and chili powder to bring the mix to your taste. Simmer this mixture for about 2 hours slowly, stirring often and adding water if it cooks down too much. You should have 1-1/2 gallons or more.

9. Serve with cornbread, cheddar sprinkled on top, and a dollop of sour cream. Cubed lemons help to cut the greasiness and go well with a beer. YUM!:licking:

View attachment 352062

Jim,
I love Chili.
My mouth is absolutely watering right now...

That looks awesome.
David

 

[ronjhall]

Yesterday was Texas Chili making day at my house. I decided to use the recipe I found online because it had lots of stuff made from scratch/fresh instead of using commercially available chili powder. Of course, I got distracted and didn't get every step of the process, but I think I captured enough to give you and idea.

9. Serve with cornbread, cheddar sprinkled on top, and a dollop of sour cream. Cubed lemons help to cut the greasiness and go well with a beer. YUM!:licking:

View attachment 352062

Hmm, while not real cold here in Edinburg. It is one of those days where dampness goes to the bone. Chili sure would make things feel warmer. Can you send some down this way for lunch?

 

[Western]

D#$m Jim, what a write up!! I must have been in the shed when the dinner bell was ring'n! You da man! Looks and sounds great too

 

[jinman]

I got the highest compliment from my wife. She ate a whole bowl and said it was very good. For her to eat a whole bowl of chili, she must have really liked it. She did tell me that she likes beans with her chili. So, while she is gone today, I'm cookin' a whole big pot of pinto beans. She did my kitchen clean-up last night after I made the chili. Making her some beans to go along with the chili is the least I can do.