CHILI!!

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This chili is super hearty and  I wanted to do this recipe because of an idea from a lady in the liquor store. I was picking up tequila for my margarita pops and a lady in the store asked if I was making chili with it....hmmmm, no I wasn't, but now I am! What isn't better than using tequila in my chili with lots of cilantro!  My love for cilantro came from when I was in Florida.  I actually hated cilantro before this experience, never really understood it I guess.  I began culinary school at Florida Culinary in West Palm Beach.  I actually loved this experience more than anything!  Did I love West Palm Beach, no, but I found my passion for cooking there and my love for cilantro.  The guy I was dating at the time had a father who is an amazing Chef.  He was not school trained as a chef, nor does he have the credentials to say that he is one, but damn could he cook.  He worked in the food industry and has done forever, he has gained his chef stature from me through his experience alone.  Anyway, he put cilantro on everything.  We would pick it fresh from the yard, chop it slightly and then just throw it on at the end.  I had to learn to like it or would be picking it out of my meal for hours!  Good thing I have an open mind and heart when it comes to food.  And so the love affair began, me and cilantro, cilantro and me!  How I do miss it down there sometimes! And now, I bring you my tequila chili with cilantro and a poblano jalapeno sour cream.


*Oh and don't forget to check the bottom for the health benefits of cocoa and peppers!

Really I should be giving you Zach's(my son) recipe for chili.  The kid gave me a list of ingredients right before Thanksgiving of his chili.  He wanted to make it for everyone as Thanksgiving dinner! It actually sounded pretty good; I was impressed...gotta love him! Maybe I will put it up later and you can decide between the two, or make both and do a taste test.

Tequila Chili

Utensils:
Large pot
Chef knife
Ladle
Measuring spoons
Measuring cups
Can opener
Saute pan

Ingredients:

1/2c  flour

1/2tsp pepper

1/2tsp chili powder

1/2tsp cayenne

1/2tsp coriander

1tsp salt

1 package stew meat

2-3T oil

½ onion, diced

1 large clove garlic, minced

3 cups chicken stock or water

1 can pinto beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can tomatillos, diced

1tsp chili powder

1tsp cayenne

1/4c tequila

1/4c lime juice

2T butter

Cilantro, coarsely chopped(to garnish)

Mix flour, pepper, chili, cayenne, coriander and salt together.

Dice stew meat into bite size pieces.

Add oil to large pot and heat on med-high

Dredge meat in flour mixture(save the flour mixture for later) and sear off in large pot.

Brown all sides of meat and remove from pot. (you will need to do this a little at a time, so you do not overcrowd the pot)

Add in onion and sauté until translucent

Add in garlic and sauté, do not let brown or burn

Add stock or water a little at a time and stir all the goodness off the bottom.

Add the beans and stir.

Add diced tomatillos and stir gently.

Simmer for 5-10 minutes.

Add the meat back in and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add chili powder, cayenne, tequila and lime, stir and simmer for 1 hour.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

*If your chili is too thin for your liking, melt 2T butter and add 2T of the flour mixture. Cook on low for a minute or so, do not let this burn! It will stink up your hole kitchen.(trust me) Slowly ladle some of the hot chili liquid into this mixture and stir continuously.  Once you have incorporated about 3 ladles, add this back into the chili and stir. Simmer for another 15-20 minutes.

Flour, cocoa, salt, pepper, cayenne, chili powder, coriander

Butter and flour mixture

Poblano Jalapeno Sour Cream

Utensils:
Tongs
Bowl
Spoon

Ingredients:

1 1/2c sour cream

1 can pickled jalapenos or any type of jalapeno

1 poblano pepper

salt

pepper

oil

Coat poblano with oil, salt and pepper.

Put under the broiler and turn regularly.  

Take out when the skin has blistered and the pepper is soft. 

Place in a bowl and cover with plastic for 5 minutes. Remove skin from poblano and seeds from inside. 

Mince and add to sour cream.

Mince 5 pieces of pickled jalapeno(or more to taste) and add to sour cream.

Chill.

Serve the chili with the cilantro on top and then a dollop of sour cream.  Mmmmmm, delish!


Health benefits of cocoa and peppers:
http://www.emaxhealth.com/1020/cocoa-powder-health-benefits-surpass-fruit

http://www.oohoi.com/natural%20remedy/everyday_food/cocoa-powder-benefits.htm


http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=29
http://factoidz.com/the-health-benefits-of-cayenne-and-chili-peppers/

Three flavors of Wings!

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This post comes about because of a mis-hap at a local restaurant(and because it's football season and the superbowl is upon us).  My dad, son and I went out to dinner the other night and I had a hankering for some chicken wings.  Wings are definitely a type of food that I get cravings for and once that craving sets in, I GOTTA have it!  They are perfect with an ice cold beer and can come in sooooo many different flavors.  From hot wings(medium, mild, atomic, catastrophic, habanero. I think you get the picture.) to bbq wings, lemon pepper, teriyaki, parmesan, honey mustard and the list goes on.  So back to the story, I ordered my 6 wings, mild.  You see I don't like my wings super hot so I can't taste anything for a week after, but I do like a good amount of heat so I have to take a few swigs of beer after each bite.  And so, mild it was, which, when I looked at the menu quickly it was the second choice of hotness.  Or so I thought. Unfortunately, I did not actually read the first one which was the lemon pepper rub!  Ugh! To my dismay when I received my wings(the ones I had been craving forever) they were not spicy at all and very bland at that.  I was a little bummed.  Well probably more than a little and I guess I could of got a side hot sauce, but that is just not the same.  So because of my lack of using the wonderful things we call eyes and actually reading things instead of thinking I know what's up, this brings us to my chicken wing extravaganza! Be excited! So I went a little overboard with it all.  Instead of just making myself some hot wings, which a normal person might do(oh and I have never claimed to normal btw!) I made four different kinds.  I will also tell you that choosing only four kinds to make was extremely difficult for me.  But, I did not want to overwhelm anyone with my 20 wing ideas!  
Four it is....

On my trek to the grocery store to buy all the things I needed for my wings I ran into something wonderful.  Now this may have been around for a while here at Publix, but I have never seen it before. I will warn you I get excited over the little things in life, like create your own six packs!  This is lovely I tell you, so lovely that I just had to pick a few or six out to go with my wings!  What a perfect day!  Don't worry, for all you out there who don't drink beer, I will also give a wine suggestion to go with your wings, yes, wine.  It can go with wings I promise!  It's like a trying to be fancy when you know you are not kind of pairing!  Anyway, back to my beer...which the only downfall to this wonderful addition to Publix is the height of the top beer shelves.  Being in a chair now, I have limited reach, and if any of you know me, it is a huge deal to go ask for help! Phew, it's like after I ask for help I need to go take a nap.  It is a hard task, but I am learning SLOWLY to get over it!  Needless to say I saved the asking for help for next time and went for the lower shelved beer! Ha.  I was just too excited and couldn't wait to get home to make my wings and try my beer to go find help this time.  And yes my beer choosing skills are so precisely honed that I go for the ones with the coolest label or most colorful, best words, ones with lemons and so on! 

*In case you do not do beer, look next to the Ingredients for a wine    
    suggestion!

 

Utensils:

Bowls

Tongs

Sheet pans

Small saucepan(for the chili bbq, pepper parm and buffalo)

Aluminum foil

Whisk(for buffalo)

Measuring spoons

Measuring cups

Before being baked, Chili BBQ and Ginger Teriyaki

Ingredients for Chili BBQ:

1 package chicken wings(about 12 wings)
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/8 cup worchestershire sauce
3T roasted garlic chili paste
*Syrah

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl.

Add chicken wings about 10-20 minutes before cooking.

Cover and place in fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Take wings out using tongs and put onto aluminum foil lined sheet pans.(don't skip this step because you will be cleaning the sheet pan for days if you don't use aluminum)

Cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

While the wings are cooking place any remainder sauce in a small saucepan and heat to a simmer.  Simmer for about 5 minutes or so.  Once the wings are pulled out of the oven, use this sauce to baste the cooked wings.

Ingredients for Ginger Teriyaki:

1 package chicken wings(about 12 wings)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/8 cup rice vinegar

1/4 tsp Chinese 5 spice

1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger

*Merlot

Combine all these ingredients in a bowl.

Add chicken wings about 10-20 minutes before cooking.

Cover and place in fridge.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Take wings out using tongs and put onto aluminum foil lined sheet pans.(don't skip this step because you will be cleaning the sheet pan for days if you don't use aluminum)

Cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

Before being baked - Black Pepper Parmesan and Buffalo

Ingredients for Black Pepper Parmesan:

1 package chicken wings(about 12 wings)

8oz grated parmesan
3oz ground black pepper
1 1/2T salt 
1oz butter, melted
*Zinfandel


Combine all ingredients except for butter.
Place wings in butter and lightly coat.
Remove from butter and put them in the bowl of pepper parmesan mix.
Coat completely and pack the mixture onto the wing.

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Take wings out of bowl using tongs and put onto aluminum foil lined sheet pans.(don't skip this step because you will be cleaning the sheet pan for days if you don't use aluminum)

Cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

To get a super crispy outside, I usually turn the broiler on high and put them under that. 

If you do this, be sure to crack the oven slightly and stand right next to it to watch them.

Crisp them up to your liking.

Ingredients for Buffalo:
1 package chicken wings(about 12 wings)

1 stick butter(4oz)

8oz hot sauce

1T salt

*Champagne(Wishes and Hot Wing Dreams!)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Salt wings in a bowl.

Take wings out of bowl using tongs and put onto aluminum foil lined sheet pans.(don't skip this step because you will be cleaning the sheet pan for days if you don't use aluminum)

Cook for about 15-20 minutes. 

While they are cooking, melt the butter in a small sauce pan.

Add the hot sauce and bring to a boil. 

Be sure to whisk together completely.

Now since I am not frying the wings to get that crispy outside, I usually turn the broiler on high and put them under that. 

If you do this, be sure to crack the oven slightly and stand right next to it to watch them.

Crisp them up to your liking.

Take them out of the oven and then toss in the hot sauce mixture.

Oh and don't forget the BBQ Frogs Legs! Uh yeah, don't ask!