EASY RECIPES AND STUFF

 EASY RECIPES 

CHILI with Meat, Beans and American Honey.

There are countless chili recipes.  I do not think I have ever eaten chili I did not like.  For years I have been experimenting with chili.  Somtimes very spicy and sometimes not so spicy.  I have used various concoctions to temper the spicyness, including beer, tequila, and sometimes just a little sugar.

While in Louisville, KY for my son’s wedding, my daughter-in-law’s dad gave me a bottle of Wild Turkey American Honey as a sample of the great things distilled in their neck of the woods. 

During a recent trip to Mammoth, my wife brought the American Honey with us, and during apre ski time, while sitting by the fireplace, she brought out the American Honey. Our friend Kacy was thrilled when she saw the American Honey. Turns out she has enjoyed a drop or two of American Honey in her hot tea.  Well, with our friends’ high praise still ringing, and our excitement enhanced, we sampled the drink over ice.  It was good, real good. 

Recently the kids were visiting, and I decided to make chili. When it came time to temper the “heat”, I decided, in honor of their new Kentucky home, I would temper the chili with American Honey.  The chili was a hit with everyone, and my search for the perfect balance in my chili was over.

The following step by step chili receipe will result in a great quick meal!

1 and 1/2 lbs. stew meat cut into good sized pieces  

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium white onion chopped (and more for garnish)        

2/3 green pepper diced

2 cloves garlic minced

2  14.5 oz cans tomato sauce

1  14.5 oz can diced stewed tomatoes

14.5 oz water (use can from above)

2  15oz cans of red kidney beans

1 15oz can of white kidney beans (cannellini)

1 and 1/2 Tbsp chili powder

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 cup Wild TurkeyAmerican Honey

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (and some extra for garnish)

1/2 cup grated cheese (for garnish)

In a large pot place the tomato sauce and can of diced tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, garlic, and American honey. Begin heating to strong simmer.

Brown the stew meat in fry pan with 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once browned, set stew meat aside. Reserve fry pan juices, and measure back approximately four Tbsp of the meat juices, raise heat to mid high and add minced onions to saute’.    

Add the saute’d onions to the pot, stir, add the  green pepper, cilantro and stir, finally add the browned stew meat. Bring to boil and then back off heat to a simmer for 20 minutes stirring occassionally. 

Place beans in a strainer and rinse them in sink to remove the canning juices, and place in pot.  Cook until beans are tender (about 20 min.).

In three small sauce type cups place grated cheese, onons, and cilantro for guests to use as garnish.   

There you go, that’s it, you are ready for a great chili meal with family or friends. 

 AND STUFF

Years ago, my oldest son wanted us to take him camping at Jalama Beach, north of Santa Barbara, CA., so he could surf an area all his friends were talking about. I don’t camp.  My wife doesn’t camp. We did not have any camping gear. Ignoring all the reasons which would lead most to the conclusion that camping would not be a good idea; we concluded it was clearly the right time for us to go camping. 

Undaunted by the fact that we owned two small cars, and had no camping gear, it seemed like a good idea for a weekend trip. We borrowed the in-laws’ SUV, bought a small tent and a little barbeque, loaded up beach chairs, sleeping bags, a cooler full of supplies and off we went to Jalama.

To get to Jalama State Beach, drive on the 101 freeway to Santa Barbara and continue north about 30 miles, exit on Pacific Coast Highway 1, and drive 15 miles west towards Lompoc and Vandenberg AFB.  Keep your eyes peeled for the Jalama Road sign, exit PCH1 and travel about 14 miles down a narrow, but absolutely beautiful, road leading up to the gate of the Jalama State Beach campgrounds.    

There is one thing you absolutely have to know about camping at Jalama Beach; you need a backup plan. You see, there are only 98 campsites, and except for large groups, you cannot reserve a site.  You need to arrive early, park your car in front of the gate, or in line behind other cars and wait for  the Ranger to arrive. The Ranger will enter your name on the waiting list and advise you to be at the flag pole at 2:00 P.M. to see if your name is called.  You do not want to be late, because if your name is called and you do not yell out, they move on to the next name. Worst case scenario you have a great day at a beautiful beach, and because your name was not called you spend the night in Santa Barbara or the wine valley of Santa Ynez.  Best case scenario is, your name is called and you have a campsite! 

Ok, as you know we are not experienced campers, so maybe campgrounds like Jalama are common, but I doubt it.  The campground has clean modern restrooms with showers, and camp sites which include a beach level area surrounded by trees, and above it, a greater number of terraced hillside campsites which give every camper an unobstructed view of the Pacific Ocean. Each campsite has a BBQ, fire pit, and picnic table.

While you wait for the 2:00 “lottery”, you have the entire day to enjoy the beach, and surf.  My wife, daughter, and I explored while the boy was surfing.  We found a ship wreck, and beautiful cliffs. We also found the Jalama Beach Store & Grill which provided access to some grocery supplies, but most importantly introduced us to the Jalama Burger. I do not know if the burger was enhanced by the view, the vibe, or the realization that there was a food source that did not require an open fire, but in any event the Jalama Burger was awesome. 

At 2:00 we gathered at the flag pole, and after some tense moments, our name was called. We had been assigned a terrace campsite.

It did not take us long to get our “gear” set up as it consisted of a tent, and beach chairs. So soon we were in our beach chairs, soaking up the unobstructed ocean view. My son went surfing again, and the rest of us did more tanning and exploring.  The beach is beautiful, long, and entirely undeveloped.  The water is cold, the waves can be very large, and it can be windy. 

As the day began to draw to and end, I fired up both the fire pit and our little BBQ and cooked some steaks. That evening we sat together enjoying our outdoor dinner, while watching the sun slowly splash into the Pacific Ocean. 

At night the Ranger closes the gate to the park so there are virtually no cars driving around the campsite. The electrical hookups for RVs are shut down around 8:00 P.M.  And there you are, sitting in the pitch black night by the fire, enjoying a beverage and staring at the sky full of stars.

Time passes very slowly sitting there enjoying the evening, but eventually it is time to retire. The fact that we do not have good camping gear becomes very real as we lie on the floor of the tent with nothing between our bodies and the ground except the plastic tent floor and sleeping bag.

Mercifully, sleep does come, and then we discover another element of camping in Jalama. It turns out there are railroad tracks just outside the campgrounds. The train is scheduled to roar through the campsite shortly after those without proper bedding have finally fallen asleep. It’s times like that when you just have to go with the flow, because you can either enjoy the sound of the train passing in the night or view it as an annoyance. I choose to enjoy the sound. 

When we awoke the next morning, it was a foggy and cold. I got the fire pit going, and it was darn near pleasant in a cold, damp kind of way. The sun eventually burned off the fog, and provided us much needed heat, and that drop dead ocean view.

While enjoying your Chili with family or guests, why not share your favorite camping stories.  

Good Eating and Table Talk,

Roger