Chili when it's chilly

Another recipe post...

The first thing I ate when I returned to Texas for Christmas was a bowl of leftover Chili con Carne. This was unusual as it was lunch time and my family usually insists that I have barbecue or tex-mex as soon as I get back (which reminds me, no tex-mex this time!)

Anyway, my mom and sister then told me that this was all they had been eating for the past week or so--my dad just made batch after batch after batch. THIS STUFF IS GOOD--so good that as soon as I got back to Massachusetts, I had to christen my brand new Calphalon with it. I don't care if you don't eat beef or red meat or whatnot. Go get yourself some fake meat and make it now.

Yes, that is a wok.




Chili con Carne
recipe from L. Metrick, original source unknown

3T. butter or olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 pound chopped/ground beef
3c. water
1 1/3 c. canned tomatoes (I used fresh)
1 green pepper, minced
1/2 tsp celery seed
1.4 tsp cayenne
1 tsp cumin seed, crushed (I doubled this)
1 small bay leaf
2T. chili powder (I used 2 1/2 or 3)
1/8 tsp basil
1 1/2 tsp salt

Heat the fat in a skillet, saute onion and garlic until golden brown. Add meat and brown.
Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan and add all remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and allow to simmer until sauce reaches desired thickness (recipe says 3 hours, mine took 2). If desired, add 1 can of kidney beans (I used the liquid and all) and heat through just before serving.

I recommend tasting for flavor as it is thickening, and adjust to your preferences. Some ideas for flavor modifiers are (all in moderation):

• ketchup
• brown sugar
• barbecue sauce
• beer
• more chili powder
  

Finally, serve however you want! My family eats it as soup, with cheese and crackers on top. I served it on baked potatoes. Some people like to add chopped white onions or sour cream or cheese or fries etc. etc. etc.

And speaking of fries, this is how I make them. People love them and don't believe how good they are.

Oven Fries
I made this one up...

baking potatoes
olive oil
kosher salt
any herbs/spices desired

I usually just make these plain, although they're very good with rosemary.

Set oven to 400. Rinse and pat dry as many potatoes as desired. Slice potatoes into steak fry-shaped sticks, and pat dry again. Toss sticks with a decent amount of olive oil (cover all) and a few pinches of kosher salt (remember, you can add more but you can't take any away!). Spread sticks out on a baking sheet, preferably lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Bake until crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. You can also do this with sweet potatoes (TASTY) but beware, they will cook faster!

Snow Day!

You may know about the giant snow storm now heading through the northeast today. This storm kept me from going home for Christmas according to schedule, but also closed my lab thereby giving me the day off. Having taken care of all my pre-vacation business before my supposed vacation, I didn't know what to do with myself.

Then I decided to bake. Going to the market for eggs in the current weather conditions was not so appealing, which prompted me to FINALLY make my friend's recipe for no-bake cookies that I've had since August. Usually I'd take this day to go for a project recipe, but these are tasty.

current weather conditions/view out of my window:


No-Bake Cookies
courtesy K. Kalina, from unknown source.
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened)
2/3 cup peanut butter (I used chunky)
3 cups oats
2 teaspoons vanilla


This recipe is super easy. Mix the sugar, butter, milk, and cocoa powder and bring to a boil. Stir until smooth. Take the mixture off the heat and melt in peanut butter. When consistent, stir in oats and vanilla. Let set partially. When moldable, drop by rounded tablespoon on wax/parchment/silicon and finish setting.

a late review of 2008

So here's the deal. I originally wrote this post as a look back on 2008, but then got so frustrated with blogger's photo uploading and formatting system that I gave up and forgot about it. Some of these things are returning to my life shortly in 2009, so I thought I'd finally post it. Here goes:

2008 was an awesome time for live music. Also, I expanded my epicurian boundaries and had the chance to cook some pretty awesome dishes. Here's a review in pictures of some of my favorite things (no order).

Jenny Lewis

pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving

Vampire Weekend

homemade empanadas

Sondre Lerche

The Decemberists

Conor Oberst

of Montreal

Dr. Dog

Fleet Foxes

homemade pizza party!

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin

apple pie for the fourth of july

Bon Iver

my first whole roast chicken! (with spinach bread salad and rosemary potatoes)

For more details/recipes on any of the above, leave a comment.

Okay back to the present/future. Remember how I said that some of these things are coming back? The Decemberists have a new album coming out this spring, debuting at NPR's SXSW party. Of Montreal is playing at the Paradise in Boston in April (don't miss it). Dr. Dog is also returning to Boston in April, likely being interviewed by my good friend Devon (confirm?). SSLYBY should be in both Boston and Austin this spring and Bon Iver has an excellent new EP out.

...also, still very frustrated with the photo system and that I took all that time to reform it for today and it still posted in December 08. Ah, well...

Welcome to Squaresville!

square
/skwɛər/

adjective, squar⋅er, squar⋅est

(1) Unexciting, unadventurous, mainstream or dull. Generally used in describing a person with such attributes or who plays it safe. Historically, derived from a person whose goal in life is to have three "squares" a day (see definition (3) below), a roof over his head, a respectable job, a house, 2.5 kids, etc.
(2) Proper, decent, straightforward, acceptable, even.
(3) A regular and decent meal.

from urbandictionary.com

Hello, and welcome to Squaresville!

I'm for the most part not much of a writer. That's not to say that I can't, I just lose the patience for it most of the time. Some may wonder why a person would start a blog and then start the first post by saying "I don't like to write", but let's get back on subject: squares. My life choices (educational, career, etc.) have gently guided me into a square-shaped mold. I like science, so I went to engineering school (read: no free time). I still like science, so I work in a lab. I like lab, so I work all the time (read: little free time...see definition 1). I work so much that I have to entertain myself doing things I have to do, like work (I told you I like lab) and creating the aforementioned squares from definition 3. I'll likely write about specifically notable things from those events here.

I do get out of the house and office every once in a while. Throughout college I became a music snob (I didn't have a kitchen, but I had a college radio library full of CDs) and when I do get out, it is usually to see live music. There will probably be some documenting of that here as well.

...and back on the "I don't like to write" topic -- expect pictures.

Summary: This is predominantly a food, music, and science blog, people! Enjoy!