Chili for Breakfast?

coming up on March 1, 2008, Matt Pelishek and I will be among the judges for the annual Salvation Army Chili cook-off. Yesterday, we were contemplating a way to tie-in with that event and perhaps share our favorite chili recipes. Bush's makes a pretty decent canned chili... however, that's not my favorite recipe (just one of the easy ones). I do use canned stuff in my chili, but it gets its "kick" from other sources.

I like my chili to be a little spicy, but not "blow your face off" spicy. I also prefer chunked beef to ground beef.

I take a pound of chunked (small cubes) beef and brown it in a big skillet using either olive oil or corn oil to cut down on the sticking. While it browns, I crush up a dried red pepper and a little garlic (about a clove to a clove and a half) during the process. I will then add the beef to a stew pot (or large crock pot) and put in a large can of kidney beans, and a can of Hunt's diced tomatoes. I will even add some quartered tomato to the mix. I will put in one full can and a half can of water. crush up some more red pepper (be careful on the amount). There have been times when I have added a little corn flour to thicken it a little bit. However, I like a little more liquid.

I suppose that in order to maintain "heart health" I should consider turkey or chicken instead of the beef, but... hey, I'm a beef man in my chili.

What's your favorit recipe? Wendy's? Hormel? Let me know and maybe we'll share it. Also, bring the family to the Salvation Army Citadel on Wilson Road just east of Stine Road on Saturday March 1, at about 4pm and enjoy a great variety of chili recipes.

WAKING UP BEFORE BREAKFAST

after being off work for the past couple of weeks, I'm just getting back into "shape" for getting at 3:15am each morning... I praise God for His hand being on me in the past few weeks. My father died at age 48 from a heart attack, and I was heading there as well, before we discovered the 99% blockage in one of my coronary arteries... Three angioplasties and two stents later, they (cardiologists) say that I'm good as new. Thanks to Dr. John Young for insisting that I go in for the Angiogram to have the closer look. the staff at the Heart Center (Dr. Kumar et al) as well as Dr. Sherman who did the proceedure.

I am so blessed to be able to get back to work. I was off last week because one of the medicines I was taking was slowing my mind a little (I don't need any more slowing there)...

Thank you, also, to everyone who wrote to me or called to let me know they were praying. several churches here in Bakersfield have let me know they were holding me up in prayer.

My prayer is that I will be able to get back to normal real soon (normal, being a relative term). I missed working last week. I felt as though I was playing hookie.

We are so blessed here at KAXL to have people with the talents of Matt Pelishek and Jason Pine who were able to pick up the slack for my program.

It's almost bed time, I think... 3:15 gets here REALLY early.