Roswell Adventures

This is my original chili recipe. I haven't made it in ages, but thought people might be interested. SUE’S CHILI - EPISODE ONE 6 lbs extra lean ground beef               3 onions, chopped 1 1/2 green pepper, chopped             1 1/2 red pepper, chopped 6 cloves garlic, chopped                     6 Tbsp vegetable oil 3 14.5 oz cans tomatoes with green chiles 3 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes   3 16 oz cans kidney beans                            3 16 oz cans pinto beans 3 small cans tomato paste                            3 teaspoons salt 3 Tbsp chili powder                              3 cups water 1.    Brown ground beef.   2.    Heat oil in skillet and cook onions, peppers, and garlic until tender.   3.    Mix all ingredients in large pot.   4.    Cover and simmer at least an hour.   It’s best if it can set for a few hours after cooking to let the flavors mingle.

Isn't chili amazing! So many variations. So many opportunities to improvise. I didn't grow up eating chili, let alone making it. In fact, one of the first time I ventured into the world of chili making was when my friend JJ was hosting an unofficial chili cook-off at Colossal Cave Mountain Park. I played around with the recipe and came up with what ended up being a winner. Literally. I tied for first place (and I still have the dinner triangle I won. (I don't use it, because the neighbors wouldn't appreciate it.)  That recipe was called Sue's Chili: Episode One , and it relied heavily on canned ingredients. Nothing against canned ingredients, other than my gut just can't handle the processed food much. So, I started totally from scratch and ended up with this recipe: C4 - Chocolate Chipotle Coffee Chili. When I don't have tomatoes in the freezer, I used canned for this. The chipotle chiles in adobo are also canned. My gut doesn't seem to obj

Warm weather hit early. We were all nervous about a late freeze, and while a late frost did stunt the flowering tip of one of our hesperaloe plants, everything else seems to have fared well.   Our front hill was inspired by a rest stop in Texas a few years back - hesperaloe (a.k.a red yucca) planted among native grasses. Chuck built the hill with the dirt from the patio excavation. These bales are by our mailbox and will hold beets, carrots, and who-knows-what else. All of our bales are in the front yard this year. Our Asian pear trees, newly planted last year, have quite a few fruit on them. We have some thinning to do, as the branches are very small for so many fruit. We'll keep a close eye on them.    Our apple tree (not sure of the variety) has had very staggered blooming this year. It seems to have fared well with late frosts. Looking forward to making applesauce this year!   These bales closest to the front porch will hold cherry and roma tom

Have you ever had baked eggs? Our first experiment with baked eggs was in avocado halves (note - make sure the "pit divot" is large enough to fit the cracked egg, or a mess will ensue). We later tried eggs baked in marinara. Both were fabulous! Last night, as we were enjoying bowls of chili, I suggested we try eggs baked in chili. Why not, right? Turned out pretty good...even if they took longer than planned. Why did they take longer than planned? Well, I left out an important step - heat the chili up first! While the chili is heating, butter the sides of a large ramekin. Then add your chili. I used leftover homemade chili, but any chili will do. Just make sure to heat it up first! Otherwise, when you pop it into the oven you will have to heat up the chili and cook the egg. Trust me - this adds significantly to the cooking time. Since we were only having one egg each, I made a small divot in the chili to keep it centered. After the egg is in plac

The first time I experienced Bananas Foster was as a topping at a brunch at Coronado Vineyards in Willcox, AZ. In a word - amazing! In a second word - dangerous! I hunted around a bit and found a recipe we love. It really is easy - and it certainly dresses up breakfast! Keep in mind, this recipe is best for the every-now-and-again use. I would not recommend having this every day - or even every week, for that matter! But it is pretty darn amazing :) Bananas Foster 2 tablespoons butter 2 bananas, in thick slices 3/4 cup light brown sugar 1 ⁄ 2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 pinch salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 oz coconut rum In a medium cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add sliced bananas and stir for 2 minutes. Mix brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Mix rum and vanilla. Lower heat. Add brown sugar mix and vanilla mix. Continue cooking, stirring constantly for 2 more minutes. Makes 3 servings. Serve over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, or whatever soun