Mixed Nuts

This isn't a recipe. It's a friendly reminder that we can mix things up a bit. We don't always have to eat pre-made products in their intended form.

Mixed nuts are an example where I like to change it up a bit.

I bought a can of mixed nuts (less than 50% peanuts), and added about 20% pistachios and 15% sunflower seeds. That's how I like 'em, but I'd encourage all of you to mix 'em up the way you like 'em.

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Green Butt Chili

This bowl of green is hotter than hell, but de-freakin'-licious!

Ingredients:

• 64 oz Sadie's Salsa
• 1 can (15 oz) diced tomatos
• 6 (13 oz) tubs of thawed chopped green chilies
• 16 chicken bullion cubes
• 1 large white onion (diced)
• 4 fresh chopped jalapenos
• 4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cans black beans
• 1.25 lbs (cooked weight) pulled pork (Boston Butt)

Get your ingredients all layed out:


I didn't have any leftover pulled pork, so I put one in the smoker last night. Here's how it looked when it came out:


Foil that thing immediately. Get all your ingredients chopped/opened/blended while the butt rests.


Blend your green chilies up really well in a food processor or blender. The idea is to create a puree.


Add everything but the pork and black beans to a monsterous chili pot. Stir.


While that's coming to a light boil, pull your pork.


Once your pork is ready, add it to the chili and stir it up.


Reduce to a simmer and let it sit for 1.5 hours, stirring occasionally.

Do a quick-drain of your black beans. Don't bother rinsing or using a colander. Just turn 'em upside down with the removed lid on.


Simmer for another 1/2 hour.

Serve!


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Green Chili Sauce Part 1

This recipe is labed "Part 1" because it is a work in progress. I have begun a quest to come up with a green chili sauce that is good enough to compete with those made by restaurants such as Alberto's in Greeley, Colorado, and Santiago's, which is scattered throughout Colorado. This recipe doesn't even come close to matching what you'll find there, but, for my first attempt, it was pretty stinkin' good.

For those of you who aren't familiar with green chili sauce, it's a thin, gravy-like chili (made primarily from green chilies), which is typically served as the topping of a smothered burrito. These recipes usually contain pork, but for my first shot, I decided to keep it simple and go hippie with it.

• 26 ounces roasted green chilies (diced, frozen okay)
• 1/3 cup minced white onion
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons Sadie's salsa
• 1 (14 oz) can chicken broth
• 1 fresh diced jalapeno with the seeds removed
• 2 tablespoons bacon grease
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Heat bacon grease to medium-low, and cook the onions, garlic and salt for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Puree your green chilies and the onion/garlic/salt/grease mixture. You want a really fine texture. To get the texture I wanted, I had to run it through the food processor, then the blender.

Once you're done blending it up, put the puree, and everything else, back into the pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, and let it simmer until it's reduced until you're left with a gravy-like constancy. Stir as needed throughout the cooking process to keep it from burning to the bottom of the pan.

Serve over a bean and cheese burrito. Or, our family's favorite is to get a take-out taco pizza and smother it. We like it on Godfather's Taco Pizza.


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Hell Burgers

The ultimate hamburger for the spicy food fanatic.

• 2 lbs ground beef
  
• 1/4 cup Sriracha hot sauce
  
• 1/3 cup sauteed onions
• 4 oz can Hatch green chilies

Mix everything together and make your patties...


Cook on the grill (adding some pepper-jack cheese for the last minute or two, if desired), sprinkle on kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, and serve on buns (duh), and the rest of your favorite burger toppings.


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Spicy 16 Mexican Dip

I take the insulting of an entire culinary culture to a whole new level with the use of Velveeta in this tortilla chip dip gem.

• 1 (16 oz) block of Velveeta Pepper Jack *
  
• 1 (16 oz) jar Pace (hot) Picante Sauce **
• 1 (16 oz) can refried beans
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Cube the Velveeta, and dump everything in a pot.

Heat to melt, stirring frequently.

Garnish with fresh ground black pepper, and serve with store-bought tortilla chips.

Variations:

* Velveeta Pepper Jack is hard to find. If you can't locate any, Mexican Velveeta will do just fine.

** If you're a wuss, go ahead an use Pace Medium Picante Sauce. If you're such a wuss that you'd require the Mild version, go away. You have no business trying any recipe with the word "spicy" in it. If you're a male, you might as well change your name to Nancy.

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Refried Beans

Great-tasting refried beans. Put them in a burrito, on the side, or my personal favorite, on a tostada.

• 2 lbs pinto beans
• 3/4 cup bacon grease
• 1/2 onion (diced)
• 2 garlic cloves (minced)
• 1 can chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  

The night before cooking, dump the beans out on the table, and remove the broken beans and foliage. Rinse the beans in a colander, then put them in a pot, cover with at least 3" of water, and soak overnight.

The next day, strain the beans in the colander, put them back in the pot, and add fresh water to cover to at least 3". Bring to a boil, then reduce. Simmer for 1.5 - 2.5 hours, or until the beans are very soft. Stir occasionally.

While the beans are simmering, simmer the chicken broth to reduce to 1/2 cup. If you had to cook up some bacon to get your bacon grease, deglaze the bacon pan with the broth, then start the reduction simmer.

Once the beans are done, put them in a colander to drain.

Heat up the bacon grease in a large cast iron pan, and cook the onions and salt for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the cumin and chili powder, and cook for another 30 seconds. Add your beans, and and smash 'em up with a potato masher. Fry that stuff up for 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently.

Enjoy. :)

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Graham Cracker Break-Aways

A delicious holiday treat submitted by Emily the Wonderneice.

• 12 Honey Grahams, broken in half (24 squares)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks 1/2 cup Pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F. Arrange graham squares in single layer in 15x10x1-inch baking pan.

Place butter and sugar in medium saucepan. Bring to boil on medium heat; cook 2 min. Pour over grahams; immediately spread to completely cover all grahams.

Bake 6 to 8 min. or until sugar mixture is lightly browned and bubbly. Sprinkle with chocolate chunks. Bake an additional 1 to 2 min. or until chocolate is melted. Remove from oven; immediately spread chocolate over grahams. Sprinkle with pecans; press lightly into chocolate with back of spoon. Cool completely before breaking into squares to serve.

Variations to try: Not a pecan fan? Try topping with peanuts or crushed Butterfingers... Better yet, come up with something original and submit your idea as a comment here!

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Southwest Pork Chop Rub

Combine and mix together the following ingredients for an excellent rub to use on grilled pork chops.

• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon Tony Chachere’s
• ¼ teaspoon Morton’s Hot Salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder

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Kickass Chili

Ready for an awesome bowl of red? Give this recipe a shot. You will not be disappointed. My apologies to any and all Texans out there, in advance. I know this is far from authentic, but it's very good.

• 4 pounds ground beef
  
• 12 ounces bacon
  
• 4 cups diced yellow onions
  
• 4 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer
  
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
  
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
  
• 2 chopped fresh chipotles
  
• 4 (15-ounce) cans mixed beans, drained and rinsed
  

Flavor Wave 1

• 4 tablespoons chili powder
  
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon hickory smoked kosher salt
  
• 3 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 2 teaspoons Emeril's Southwest Essence
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1 bay leaf
  
• 5 chicken bullion cubes
  
• 2 teaspoons Morton's Hot Salt
  

Flavor Wave 2

• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
  
• 1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate
  

Slice the bacon, fry it up in a big chili/stock pot, remove it from the pan and set it aside.

Brown the meat in the same pan, drain, and set aside. While that’s cooking, is a good time to get the rest of your ingredients ready.

Add your onions and Flavor Wave 1 to the pot. Cook until the onions start to become translucent. Then add the garlic and chipotles, and cook for a few more minutes.

Put the meat back in the pot, then add the beer. Bring to a mild boil, and cook until the foam subsides.

Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Flavor Wave 2. Bring that to a boil, stirring as you go. You need to be careful not to let that chocolate square burn to the bottom of the pot.

Once it’s boiling, reduce to a simmer, and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Add your beans, and simmer for another 30 minutes. I like to mix up the beans. I usually go with black, pinto, white and red beans (one can of each).

Serve with grated cheese or a plunk of sour cream in the middle.

Variation: Mix up the meat! Many people prefer to forego the ground beef, and go with steak. Others like game meats, such as venison or bison. My personal favorite is 3 lbs of ground beef, and 1 lb of smoked pulled pork.

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