Tuesday

It was a long, grueling day at work, culminating in a 2+ hour’s strategy meeting in the afternoon. So, I was beat when I got home.

But I had a problem. If you remember, when the power went out on Saturday, I put three four-cup containers of that bean soup in the fridge to keep it cool. So, I was thinking WTF can I do with the thawed out 12 cups of bean soup? I don’t think I could eat it all before it goes bad! So, I had a thought...

It was a layered wine bottle that had dried kidney beans, pinto beans, red beans, navy beans, black beans, Lima beans, split pea and black eyed peas. It was cooked with just water, two cans of tomatoes, Tabasco sauce and a spice packet. So, could I successfully turn it into chili?

So, I sautéed one half of a large sweet onion in butter in my Dutch oven (I love that puppy! That and my cast iron skillet are my most favorite cooking vessels). I pulled them out when they were translucent, added some canola oil and cut up a pound of stewing beef into 1/2-inch chunks. I dredged them in flour seasoned with kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. I let them go, stirring often, until they were caramelized. I took them out and deglazed the pan with a 14-ounce can of beef broth. I scraped the brown bits off the bottom, added the beef and onions back in and dropped in a bay leaf. I put the lid on and let that simmer (after bringing it to a boil) for two hours. Needless to say, this is not my dinner for tonight.

I watched the nightly news. Tomorrow morning could be a problem, as they are predicting freezing rain until after 9:00 AM and then just rain the rest of the day.

I let the “chili” warm up and then tasted it. Hmmm... should I add chili pepper, cut up brined jalapeno peppers, cumin or what? I figured I’d do a little at a time and taste test. I added about a table spoon of chili powder, a tablespoon of chopped pickled jalapeno peppers and a teaspoon of cumin. I brought it back to boil, and then down to simmer again, setting the timer for another two hours, this time uncovered.

Meanwhile, I warmed up the rest of the rice and another chicken thigh and ate that watching TV. When the timer went off, I shut it off (without taste-testing) and let it cool. I eventually covered it again and stuck it in the fridge. Then I went to bed.