Budweiser Chili for Ace

I am so touched by your emails, comments and responses to my last post. It means a lot to be surrounded by people that “get me” and understand that just because somebody has left this earth, it doesn’t mean that the celebrating should stop. I will forever hold onto the tradition that Ace and I started after his brother Craig’s passing. We made a cake on his birthday to remember and celebrate him and I chose to do the same for Ace.

So let’s talk chili. Ace had a chili recipe scribbled onto a piece of paper shoved into a Budweiser collectible book. My guess is that it came from one of his Bud distributors (He was a grocery store manager and had a million contacts) or it came from someone in the breweriana society he belonged to. I was not kidding when I said he had a passion for Budweiser. The recipe was written by somebody else, but right next to it – the words – GOTTA TRY THIS! was definitely his handwriting.

The Ingredients:
1 lb. Top Sirloin – cut into small cubes
1 lb. Ground Sirloin
12 oz. Budweiser Beer
2 Teaspoons Garlic Salt
½ Cup Olive Oil – I used ¼ cup and it seemed to be enough
1 Jalapeño Pepper – finely chopped
2 Medium Onions – chopped – I used sweet/white onions
15 oz. Can of Stewed Tomatoes – I used one with onion, peppers and celery by accident – grabbed the wrong one
15 oz. Can of Diced Tomatoes
1/3 Cup Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Ancho Chile Powder
1 Tablespoon Cumin Powder
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon White Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
8 oz. Can of Tomato Sauce – Foo’s addition – not shown in photo
8 oz. Beef Stock – Foo’s addition – not shown in photo
15 oz. Can of Kidney Beans – Foo’s addition
2 Cloves of Garlic – Foo’s addition
Shredded Tillamook Medium Cheddar and Tortilla Strips – for toppings

The Directions:

Prep your onion, garlic, jalapeño and meat. Dice top sirloin into small cubes and place into a Ziploc bag – add garlic salt and Budweiser and refrigerate for a minimum of 1 hour. Strain liquid from meat.

Heat oil and sauté onions and garlic until onions are translucent. Add ground sirloin and strained top sirloin and cook until browned.

Add chili powder, ancho chile powder, salt, black, white & cayenne peppers, diced jalapeños and stir.

Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and beef stock to the pot. The recipe called for water, but I switched it up with the beef stock.

I kept the heat on medium until all liquids were in the pot. I then turned it up to high and let it really boil for a good 15 minutes. I then reduced the heat to low and it simmered on the stove for about 3 hours. I kept stirring and checking the consistency. I never needed to add water – it had a thick soup like consistency. Probably shouldn’t have added as much beef broth.

It tasted great! Dan and I both gobbled up bowls while we watched the movie “Date Night”. I enjoyed the movie and laughed quite a bit. Dan went to the pantry and got out a box of Whoppers – I bought a bunch of movie candy at Walmart for our “Netflix dates” – I heard the box and yelled… wait! we have cake… He walked over to the cake as I was cutting it and put a Whopper on his piece. Double dessert – gotta love that! It ended up being a fun night.

Now what am I going to do with the leftover 28 ounces of Budweiser? Hmmm… beer bread? Any ideas or suggestions? Drinking it is out of the question… not a Budweiser fan – Bud Light, maybe in a pinch.

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend. Sending good luck wishes to Lew over at Ash and Lew Plus 2 – he’s running his first marathon on Saturday, go Lew go!

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A day of celebration…

Veteran’s Day for the past 9 years has been a day of sadness for me. 11/11 – Veteran’s Day,  also happens to be my late husband Ace’s birthday. I normally stay home (it’s a work holiday for me) get sad,  release a message balloon to heaven, bake a cake, sing happy birthday, and then go about my normal activities the next day.

Today was different. Today I decided to celebrate life – to celebrate the amazing veterans that have served my country… to celebrate freedom and the wonderful place I live.

I sprung out of bed this morning and immediately put on my workout clothes. I made a healthy oatmeal breakfast and then set about my day. I walked/ran 3 miles to watch my cities Veteran’s Day Parade.

As I walked/ran along the path to the parade… I stopped to soak it all in.

I loved the loan American flag stuck in the fence along my path.

I made my way to the parade route and I knew I wanted to get closer to the giant flag.

I loved taking photos of supporters along the parade route…

So many uniforms and so much pride…

The kids and dogs were my favorite…

Everyone sat patiently along the route until the parade came through…

The huge flag was pretty impressive to see up close.

The first order of business – Geese in the road… Geese in the road… It was hysterical – they honked every time the fire engine’s sirens blared.

No worries, my little geese friends made their way to the lawn area next to where I was standing.

The local rotary club handed out mini flags to everyone…

This year’s Grand Marshall was Staff Sergeant Emmett Spraktes, a helicopter medic who received a silver star for gallantry in action in Afghanistan. His son was so excited to be in the car with his Dad.

After the parade,  the public was invited to partake in free hotdogs, soda and potato chips provided by the local Rotary, Lions, Kiwanis and other community organizations. I decided to skip that part to continue with my walk/run around the park’s lake.

It was a gorgeous day…

It felt good to be out and surrounded by my community with a side of nature.  According to iPhone calculations, I covered just under 8 miles. Once home, I got busy in the kitchen. I had one thing left to do for the day.

Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and a side of Budwesier (I actually bought the bud for a chili recipe – Ace was a big time collector of all things Budweiser and Anheuser-Busch, so for tonight’s dinner – we will be honoring his love and passion by partaking in big bowls of chili that include his favorite beer).  I plan on posting the recipe tomorrow.

So cheers – to Ace – who would have celebrated his 42nd birthday today… you are so missed and loved with each passing day.

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SF Foodbuzz Festival Part II

I decided to walk back to the hotel from the tasting pavilion event and happened to run into Ashlee and Lew. I sat next to them in my first morning breakout session. They invited me to walk with them and the conversation was non-stop. They are an amazing couple and definitely the reason I enjoyed the gala dinner and brunch the next morning.

I was able to get in a nice 2 hour nap between events. I got ready and met Ashlee, Lew and Emily in the lobby. We debated between taking a cab or walking… we opted to walk the mile to the Ferry Building… in heels!

Bonny Doon wine and passed appetizers were flowing during the outdoor cocktail hour. Polenta rounds stuffed with goat cheese, beef wrapped scallions and smoked salmon tidbits (yes, I made that name up) were served. I didn’t break out my camera, I just enjoyed the company of new friends. Ash and Lew introduced me to Whitney who blogs over at Amuse Bouche and Veronica who blogs over at The Enchanted Cook – Both girls are fabulous! While chit chattn’ it up, we had the pleasure of meeting Jeffrey Saad – from season 5 of The Next Food Network Star. He placed second to winner Melissa d’Arabian. Jeffrey and his wife talked about their passion for food and his new show on the Cooking Channel – United Tastes of America. Veronica has a group photo of us in her blog recap.

Ash and Lew and Jeffrey in blue…

We sat down to a gorgeous dinner in the Grand Hall of the Ferry Building – the tables were decked out wedding style…

The menu for the evening was incredible…

Can you read all that? 😉

Whitney, Ashlee and Lew

The first course was Roasted Golden Beet Tart – Crimson beet, feta and currants, wild arugula and basil puree. I am a “beet” girl, so this was probably my favorite dish of the night.

The beet tart was paired with a 2009 Bonny Doon Vineyard Ca’del Solo Albarino – my favorite of the first 3 pours.

The second course was Seared Scallops with Bonny Doon Vineyard Verjus Beurre Blanc – Served with braised fennel and garnished with fried fennel fonds.

The scallops were paired with a 2007 Bonny Doon Vineyard Le Cigare Blanc – my first time eating scallops other than once in a sushi roll. People kept raving about how they were cooked to perfection and the highlight of the evening. I guess I’m just not a scallop girl – it’s definitely a texture thing.

The third course was Rosemary and Garlic Infused Rack of Lamb – served with local wild mushrooms, pinot noir sauce and butternut squash puree.

Now that’s a rare hunk o’ meat close up. The meat was seasoned to perfection and the mushrooms were pure heaven. The butternut squash puree will be a new rotation side dish for me, loved the flavor and texture.

Tarta de Almendras with Oranges – Buttery almond cake with oranges and Spanish sherry sabayon was the final star of the evening.

I learned on 3 different occasions that I am a huge fan of fresh figs – they were screamin’ good. The dessert pairing was a 2008 Bonny Doon Vineyard Vinferno – a lovely dessert wine full of apple flavor. After looking the wine up, I found that it had apple, hazelnuts and a hint of lavender honeycomb – interesting. Two thumbs up, I would order this dessert wine again.

Thank you Foodbuzz, Cooking Channel and Paula LeDuc Fine Catering for a wonderful evening. 

Lots of table laughter, good food and a full belly, what more could I ask for?

Foodbuzz hosted a scavenger hunt/bar crawl after the dinner, my group opted to head back to the hotel and I was perfectly fine with that. We flagged down a cab and my tired feet enjoyed the ride.

Unfortunately I didn’t get much sleep. My hotel neighbors decided to continue their bar hopping party into their room. They played quarters, giggled, screamed and pretty much disrupted the entire floor. Security came 2 times and I think they were finally kicked out of the hotel around 5:45 a.m. It was a long, miserable night.

The Farewell Brunch started at 9:30. I headed to the lobby to meet my peeps and we made our way to the buffet.

Fruit never looked so good – more figs, yay!

Pear salad, wild arugula, frisse, toasted almonds, multigrain croutons and balsamic vinaigrette…

Straus yogurt, raspberry (I think) and granola…

Other buffet items included applewood smoked bacon, roasted vegetable Spanish frittata and 12 grain bread stuffing, country white bread and pork sausage gravy, seasonal panzanella salad with red onion and roasted wild mushrooms and cinnamon nutty oat french toast, whipped strawberry butter with basil and villa mandori maple syrup.

Yep, I pretty much ate it all.

I said my goodbyes after brunch and then headed back to the room to grab my bags.

View from my room – the rain was really starting to come down, I was dreading the drive home.

Seeing them put up the Christmas tree got me excited for the upcoming holiday season. I am ready to break out Christmas music and decorations – guess I should enjoy Thanksgiving first.

Holy table of swag! I’ve been wanting salad sheers and wow…magnetic towels, spatulas, measuring cups, aprons, t-shirts, a ball whisk, utility knife, travel mug, thermometer, earth friendly bags, coupons, recipes, etc., SCORE! I’m slowly eating, drinking, using and wearing my way through the pile.

It feels good to be home and back to my normal everyday foods. I also hear the treadmill calling my name… Foo… Foo… remember me? I’m sad that it’s all over, but happy that I made some new blogging friends. It was really cool to be surrounded by talented people that share the same interests.

Third Annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival 2011 – here I come, who’s with me?

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