Review: MacGourmet Deluxe
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Recipe database programs have been around in one form or another as long as personal computers have been in homes. Some of these are standalone programs dedicated to recipes, but even standard database programs such as FileMaker Pro come with recipe templates. I’ve been using personal computers since 1982, and I’ve kept recipes saved electronically (in word processing documents or PDF files) since the first computer we had with a hard drive, way back in 1988. But I’ve never been impressed with recipe database software...until now.
Now, let me say up front: yes, you can see a MacGourmet Deluxe (MGD from this point forward) advertisement in the sidebar [only at cookingincastiron.com, not at This Lamp]. But what you must realize is that I first contacted Mariner Software in regard to their advertising with us because I was incredibly impressed with this software. In fact, as I already mentioned, recipe database software is nothing new, but in reality, MGD seems to me to be the mature end result of nearly three decades of this kind of software that has gone before it. I strongly encourage you to download the MGD user manual as I will not be able to nearly touch upon all of MGD’s features in this review. I’ve jokingly said to a friend that MGD seems to do everything except cook the meal for you, but maybe that’s projected for version 2.0.
Of course, MGD does what you would expect--it allows you to keep a database of your recipes. The interface is iTunes-esque, allowing you to create your own categories in the left sidebar. And like an iTunes smart playlist that automatically expands as new songs meet pre-set criteria, MGD allows the user to create “smart recipe lists” that look for certain criteria as the user adds new recipes.
One of the most impressive features of MGD is the multiple ways that recipes can be added to the database. Certainly, the user can enter ingredients and directions manually, but there are also a number of ways to add them automatically from other sources. There are “supported” websites such as allrecipes.com, epicurious.com, foodnetwork.com, williams-sonoma.com, cookinglight.com and food.yahoo.com in which all a user has to do is select the URL on a recipe’s webpage, go to the services menu: MaGourmet, and choose “Import Recipe from Web Page.” 
MGD automatically parses the information, separating the ingredients from the directions, the description of the recipe and even includes the picture:
But what if a website is not supported? Well, to test this out, I went to one of my favorite cast iron related websites, “Black Iron Dude.” About a month ago, there was a recipe at this website for Arbol Chile Salsa. To import the recipe from Greg’s website, I first highlighted all the text in his post and then I dragged it to the “Clippings” window in MGD. This is a great little window in MGD that allows the user to drag over recipe after recipe and then go back and format them later. After I had dragged over the text for the salsa, I double-clicked on it to import it in my recipe database. 
All of my captured text is gathered at the top of the import window. From the drop down menu, I can select “Ingredients” and MGD knows that this information is separate from the preparation directions. And of course, I can do the same with the directions, information about the recipe, etc.
What impressed me further is that in parsing the list of ingredients, MGD could distinguish between number, actual item and special instructions. Notice for example in the list below, taken from this recipe, that “25” is separated from “dried Arbol chiles” which is separated from “remove stems and shake out some seeds”:
For those watching what they eat (and who isn’t these days?) MGD comes with the abbreviated USDA National Nutrient Database. Ingredients are automatically evaluated by this database and if MGD is unsure about a particular ingredient, the user can open up the USDA database and manually map ingredients. Once all ingredients are mapped and servings are figured, MGD calculates an extremely accurate breakdown of nutritional data.
This information is calculated for 45 separate items:
And when printing out recipes for personal use or to share an abbreviated box with nutritional information is included such as this breakdown for JT’s Family Pancake Recipe:
This kind of information would be extremely helpful not only for the person watching what he or she eats, but also for the personal chef or any person in charge of providing meals for groups of people. MGD includes a weekly meal planner that can be exported to iCal, and shopping lists can be created from planned recipes.
Kathy and I have an older iMac we keep in the kitchen for easy access to recipes we’ve collected electronically over the years. Whether you have a dedicated kitchen computer or simply a laptop on the counter, MGD offers a “Chef’s View” that enlarges ingredients and directions for easy access:
Almost every church group or civic organization has produced a cookbook at one time or another. There are publishers who specialize in this. These publishers should be a bit concerned for their future because MGD includes tools for creating one’s own cookbook with pictures, section dividers, chapters, and more. Once a cookbook has been created it can be exported to PDF ready for publication from a company such as Lulu.com.
And of course, when someone asks you for your Garlic Beef Enchiladas recipe after the church potluck, you can print out your recipe according to a variety of attractive built in templates.
As the name implies, MacGourmet Deluxe only runs on Macintosh computers, but the program is so sophisticated, it might be reason enough to switch from Windows if you aren’t already a Mac user. Regardless, MGD can import files in a number of formats: MasterCook, MasterCook Mac, Meal-Master, CookWare Deluxe, Cook’n text, RecipeML, and Yum XML. It can export to iPod notes, MasterCook, MealMaster, RTF and text files.
Our Cooking in Cast Iron website is still fairly new, but as we add recipes in the future, we will also make them available in MGD format which means that if you want to add one of them to your own collection, it will be as easy as dragging an icon from our website directly into your MGD database.
MacGourmet Deluxe is available from Mariner Software for $44.95.
The Kind of Stuff I Find Nowhere Else III
Now, I didn’t actually find the items below myself. You may have seen the pictures below as they’re from an email making the rounds in conjunction with the beginning of the Olympics in Beijing, although they may have their origin in an earlier context. The photos are attributed to a “G. Pollack,” and I don’t know who he is, but from the briefest of research I did on the internet, evidently the pictures are really from the Beijing market.
You know, I’m much more adventurous in what I’ll eat than Kathy. After seeing these pictures, she said that when we go to China next year, she’s going to take plenty of Ramen noodles with her. I don’t know why she’s selected Ramen noodles. I’d assume that noodles would be in abundance in China. I, however, may carry a number of PowerBars with me.
You know, I’d not be opposed to eating sea urchin--as long as it was cooked--but the problem is that I don’t know how to eat sea urchin!
Starfish fried in shark oil.
Baby sharks, deep fried star fish, and sea urchins.
Top left: turkey vulture schnitzels; bottom left: sea snakes; bottom right: silk worms
Snake about to be grilled
Dog liver with vegetables (don’t tell Bessie Mae!)
Goat lungs with red peppers
Mixed cow and horse stew
Top row: silk worms, black scorpions, and dung beetles; bottom: cicadas
Scorpion brochettes
Lizard legs
Dog brain soup
Oysters, squid, and iguana tails
Assorted scorpions & beetles
Scorpions, crickets, and beetles
Seahorses
Grilled snake and silk worms
Just remember what Mom said: “You can’t get up from the table until you try at least one bite of everything on your plate.
Wisdom (??) from My Fortune Cookie #6
These places are all the same. Most of them aren’t bad, but they aren’t great either. This one was a bit different in that they had a few more “authentic” items on the buffet such as chicken feet, which they called “Phoenix Claws.” No, I didn’t partake.
So when we received our fortune cookies, mine had this statement:
“You will soon be crossing the great waters.”
What?
I was kind of speechless, so Tim asked me what mine said. “I think mine says that I’m gonna die soon.” I showed it to him, and he thought it was pretty odd, too.
So I motioned to a waitress that was walking by. I showed it to her, but she obviously neither read nor spoke English. Smiling, she simply shrugged her shoulders.
I mean, I know it’s just a fortune cookie. It means nothing. To even think about taking it seriously would be superstitious. But still...
Another waitress came over. Her English was a little better, but not by much. I said to her, “I think it means...” and I drew my finger across my neck in a swift motion. Her eyes grew big and she shook her head.
As we’re walking out, Tim’s reading his fortune to me, adding the words “in bed” at the end and laughing. He tells me that he was taught that trick when he was in elementary school. “Really?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
As we’re about to leave, the hostess stops us. “They say you got a bad fortune cookie. This is not possible. All fortunes are good.” Her English was actually a bit more broken than that, but it seems a bit demeaning to write it that way.
I pulled the fortune from my pocket, and read it to her. “‘You will soon be crossing the great waters.’ I think it means I’m going to die,” I said with a lump in my throat.
She puzzled over it for a few seconds and then her face lit up. “No, no. In Chinese culture, water is always a good thing. You’re about to go on a profitable journey. Or something good is going to happen to you.”
“Are you sure?” I ask, “Because it really sounds like it’s saying I’m going to die. I’m going to ‘cross the great waters.’”
“No, no. Good things are going to happen to you very soon.”
I smiled and we left. She had obviously just made that up.
I know, I know. It means nothing. But if this blog suddenly receives no more new content, and you don’t see a “Technical Difficulties” disclaimer, like last time, well... you know what really happened.
The Kind of Stuff I Find Nowhere Else II
You may remember that last year while in Louisiana, I actually saw a jar of pickle pigs’ LIPS in a jar (again, NO, I didn’t partake) while shopping in a grocery store. Well, this year, when visiting friends and relations a week or so ago, we went to the same store. Yes, the pickled pigs lips are still on the shelf. But this year we took another picture of the kind of stuff you just don’t seem to find in grocery stores outside of Louisiana very often:
Obviously, the alligator filet is the most exotic of the bunch. Note that it says “Certified Cajun.” We didn’t buy any of these items (I’ve actually never eaten aligator). I did look at the packages of pre-cooked and shelled crawfish meat, but it was just as pricey as what I can get here in Kentucky.
The oddest thing we saw in the frozen section at this store is pictured below:
This was in the regular frozen seafood section: “wild caught, head-on” bait shrimp--the kind of stuff you can go fishing with. But notice the top left corner of the box: “Good eating too”! Well, why not, I guess.
I didn’t buy any of the food pictured above. but I did fill up the ice chest with Natchitoches meat pies, crawfish pies, andouille sausage, boudin (regular and jalapeño), purple hull peas, and Albert’s Hot Sauce.
Starbucks and "Free" WiFi: They Just Don't Get It
Often I like to get out of my office and work from a coffee shop to get a change of scenery. For these coffee shop hangout sessions, I stopped going to Starbucks a while back in favor of other coffee shops. Why? It’s simple: free wireless internet. When Starbucks first started offering wireless internet, it was through TMobile and it was very expensive--$6 an hour, $9 a day or $30 a month. Those kinds of prices seemed insane, so I started going elsewhere. Just about every other coffee shop has free wireless internet. This is what Starbucks doesn’t understand. Although there coffee is good, I’ll take a lesser cup of Joe if free WiFi is included.
So I was pretty excited when Starbucks announced they were moving from TMobile to AT&T for wireless internet and offering free service through the latter. Of course the “free” AT&T internet is limited to two hours and the patron has to have a registered Starbucks gift card. Okay, that seemed like a short amount of time, but it was better than nothing, so I made sure one of the gift cards loitering in my wallet was registered.
This week and last I’ve been in Louisiana visiting family and friends. I called Philip Wade on Saturday and he suggested we meet at the local Starbucks. Since I wanted to upload a video podcast for the cast iron site while we talked, I got to Starbucks a few minutes early so that I could go ahead and connect and begin the upload.
After ordering my tall black coffee, I opened up my MacBook and selected “AT&T” from the list of wireless networks. I noticed also that TMobile was in the list, too. For some strange reason, the AT&T network switched over to TMobile’s although the screen still showed the AT&T logo. From there, I wasn’t certain what to do.
My screen showed an AT&T logo and asked for my login name and password. There was no mention of Starbucks anywhere on the screen or in the drop down menu. What login name and password? I tried using the same information I had used a few days before on the Starbucks website when I registered my card. No luck.
Not knowing what to do next, and since there’s no Internet access beyond the login screen, it’s not like I could have my login name and password emailed to me, so I approached one of the baristas at the counter. The fellow behind the counter looked at my screen and said that he didn’t know what to do either. Now, consider that this is one of the employees at Starbucks and he has no idea how to get on to his own store’s wireless network. After poking around on the screen for a few minutes, he looked at me and said, “Well, if you sit in the front corner of the store, you can pick up Subway’s internet.”
Unbelievable.
I sat back down at my table. I saw Philip pulling up outside as I looked back down at my screen. There was a link for help, so I clicked on that and saw a toll-free support number for AT&T. As Philip was walking in the door, I was telling the fellow from AT&T what I had tried so far in order to log on. The support fellow seemed totally oblivious. “Did you say that you tried your login?”
“Well, what login do you mean? My Starbucks login, the account number on the Starbucks card or what?”
After I told him I’d tried both, he asked for my name again and tried to look me up in his database. Not finding my name anywhere, he suggested that perhaps my card was not set up for WiFi rewards. What?
Of course, he said that he couldn’t set that up for me. He’d have to give me another number to call where they could supposedly set up my card. I looked at Philip. “Starbucks’ internet is impossible to get on. Do you know of another coffee shop where the internet is free?” Philip suggested PJ’s across the street.
I still had the AT&T guy on the phone. “Do you want that number?” he asked.
“Forget it,” I said. “We’re going somewhere else.”
We went to PJ’s where getting on the internet was as easy as opening my MacBook.
This is why other coffee shops will continue to get my business over Starbucks. As I said, Starbucks’ coffee is great. But in the end, it’s about more than just the coffee--it’s about the experience. And they just don’t get that.
New Website: Cooking in Cast Iron
Those who know me best won’t find this as a total surprise. I’ve always enjoyed cooking as a creative outlet. This goes all the way back to a family tradition of great home cooks, not the least of whom was my mother (who also gave me my first cast iron skillet). Not too long after I got married, my mother-in-law gave me the books Cajun Men Cook
and Dad's Own Cookbook. I’m neither Cajun, having grown up in North Louisiana; nor am I a dad yet, but both these books were foundational for me early own as I developed my own preferences and style. Over the past decade or so, I’ve become more and more enamored with cooking in cast iron, gradually replacing anything Teflon or chemically created to be non-stick. Right now, I believe that cast iron is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. As I state in the inaugural post at the new site:We’ve now come full circle. Everywhere I go--whether a neighbor’s kitchen, the gourmet kitchen store, or a campfire in the woods--I’m seeing more and more cast iron. Now, even celebrity chefs have their names on their own lines of cast iron. But it wasn’t always that way. In spite of the fact that cooking in cast iron was the only way for most people to prepare meals for centuries, cast iron began to fall on hard times in the 1940’s with the development of modern artificial nonstick surfaces. And so in recent years, cast iron went into a kind of teflon-inspired exile. If you wanted to find a good cast iron pan, often you had to visit the hardware or sporting goods store (in the camping section, no less) or simply resort to mail order.
But of course, great cooks such as your grandmother who would have never dreamed of giving up her cast iron skillet or Uncle Ted who can’t imagine camping without his dutch ovens have remained true to the black iron. So, they aren’t surprised when recent studies tell us that those artificial non-stick coatings may not be so safe and healthy afterall. And suddenly lots of folks are starting to come back to cast iron.
I believe we’re in a bit of a “cast iron renaissance.” I began to see signs of this two and a half years ago when Mark Bittman published an interesting article in the New York Times, titled “Ever So Humble, Cast Iron Outshines the Fancy Pans.” In the article, Bittman traces his own journey through twenty years in which after using more modern cooking surfaces, he had returned to an old standby: cast iron--in both his own cooking and in regard to what he recommends. And he’s not alone; suddenly there is lots of talk in the food industry about cooking in cast iron.
Don’t worry, This Lamp isn’t going away; nor will it be neglected. I’ve got a wide range of interests and this is merely one of them. And I’m fortunate because I’m not the sole person writing for Cooking in Cast Iron. We have quite the team lined up. And if cooking and cast iron is one of your things, please drop by on a regular basis.
The Kind of Stuff I Find Nowhere Else
The Influence of Gordon Ramsay
Here's a little known fact about me--one that only my personal friends and family have known until now: I enjoy cooking. When I am not rushed and have the time to do it right, cooking can be a creative outlet for me. I don't mind spending hours in the kitchen getting a meal just right, and I don't mind a challenge. I like the variety of trying new recipes. I have a pretty solid collection of recipes, with a fairly wide variety of cultures represented. I'm known for my Louisiana dishes as well as my chili, but my repertoire is actually much wider than that. I also like using cast iron in my cooking because there's something extremely traditional about those heavy black pans. I mix my own Cajun seasoning, and I've played around with creating my own hot sauce. I like to experiment in the kitchen and try new things. Most of my experiments have turned out well, but for the exceptions, Kathy has some stories she'd be glad to tell you.
Over the past couple of years, I've found myself increasingly influenced by British chef and restauranteur, Gordon Ramsay. I don't mean that he's influenced the kind of things that I prepare. But he has begun changing my perception of food when I eat away from home in restaurants.
I discovered Gordon Ramsay on the American version of his television show, Hell's Kitchen and then on the more recent import, Kitchen Nightmares. I suppose it's odd that I would be drawn to Ramsay. I'm not one to watch cooking shows very often, but I suppose I can watch one if it's on and someone's already watching it. Further, Ramsay is not just a chef but a world class restauranteur with a total of twelve Michelin stars to his credit. My entire experience in commercial food service were the three weeks I spent working for McDonalds when I was 15. And of course, Ramsay swears like a sailor, often resulting in half of his dialogue bleeped out by the censors. I won't say that I've never cursed, but it's so rare that when it's happened it's surprised everyone, including me.
But Ramsay has intrigued me. He's certainly a charismatic individual, but there's more to him than that. His shows are not cooking shows, but rather "mentoring" exercises. I've noticed that for those who are willing to push aside their pride, Ramsay actually makes an incredible teacher in spite of his often initial bombastic nature. And over the past few weeks, I've realized that I've been learning from him as well, and my perceptions related especially to dining have been changing. I'm also learning the value of private eating establishments over large chains. Let me offer some examples.
Fresh not frozen. One lesson I've picked up, especially while watching Kitchen Nightmares, is that quality food is fresh, not frozen. In one particular episode, Ramsay went to Burbank, California, to try to help turn around a restaurant called Sebastian's. The owner of the restaurant cut corners by consistently using ingredients that were frozen and pre-packaged, right down to his pizza dough. Part of the guy's problem was that he envisioned opening a chain of restaurants (which would obviously depend upon pre-packaged, pre-made food) rather than creating a quality dining experience where he was.
So about three week's ago, I'm in a Louisville eating establishment, Beef 'O' Brady's (yes, the apostrophe is on both sides of the O). Kathy and her teacher friends often go there to relax on a Friday afternoon, and I usually tag along. As I'm sitting there, eating my shrimp wrap, I begin thinking to myself that the food simply isn't all that good. It's basically fried shrimp, cole slaw and some secret sauce in a tortilla wrap with fries on the side. It just didn't taste all that good, and I decided to blame the cole slaw. Why in the world was there cole slaw in this wrap instead of fresh lettuce? Then Gordon Ramsay's influence kicked in, and I realized that the shrimp, the fries, and quite a number of items on my friends plates were simply frozen food that was warmed and thrown together. Perhaps even the cole slaw was pre-packaged--I don't know. Granted, this is a sports pub/grill of sorts, but I think Beef 'O' Brady's could be so much more. I suppose this isn't surprising because in looking at their website, they have locations all over the country. Who knew? Frozen, pre-packaged food is easy to duplicate. At least their burgers and sandwiches are pretty good, but the fries and a lot of the other menu items are surely frozen, not fresh. And it tastes like it.
A few months ago, not only would I not have cared; I wouldn't have thought about it. I'm starting to look at menu items the way Ramsay does.
Environment matters. A few days ago, I met a friend for lunch at a little restaurant in St. Matthews (a section of Louisville) called the Sahara Café. When we walked in the place was packed. In fact, there was only one table left available which we took. But I noticed that half the establishment was dedicated to a little gift shop. I saw lots of people eating, but very few who were shopping. Moreover, the dining area was crowded--too crowded. The back of my chair was pushed right up against a woman's chair who was sitting behind me. Every time she moved, I moved. We had a third chair at our window table, but everyone who walked by seemed to trip over it, so my lunch companion took it upon himself to move it over to the gift section.
The food itself was very good, reflecting a Mediterranean influence, and it was prepared fresh in an open kitchen which was viewable from the dining area. I'd eat there again. But looking at the environment through Ramsay's eye, I observed that the gift shop needed to be greatly reduced while the dining area needed to be expanded. Finally, at the end of our meal, when we tried to pay our check, we were told that customers simply go up to the counter. But one pays at the counter at a Waffle House, not at an upper scale St. Matthew's café! This seemed very out of place.
Quality, not quantity. Yesterday was Thanksgiving. Some years, Kathy and I travel to Louisiana for Thanksgiving with family. However, this was one of those years we needed to stay here in Kentucky. Originally, I was planning to make a turkey gumbo, but in the last day or two we decided to go out for our Thanksgiving Meal.
We live right down the highway from the locally famous Claudia Sanders Dinner House. The restaurant was started by the wife of the late Colonel, and they're known to have chicken that gives evidence to the fact that the 11 secret herbs and spices must not have been a secret among family members. But this isn't a fast food place; rather, it's a well-known and well-respected local establishment that is now run by owners not related to the Sanders. It's an interesting place to go to, but I suppose that I've been there enough times by now that the novelty has begun to wear off. So today, before I realized it, I was looking at the food through Ramsay eyes.
The restaurant offered only a buffet today with all the traditional Thanksgiving fare, plus chicken (of course), roast beef, and ham. I noticed that the ham and roast beef were carved for the customer, but the turkey had been cut beforehand and was simply laying in a pan on the buffet between the cornbread dressing and giblet gravy. There weren't many large slices but many small, bite-size pieces--not exactly how I picture Thanksgiving turkey on my plate. Only one salad was offered--a Caesar that was so bland that I ate very little of it. Much of the food was over-seasoned. The dressing had way too much sage, and someone must have doubled the amount of nutmeg called for in the sweet potatoes. Further, most of the sides--the corn pudding, creamed spinach, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes--weren't firm at all. They were downright soupy making a gloopy mess on my plate. The final insult came when I went for dessert. Evidently, they had run out of pecan pie. And on Thanksgiving!
As I went to pay our bill--which at $17.95 a plate was not inexpensive--I was asked how our meal was. Feeling quite honest at the moment, I said, "Well it was okay..." with special emphasis on that last word. Oblivious to anything I said, the young woman replied, "Well, that's great!" and proceeded to run my debit card through the slider. Evidently, she was no more attentive to details than the chef had been.
In my opinion, Claudia Sanders, which does an absolutely booming business, is running on novelty and past reputation at this point. One day that will run out. At that time, I'd love for Gordon Ramsay to step in to turn the place around.
In the meantime, I'm learning from the master. I've developed a critical eye for the dining experience and my expectations are higher for quality of food, environment, and service. I didn't mean for this to happen; it's just a result of watching Ramsay on television. I'd never want to run my own restaurant, let alone work in one, but I believe it's fair to expect a lot from the establishments I frequent. And I know he'd approve.
Hoppin' John for New Year's
Now when I said that I looked for a definitive recipe I meant just that. The recipe we use and that I will repeat below is from the McIlheny family (creators of Tabasco) and dated to 1868. Although it calls for a 1/2 pound of bacon or sliced salt pork, this year we substituted some leftover ham from Christmas day, and I have to admit it was quite tasty. Also, the addition of green onions is ours--it just looked like it needed some color! You should also know that this is not a spicy dish even though it calls for a teaspoon of Tabasco. I usually add some more Tabasco and salt to my bowl or a little bit of cajun seasoning. A pat of butter goes a long way, too.
I know that it's too late for you to use this recipe for New Year's Day 2007, but it's good year round so be sure to make your self a copy.
HOPPING JOHN DRIED PEAS
(1868 Original Recipe)
1 pound of black-eyed peas
3 pints of cold water
1/2 pound of sliced salt pork or bacon
1 teaspoon of Tabasco Sauce
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of bacon fat or lard
2 medium onions, chopped
1 cup of uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 cups of boiling water
Cover peas with 3 pints of cold water in a large kettle. Soak overnight.* Add the salt pork, Tabasco Sauce and salt. Cover and cook over low heat for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile cook the onions in the bacon fat until they turn yellow and add to the peas with the rice and boiling water. Cook until the rice is tender and the water is absorbed, about 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Yield: about 8 cups. Serves 7 to 8.
*Modern method of dried peas rather than soaking overnight is to bring them to a boil, simmer for 2 minutes and let stand for 1 hour.
(This was a popular dish during days of scarcity.)
McIlheny Company, Manufacturers of Tabasco Brand Products
Recipe source: Jude W. Theriot, La Meilleure De la Louisiane. Gretna, Louisiana: Pelican Publishing, 1980.
Another Championship Year
[On a side note, these Kentuckians have an odd practice of putting chili over spaghetti or even worse, they sometimes put the noodles straight into their chili. Often when I mention my chili to the locals, someone will ask, "Do you put spaghetti in yours?" I quickly explain that such an action would be considered an abomination to my chili. I've discovered that the practice of putting spaghetti in chili comes from the Cincinnati area. Figures--I knew it had to be a Yankee innovation. However, I should offer that putting my chili over rice is certainly acceptable.]
The McCubbin Chili cook-off began a few years ago after a bunch of us went to Phoenix Hill Tavern's chili cook-off. I haven't been back in a number of years, but at the time, Phoenix Hill's competition had essentially become dominated by the local restaurants as opposed to the average Joe's homemade chili. So J.T. and Jenn McCubbin decided to start sponsoring their own chili contest among friends and the rest was history.
My chili is not overly complicated, but unfortunately I can't reveal its recipe due to the fierceness of the competition. Most of us simply like the food we grew up with and at some point, I realized that my mother's chili had somewhat of a distinct flavor due to one of the ingredients she put into her recipe. So a few years back, I began by duplicating her recipe, but I've tweaked it in two significant ways. One of these departures from her recipe I can't reveal for the aforementioned reasons of competition, but one difference between hers and mine I can reveal.
In addition to the standard ground beef, I add sausage to my chili--two kinds in fact. Originally, this meant both ground sausage (since coming to Kentucky I've begun using Purnell's made right here in Simpsonville--good stuff) and smoked sausage cut into quarter-inch pieces. For the first three years of the Annual McCubbin Chili Cook-off, my chili would place second, but never first. So in the fourth year of competition, I knew I had to do something different if I was going to get that coveted first place win. So I thought to myself that if I'm going to call this Louisiana Chili (named because I'm originally from Louisiana and I use Mom's recipe) I need to give it even more of a Louisiana flavor. So I ditched the smoked sausage and began adding authentic andouille (pronounced an-doo-ee) sausage instead. Andouille sausage used to be difficult to obtain in Kentucky, and I had to import it from Louisiana during my trips back home. These days I can obtain the genuine article from a local meat shop or if I'm in a bind, Johnsonville makes a decent andouille (although Louisiana purists would probably frown upon a Yankee-made sausage).
Well my switch to andouille did the trick. I won two years ago after making the change. Unfortunately I had to sit out last year's competition because I was in the midst of studying for comprehensive finals. But this year I returned and was able to retain my place as reigning champ beating out a dozen or so other chilis of all varieties.
The win is certainly satisfying, but where do I go from here? Once I received first place, and now that I've successfully defended my spot, well, now what? One year I entered another chili--a spicy peanut butter chili, a concoction of my own making. It won third place, but I felt it needed some tweaking, too. And maybe that's what I need to do--retire the Louisiana chili from competition and began experimenting with new creations.
You know, it can be quite lonely at the top, but the chili sure tastes good...
Wisdom from My Fortune Cookie #5
Wisdom from My Fortune Cookie #4
Wisdom from My Fortune Cookie #3
Diet Coke with Splenda
I tried the new Diet Coke sweetened with Splenda tonight.
I like Splenda . I sprinkle it on my cereal in the morning. Iced tea is best with Splenda, in my opinion.
However, Diet Coke with Splenda tasted like... Tab .
Weird. I'll stick with my Diet Coke with Lime , my sweet addiction.