I celebrate National Chili Day big time. I make my own and I get it from a can -- it's all good. And click on any recipe name or review to see the original blog post.
Of course, Homemade Chili is the best. I like to use a cheap cut of beef called Beef Shank. It's a tough cut of beef so you do have to cook it for 2 or 3 hours, but that's okay as the flavor just intensifies over time. You can make Chili with ground beef and even ground chicken or turkey.
The overriding flavor of typical BeefChili is from red chile peppers. They come dried whole, ground into powder, or as a sauce in a can. It is easiest to use ground chili powder.
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In the video below check out how I make my Homemade Beef Chili. It's quite simple to do really, all the ingredients are dried or from the can, and the recipe is even easier and quicker if you use ground beef instead of beef shank.
Beans or not to include beans, that is the Chile dilemma. Chili fanatics are divided, but I can swing both ways!
Is a Sloppy Joe made with Chili? It has the same ingredients, just not cooked as long until mushy. My Sloppy Joe recipe is chunkier and slightly sweeter than a typical Chili, but almost the same and delicious.
How does meatless Chili hold up? Check out my review of this cheap$kate frozen fare by clicking here, A hint -- it's pretty good!
Here is a couple of Cheap$kate Chile Recipes.Click on any recipe name to be directed to my original blog post. First up is Quick White Bean & Chicken Chili. The two main ingredients are from the can.
The next quickie recipe is Turkey & Black Bean Chili. This time I use ground turkey and a can of black beans.
My favorite sports food is a greasy and sloppy Chili Dog.First, steam the weiners then heat the Chili. I also set out the buns and all condiments so my game buddies can make their own. Kick it up a notch with chopped onion, relish, and shredded cheddar cheese.
I confess I like Chili from the can or box. Lately, I've found canned all-meat Chili from my local Dollar Tree for a buck (lately the prices have risen to $1.25) and it is fine for a hot dog on game day. I've not had a bad can yet. I've tried a few brands and even Vegan Chili from the can is quite tasty, If the Chili is watery, then cook it uncovered and let the liquid reduce by half, that outta do it.
I like my basic Hot Dog with mustard and chili. See my Chili Dogrecipe video below - nothing to it.
A more extreme Hot Dog recipe is combiningSauerkraut and Chili, it's so sour and beefy-rich. It's not for everyone, but I dig it.
I have favorite local fast-food joints that feature Beef Chili in their hamburgers, or hot dogs. If you live in Los Angeles for any length of time you have tried an OriginalTommy's Hamburger.It is a great burger, simply delicious - nothing to it, just a Chili Burger.
What's unique about a Tommy Burgeris a thick slice of tomato and, of course, Chili. The Chili is thick and meaty, and a great contrast when they include a sweet tomato slice, sour mustard, and pickles. I have to add a creamy smear of mayo to my order.
The majority of Chili is made with red chiles, but bright green chiles make a tasty one, too. I have a quick Chicken in Green Chile Verdeanyone can easily make. I use green Enchilada Sauce from the can. It's a yummy change of pace.
You are in for a movable feastduring this Cajun holiday calledMardi Gras. The real partying is underway and continues throughFat Tuesday, March 1. Usually, everyone lines the streets for the parades and floats with masked bead throwers. This is the time of year when New Orleans lets its freak flag fly -- all month long!
So read on and I'll show you how locals have a tasty time, even in these plague years.
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Mardi Gras is more than plastic beads and Kings Cake. So read on and watch my videos to see some delish Cajun recipes, plus I'll even give you a personal Po'Boy Sandwich Tour of New Orleans. So scroll on down.
King Cake is similar to a Cinnamon Roll with pecans.
Alright, let's get this party started! Walking the French Quarter in New Orleans, revelers carry drinks spiked with knee-buckling Everclear spirits. I always make a stop at the local drive-thru New Orleans Original Daiquiris for a boozy slushy beverage.
Yep, you heard right, that's the way we roll in Cajun country. Watch the video below to see how we get away without getting a ticket for an open container violation!
Daiquiri Drive-Thru - Video
Here's another of my patented GIF stories about a Cajun Happy Hour that has a chilling finale featuring my girlfriend Linda.
A Cajun Happy Hour
If buzzy spirits are too much for you, then settle down within view of the Mississippi River in New Orleans for a chickory-flavored cup of Joe and sugar-powdered beignets at world-famous Cafe du Monde. After the caffeine and sugar rush, you will be ready to take in New Orleans and the outrageous French Quarter, just a few steps away.
Cafe du Monde - Video
I lived in Gonzales, Louisiana during my high school daze. I didn't know what to expect when our family moved there from Texas. I did some wild stuff over the next four years and ate a lot of down-home Cajun cooking. The video below takes place in a local flea market, so check it out to get the flavor of the place.
Cajun Flea Market Eats - Video
I hitchhiked with my high school buddy Marvin (featured in the Po'boy Sandwich Tour below) to New Orleans for Mardi Gras during the school break. Back then it was all about grabbing a Muffaletta, listening to street Brass Bands and Rock and Roll, catching some beads thrown down by inebriated revelers perched behind French Quarter iron-wrought balconies and Mardi Gras parade floats and getting a good buzz (we were underage, so no booze, but we found other natural ways.)
Chef, Marvin & Dennis - high school buddies
We knew no fear and locals were friendly enough - even picking up a couple of hitchhiking long-haired teenagers like us. One memorable ride was in a hand-painted hippie Volkswagon van where the college-aged, tie-dye-wearing driver, and cool chicks in tight bell-bottom jeans, on the backbench seat, passed around a doobie, before dropping us off in the city.
Looks like Red State Louisiana has agreed with Blue State California in legalizing marijuana for medical use. I guess we can all get along if there's a peace pipe to share.
I've kept in touch with my high school buddy Marvin and like to look him up when I land in New Orleans. Check out the video below to see how I (dinner) roll these days, when I tour the Crescent City in search of a delicious Po'Boy Sandwich with my high school bud - all the tasty details are in my original blog post here.
You will get a street-level experience of the Big Easy and the eccentric locals from my documentary short below.
New Orleans Po'Boy Tour - Video
Recently I met up with my long-lost brother from another.....daddy, aka the Swamp Chef! He showed up on Mom's doorstep one day and she welcomed him back into the family, and I must say he's a chip off the cypress tree block. He'd fit into a-rockin' CajunZZ Top lineup, slinging a wooden stirring spoon instead of a guitar.
99 Cent Chef, Mom, and Swamp Chef
When the Swamp Chef shows up there is always a delicious celebration -- and this time it's a BBQ Sausage Po-Boy Party!! Here in Gonzales, Louisiana, it's all about the bread when making a Po-Boy, or as it's also known, a Poor Boy (I can't figure out how to spell Po' boy as I've seen it all kinda ways!) Just watch the video below to see how the Swamp Chef grills locally made sausages by Ivderstine Farms Butchersand stuff them into a loaf of Reisling's French bread.
Sausage Po-Boy Recipe - Video
The Swamp Chef & Zak gets gooey and spicy with Cajun Nachos.
To quote Zak: "Uncle Swamp Chef for the win, these Cajun Nachos are lit."
Swamp Chef Cajun Nachos - Video
The Swamp Chef knows the lay of the land around here and he recommends all you Mardi Gras tourists who need a pitstop, to park here in Gonzales, Lousiana for a big lunch plate of Jambalaya. Just check out the Swamp Chef giving you the lowdown in the video below. And it's dirt(y rice) cheap of course!
Jambalaya Plate Lunch Review - Video
I know you are here for the recipes, too, and boy do I have a pirogue boatful. Between Mom and my Cajun line-cooking nephews, Matt and Zak, I got that covered.
If you hang out in Louisiana for any amount of time you will inevitably eat spicy steamed mudbugs, crayfish, or as the locals call them,Crawfish.
They are milder in seafood flavor than shrimp and are about the size of a small bay shrimp. If you've never had them then watch my video below to learn how to eat one.
How to eat a Crawfish - Video
It quickly becomes a party when I visit Gonzales, Louisiana to see my Cajun family with nieces, nephews, and their kids galore
And this first recipe is made with a beer-flavored sauce. Warning, in the video we had to go through a Party Pack of Abita Beer to find just the right flavor!
My nephew Cherf Matt has been cooking for years now and has some major culinary skillz. I'll let him give you the low down on a Southern classic Shrimp and Grits video recipe (click here for recipe photos and text.)
Chef Matt's Shrimp & Grits - Video
The cheapest Cajun entree is Red Beans and Rice -- made by my Southern friend Miss Patti. She is a vegetarian with a menagerie of critters she keeps on her property just outside the city of New Orleans.
For real New Orleans-style Red Beans, you should use the brand of beans called Camellia. But if you can't find them, it's okay to use any cheap red kidney beans.
We always have a good time together and you will too watching us cook together. Recipe details are a click away, here.
Ms. Patti's Vegan Red Beans and Rice - Video
Mom knows Cajun cuisine best. And she is here to share a few with you right now.
It's best to start at the beginning and here's the first recipe we did, Mom'sJambalaya.
I make this recipe the most. Nothing to it: just brown chicken pieces and sausage with a whole chopped onion. Finally, add rice and water to make the best comfort food ever. This is my Mom's version of Jambalaya (click here to read all about it.)
Mom's Jambalaya - Video
Mom also makes a killer Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. The trick is all in the deep chocolate-colored roux - actually just flour that's slowly browned in oil.
Lately, when Mom makes hot and spicy Gumbo she adds a scoop of cool Cajun Potato Salad. The last time she was here in Los Angeles I got her to make some, and my cute niece Maranda dropped by to help. This recipe is a family affair you can check out below.
My other line-cooking nephew, Zak, knows how to blacken fish the Cajun way. And boy does he do a skillful job at it, as my video below will attest. He also throws in a mind-blowing side of Sweet Potato Hash, and yes, it's loaded with bacon.
Zak's recipe gets everyone in on the action including his Mom and my sister, Brenda, who make noshing appearances. So do check out his delicious Cajun recipes below and click here for all the written details.
Zakk's Blackened Fish with Sweet Potato Hash - Video
The South's favorite nut, next to a peanut, is the pecan. And my nephew Chef Matt has the best Pecan Crusted Fish recipe this side of the Mississippi River. And he throws in a vegan Spinach Salad with a creamy Strawberry Vinaigrette. Now that's a mouthful.
Pecan Crusted Fish and Spinach Salad with a Strawberry Vinaigrette - Video
My most outrageous Cajun recipe is an Alligator Po'Boy sandwich made by my nephew Chef Matt. They say alligator tastes like chicken -- to me, it is close to the texture of a pork chop and tastes somewhere between chicken and shrimp. Just check out the recipe video and make sure to watch all the way to the end, where the relatives go hog wild over the Alligator Po'Boy.
Alligator Po'Boy - Video
How low can one recipe go? Well, check out the Swamp Chef and nephew Chef Matt's Deep-Fried Frog Legs...not for the faint of palate! This recipe goes from a swamp frog hunt to the deep fryer.
Frog Legs Recipe - Video
If you are not in New Orleans attending the glittery and debauched Mardi Gras festivities, you can still have a tasty good time - if you remember to bookmark this page and come back to make any of my Cajun Mardi Gras meals. So Laissez les bons temps rouler!
New Orleans Po'Boy Dining: Short Stop Po-Boys - 119 Transcontinental Drive (near New Orleans Airport) Metairie, Louisiana 70001 Phone: (504) 885-4572 Website: http://www.shortstoppoboys.com
Mother's Restaurant - 401 Poydras New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
For a tasty local Los Angeles Po' Boy try The Gumbo Pot in the Mid-City located Farmer's Market. $11.55 for Shrimp or Oyster, and $11.75 for Mixed. For the menu click here. Warning, the seafood Po' Boys have a sour bite because of inserted sliced lemon -- I usually take the slices out.
Another local food find for Cajun Cuisine is a restaurant and deli store called Little Jewel, in downtown LA's Chinatown. It's the real deal too. Listen in as you get all the tasty details in my special Restaurant Nocturne arty video below. (BTW, the chef/owner drops an F-bomb at 1:53 minutes.)
I like simply made and tasty recipes, and my Easy Coleslaw is one of the best, and I make it more than ever since packages of shredded cabbage and carrot are so cheap.
I grew up eating Southern-style Slaw -- super creamy from all the extra mayo. Go to any local BBQ Joint and choose a side of Coleslaw to go with fried chicken or sliced smoked brisket.
I only use 3 ingredients for my Easy Coleslaw, just a package of shredded cabbage and carrot, mayonnaise, and black pepper.
I always find chilled bags of chopped Coleslaw mix at the 99c only Store in the deli case. It is a good mix of green and purple cabbage along with the shredded carrot. You can add a little extra carrot if you like - I do if I have a carrot in the refrigerator crisper. Carrot is easy to shred if you have a box shredder.
There are a lot of mayo types to choose from these days. And real mayonnaise always shows up at my local 99c only Store and Dollar Tree. Keep it vegan with veggie mayo.
I leave out extra ingredients a lot of recipes like to add. Extras include a teaspoon of celery seed. Some like their Coleslaw sweet so add a teaspoon of sugar or favorite sweetener.
A splash of vinegar will give Coleslaw an extra kick. I have a Deli-style Coleslaw recipe that has a mix of vinegar and olive oil, just click here to see that one.
I like an Easy Coleslaw that's creamy with mayo and peppery. Chill it and serve it for your next family picnic or barbecue.
1 pre-shredded package cabbage and carrot - about 14 ounces or 6 cups (loosely packed.)
1/4 cup mayonnaise - Okay to add a tablespoon at a time to reach desired creaminess.
Black Pepper to taste - about a teaspoon of black pepper. I like an extra pepper taste. Okay to add some salt, too. I find mayo is salty enough.
*Recipes with real mayo should be kept refrigerated until ready to serve. Do not leave Coleslaw in direct sunlight.
Directions
Add a 14-ounce package of shredded cabbage and carrot to a large bowl.
I start with a quarter cup of mayo and mix well. Okay to add a tablespoon of mayo at a time to reach desired creaminess.
Finally season with pepper. Add a little at a time and taste Coleslaw. A tablespoon of pepper is about right. I do like extra fresh ground black pepper. Okay to add or leave out salt -- mayo is salty enough for me.
Finally, mix well. Taste and add more pepper or mayo if needed.
Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. If you make it a day ahead, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of fresh mayo, to bring Coleslaw back to normal creaminess. Once mayo is mixed into Coleslaw it will break down a bit overnight and may sweat out some water, do drain if needed.
Hindsight
Other recipes call for celery seed, sugar, and vinegar. Make the recipe the way you like it by adding any of the above.
Each day the Coleslaw is in the refrigerator, the mayo will break down some and become watery. You can drain liquid from Coleslaw and add a tablespoon of mayo at a time, to bring back desired creaminess.
Vegan mayo works fine. There are Coleslaws without mayo. You can just use vinegar and a little olive oil instead of mayo. You may want to add a little sweetener. Shelled roasted peanuts are a nice extra-crunchy addition for vinegar/oil Coleslaws.
If you want to make Homemade Coleslaw start with half a head of cabbage and a whole carrot. Shred or finely chop. Finally, add mayo and black pepper. That will make about the same amount as a packaged bag of shredded Coleslaw.
Please sit down and have a glass of wine, and how about a tootsie massage? Kindly allow this Amorous Culinarian to hold your hand and guide you through a luscious menu of Valentine's Day Recipes.
Well, you are in the right place for a romantic read. If the following recipes look enticing to you then click on any name and you will be directed to my food blog recipe pages filled with tempting, tender prose, and pulse-quickening GIFs, photos, and video.
Let's set the mood with the most decadently sexy of confections, a Chocolate Covered Cherry. Here, I'll feed it to you, Mon'Amie....
Click on any photo or gif to see larger.
First up is a video of the Amorous Epicurean on the prowl for budget aphrodisiac ingredients to create a perfect romantic dinner date. Allow me to adjust your seat cushion -- there, lean back, and watch the show.
Shopping for a Romantic Recipe - VIDEO
You will want to start your romantic evening meal with an appetizer - a plump and pleasing Steamed Artichoke is the perfect dish to share with each other. Just swipe a steamed artichoke leaf into my creamy Ginger Mayo Dip and feed the tender petal end to your amour. Your appetite will surely build as you get to the delicately delicious artichoke heart. My Steamed Artichoke appetizer is just a tease.
Cooking & Eating an Artichoke - VIDEO
A lovely Pear and Spinach Salad with Creamy Herb Dressing looks good on the plate and will impress your true love with its lightness and fresh flavors. And it's the perfect prelude to the main course.
I think Italian food is the sexiest of cuisines. Tender swirling ropes of pasta sliding through a rich creamy sauce will soften any hardened heart. Click on any recipe name below to see my luscious photos and read my tender prose.
There's nothing like a creamy warm egg yolk stoking the fires of desire, and theFlirty Chef'sSpaghetti alla Carbonarais the perfect mood-setter. With the first bite, your date will swoon with pleasure. Sprinkling crumbled bacon over the pasta is gilding the lily, but sometimes you need to go all the way!
In my Spaghetti alla Carbonara Video below I took a couple of cheap shortcuts. I used bacon bits, but you could substitute real bacon or kick it up a notch with sauteed pancetta. Also, freshly shaved parmesan cheese will be more pleasing than the dried brand I used.
And finally, I added a blended raw egg -- for a more romantic presentation, just gently place the egg yolk on a mound of steaming pasta.
Oh, is it time for another sweet confection? Of course, I have more, the apple of my eye...
Would you like another glass of wine before you watch my Spaghetti alla Carbonararecipe video below? Oh, don't worry about driving - I'll call Uber for you.
Spaghetti alla Carbonara Recipe - VIDEO
There, wasn't that edifying? Staying on the creamy theme, I can also recommend my Fettuccine Alfredo.
It's pasta with butter and cream -- simple and direct. You could mix in some fresh steamed veggies like broccoli for color and crunch -- just see how easy it is to do by clicking here on my Veggies in Cream with Pasta.
Of course, a Latin lover would challenge any Italian Casanova for Lotherio's scepter. And my MexicanChicken Tingaspicy stew will send chills down the spine and tingle any lady all the way to her toes.
Chicken Tinga - VIDEO
What? Another? You really do have a sweet tooth, well I do too, I think we are two peas in a pod. Let's share this one...
Your love will fall under a lusty voodoo spell after sipping a couple of my homemade rum and sugar cane Cuban Mojitos. And if you and your lover are nursing a hangover the next morning, I have a hangover cure: a bowl of Pozole. It's a rich red broth of hominy, chiles, and pork.
Cuban Mojito - VIDEO
Black and white, yin and yang -- all inhibitions will drop with the sweet and sour flavors of my vegan Cuban Black Beans served over White Rice.
If you want to channel your inner domestic goddess, then tie on the apron, get out the potholders, and bring in a hot casserole dish of my luscious Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese to the dining room table. Just check out the tempting short animated video below to see the yummy and gooey details.
Baked Pasta with Cauliflower & Cheese - VIDEO
I have a recipe that will get any Lady Godiva off her high horse. Let's get tough guy Stanley Kowalski, but with a mushy heart. My chef nephew's Shrimp and Grits will take your date on a one-way streetcar to desire. All aboard to check out the video below of two lunkheads hanging out and cooking.
Shrimp & Grits - VIDEO
A close second to the most sensuous of nibbling is a tender fish fillet on rice or Sushi. Raw seafood will quicken a lover's pulse, and if you chase the sushi down with a few warm cups of sake the temptation to stay the night may be overwhelming.
My Sushi recipes are quite easy to do when you follow my directions. I even have a recipe for those averse to raw fish, a California Roll (in the hay,) that's made with cooked fake krab, creamy avocado, and sliced cucumber. Seafood Rolls and Sushi are handheld bites meant to be shared with your true love.
California Roll -VIDEO
Hawaii is the destination for romancing the palate. Make your own romantic Hawaii-themed date night with my exotic Island classic: Lau Lau. It's a banana leaf-wrapped package of deliciousness.
Oh look honeybunch, I have one left.
The aroma of slow roasting pork, Hawaiian-style will fill the kitchen and dining room, stoking the appetite of desire. Slowly unwrap the package of tender Lau Lau for your beloved. You won't need a Lei of plumeria flowers to steal a kiss when you serve my savory dish. So click here to see the luscious photos and easy-to-follow recipe text. And aloha to love.
Hawaiian-style Lau Lau
Of course, you can't have a romantic dinner date without sweets. And I have a simply delicious deconstructed dessert that I call Mini-Banana Puddings.
It's the perfect finger food to woo your loved one. All you need is to lay out some vanilla wafers and stack them with a spoonful of pudding and banana slices, finally topped with Hersey Chocolate Kiss. You could also drizzle on any sweet topping like chocolate syrup, caramel, and other favorite candy pieces or sprinkles.
Pssst...don't let your date see this next video. Slip in a Chocolate-Covered Cherry in your date's hand and a heart may melt. I got the confections at my local 99c only Store. Go ahead and watch my cheap$kate video review and see how a five-count box for 99.99 cents rate on my Cheap$kate Dining Scale of 1 to 9, 9 being best.
Chocolate Covered Cherries - VIDEO
After a ravenous night, you will need a replenishing morning meal. And the Don Juan Gourmand's palate-pleasing Fried Egg on Breadcrumbs with Asparagus will satiate any food lover.
It looks good on the plate, but be sure to make plenty, as your sweetheart will ask for seconds!
Another morning after meal is my French-style Omelet. It's a labor of love that you may want to practice making a couple of times to get right. Like lovemaking, the more you do it the better you get! And I have all the right moves a click away.
