Happy March!

"All the war-propaganda, all the screaming and lies and hatred, comes invariably from people who are not fighting." - George Orwell

Good morning campers……

Welcome to March! We are officially entering tornado season here in the mid-south. Yes once again it’s the time of year here we make sure that the Fuhrerbunker is stocked and ready to go. Storms will be picking up because winter is mostly over here. The warm moist air and the cold dry air are having a rap battle, and we live on the stage. I should be doing my NWS Spotter refresher pretty soon.

Nice and orderly, no need to panic.

The ground is soft (as it can be with all the rocks) and the trees are beginning to bud. I’ll have to check a bit more thoroughly, but it would seem that the olive trees have survived the winter. If they make it, then I will put in two more. I have a Spanish variety picked out that is supposed to be quite cold hearty. The pear and apple trees are coming back to life. and we are beginning to work in the garden spaces getting them ready for the upcoming season. Pictures will be coming soon.

Last week, I asked you guys to vote on content. You have spoken. Here is another episode of “how to eat”. Remember kids, never trust a skinny cook.

Chile Colorado

Damn I’m good. Modest too.

If you ask a dozen south westerners how to make this, you are liable to get multiple recipes, but they will have things in common. Here is my version. By the way, this is spicy. If you don’t like spicy this likely isn’t for you.

• Dried Chiles

  • 8-10 New Mexico or Guajillo

  • 2 Ancho

  • 2-3Arbol

  • 2-3 Pequin

• Beef, 1/4 pound per person It should be chunks (chuck preferred), but 80/20 ground will work

• 1-2 White onion

• 2-3 cloves Garlic

• Tomatoes, one big can or fresh if you want (this is not traditional)

• 1/4 Cup apple cider vinegar

• Spices

  • 2 Bay leaf

  • 2 Tbsp. Oregano

  • 1 Tsp. Ginger

  • 1 Tsp. Clove

  • 1 Tbsp. Cumin

  • Salt to taste

  • Pepper to taste

  • Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)

• A little olive oil

• Cilantro, cheese & avocado for garnish

No, there aren’t any beans in this. Real chile doesn’t have beans, sorry not sorry.

WARNING: Wash your hand thoroughly before touching your face after handling peppers.

Stem and seed your chiles & put them in the blender or food processer. Once that is done, pout steaming hot water over your chiles and cover them up for about 15 minutes. Chop your onions and measure your spices while you wait.

Sauté your onyo. Once its starting to turn translucent, throw in your beef a little at a time so it browns and not stews.

Once your peppers have sat for 15 minutes, blend the shit out of em. Some people will remove the chiles from the water before doing this. I don’t. Throw in your tomatoes, vinegar, and your spices and blend more. This time around, I was short on canned tomatoes, so I used a couple of cans of Ro-tel. It worked just fine. I mean it’s cooking, not rocket surgery.

Once you are done blending it, it should be a little thick, and smell freaking awesome. Once the meat is browned and the onion is ready, throw in your garlic. Once it starts to smell pour in the chile mix and stir. Bring to a boil, turn down and simmer at least an hour. Three is better.

Garnish and serve hot.

I’ll do another episode of “how to eat” soon. Maybe next season.

The Wife has been busy painting the house this past week.

Yes, we know the dropdown ceiling is terrible. The insulation sits right on top of it, an its just now getting to be “not cold”. They are on the chopping block for this upcoming years’ capital improvement projects. So are the “white trash cabinets”. Rome wasn’t built in a day, ya know.

The Wife and The Boy went for a hike the other day looking for Morels. Here are a few pics. No Morels, but they did find quite a bit of Turkey Tail.

FarmDog © says hi.

As you can see, she decided to move her head at the very last second to screw up the picture.

Well, that’s all I have for this week. See you next time.