Chili Half Smokes February 24, 2009

My Future Love-handles

Dearest,

As you know, my bank is in San Antonio and has no brick-and-mortar locations elsewhere. Thus, when it comes time for me to cash in my jar of loose change, I can (a) fly to San Antonio, or (b) find a Coinstar machine. Texas being far away, I opted for (b).

As it turns out, the nearest Coinstar machine is at the corner of 14th and U Streets NW. As you may recall, that is only steps from Ben’s Chili Bowl – where the Obamas eat free, the sausages are smoked, and credit is not accepted. Thus it was by divine intervention that I came to eat at Ben’s today, because God both brought me to the Chili Bowl’s doorstep and provided me with a wad of cash to spend there. And heavenly it was.

For starters, there was almost no line. When we were last there, you’ll remember, the line ran the length of the counter. And doubled back down the counter. And snaked out the door. And rounded the corner. Not so today – I walked right in and gave my order: 1 chili half smoke with mustard and onions, a plate of cheese fries, and a Coke (diet, of course. We don’t want to go overboard, here).

The crowd was a mixed bag of folks. Businessmen in suits, an iron-haired Washingtonienne (complete with pearls), cops, college kids, stroller-pushing mommies, an Air Force colonel, and me. The music was a funky mix of Marvin Gaye, Wild Cherry, and K-os. As it turns out, this music was in direct contrast to the Whitey Whiterson music that happened to be on my iPod at the time. I kid you not, on the bus and short walk to Ben’s, my iPod shuffled up Vivaldi, Coldplay, O.A.R, Tim McGraw’s cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” and Death Cab for Cutie. So much for my hard-earned street cred.

Naturally, the chili half-smoke* was fabulous. The fries, which we did not get to try last time, were wonderful. Golden and crispy, salty and smothered in artificial cheese, topped off with a few dashes of hot sauce. The fries were also plentiful, so much so that I could not finish them.

I guess that means I’ll have to bring a buddy next time. Would you like to come help me with the cheese fries?

Love, Me

*for the uninitiated, chili half-smokes consist of a sausage that is half beef and half smoked pork (hence the “half-smoke”) served on a steamed bun and slathered in chili and toppings.

Chicken Pastina Bake February 5, 2009

I haven’t broken out the dutch oven in a while, but it was pretty wicked cold today, so I wanted something warm and delicious. I made the the chicken pastina bake that we like so well. Here it is:

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 lb cherry tomatoes

2 tbsps olive oil

2 tsps salt

1 tsp black pepper

4 skinless chicken thighs, bone-in

1 onion (red or yellow, doesn’t matter) finely chopped

4 cloves garlic

2 cups (approx) chicken broth

2 cups penne

Optional: 2 cinnamon sticks, 1/2 cup orange juice

Instructions:

If you can chop an onion, you can make this. It’s so delicious and easy, it quickly became a favorite of the Snappy Dish and me.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. As the oven heats, toss together the salt, pepper, tomatoes, and olive oil in a dutch oven. When the oven is hot, insert the covered dutch oven and bake for 15 minutes.

While the tomatoes bake, chop the onion and garlic and gather the rest of your ingredients (if you haven’t already). After 15 minutes, remove the dutch oven and add the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste, then add the penne, onion and garlic. Add the cinnamon sticks and orange juice, then pour in enough chicken broth so that the pasta is just covered.

Re-cover the dutch oven and put it back in the oven for 40-45 minutes, then go catch up on your Tivo backlog.

After 45 minutes, remove the dutch oven, spoon a thigh and some pasta into a bowl, and enjoy. A side of crusty bread is good for mopping up.

Well, hello! October 8, 2008

No, I did not forget I have a blog.  I did, however, take time out to host a houseful of family and friends last weekend.  Mr. Fortune turned thirty on Sunday and we had an appropriately calorie-heavy festival to celebrate.  Now I am staring down yet another round of unending leftovers, and wondering just how many more parties we’ll have to throw to get rid of them all.

What all of this means, of course, is that I haven’t gotten to learn any new dishes.  Fear not, however, as this weekend brings with it two of my best friends from college, one of whom is even meaner than I in the kitchen.  We’re gonna have such fun…

Until then, here’s a little bit of what I’ve been doing in the meantime.  This recipe comes from my good friend Scushman, though I have thrown in a little spice of my own.  It’s not Chinese, but it’s still good.