Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Master of Cylinder Cooking
Many years ago we raised a large garden and canned, froze, or dried our fruits and vegetables. We baked everything from scratch, even crackers; those were good. I made granola, fruit leather and jerky. I have butchered meat and dressed chickens (seems more like undressing them). I went so far as to have a soup stock simmering with meat bones, left over veggies, and cleaned potato and carrot peels. We referred to that as “garbage soup” and one of our friends liked to come over the night it was served because it was so good.
Then one day, to make a quick lunch, I opened 4 different varieties of Nalley chili and heated it up. As I remember, the comment was, “this is good, better than the other chili you make.” So I dubbed it “4 Cylinder Chili” and considered it my own recipe! I slowly abandoned my close to the Earth cooking and accepted more and more processed food. A friend gave me a frig magnet that stated:
I serve 3 kinds of meals
Canned, frozen, and take-out
I may have given up preparation, but I didn’t give up creativity. I don’t just empty a can; I tweak it!

My latest cylinder concoction is South of the Border Beans.
I have only made this in large batches, starting with

10 cans of Pinto beans. Drain some of the cans so that liquid just covers the beans in a slow cooker.

Cut up and fry a pound of bacon, add to the beans.

Stir in a 12 oz. can of pickled, sliced jalepeňos and simmer till flavors are blended, add water if it begins to dry. I like to stir in a can of refried beans to thicken it up.

1 comment:

Johnny said...

It is hot enough to clear your sinuses, but so good !!!!!!! you want more anyway.