I love my rather warped brain!

[thewayne]

Tomorrow there's a potluck at the solar observatory. I've made chili and chipotle shredded chicken tacos. And I'm going to be baking a lemon cake with chocolate fudge frosting. Russet is working, but I'll set some aside for her before I go.

I went a bit different with the chili. It's a good recipe that I've used for ages. 2 lbs beef, 2 onions diced fine, 1 bell pepper, several spices and a chili powder blend that I've concocted, 15 oz can black beans, 14 oz cans of tomato pure and petite diced tomatoes. Add two cans of beer, preferably one of Guinness and one IPA, and you're off to the races.

First, I made it with shredded pork instead of beef. I think I like it a little better. But the big difference was in the chili powder. You see, the chipotle chicken tacos calls for a tablespoon of chipotle chilis in adobo sauce. The problem is that they come in a can and you're using very little of the can, and it molds quickly if you don't use it fast. So I decided last night when making the chili to go ahead and pull out the tablespoon for the tacos, mince it, and set it aside. Then mince the rest of the chipotles and use THAT in place of the chili powder.

The end result was quite good! My wife thinks the heat level is perfect, though I think it's on the mild side. So if there's any surviving after tomorrow night, I'll split it, heat up my half and add some more chili powder and leave hers mild. It makes for great nachos or quesadillas or Frito pie (gotta remember to get more Fritos).

Today I made the chipotle shredded chicken tacos, came out very good. I think I need to add more butter and orange juice, though.

Then I had an idea! Tonight I'm going to be making the cake: a lemon cake with Meyer lemons, they'll sit in the fridge overnight and I'll decorate them tomorrow with a chocolate fudge frosting.

My idea: how about a chocolate cake with an orange icing! I kind of like the symmetry. But I don't know if I'll have the time to bake a second cake tomorrow, a lot will depend on what I get done tonight, plus I forgot to get soft taco shells and some Roma tomatoes, so I need to head down to Alamogordo and do a little supply run. That's the one thing that absolutely sucks living 20 minutes from the closest grocery store! If you make a mistake on your shopping, it's going to bite you in the butt.

Comments

[moonhare]

So much cooking! I’ve never(knowingly) had a Meyer lemon, nor seen one at the market.

[thewayne]

They're a bit smaller, sort of like a lime and a Key Lime. I bought a sealed bag of like five of 'em, we shall see what they're like.

Yeah, I don't think I'll be doing the second cake. Will get the lemon cake baked tonight and in the freezer, then hopefully to bed early.

[moxie_man]

Chili is very "forgiving" in the ingredients department. One year I had a butternut squash and some cukes that needed using up. I threw them into the chili. No one noticed. (chuckle)

When I make chili for a potluck, I usually also bring a bottle of hot sauce of some kind for those who think it isn't hot enough. Note on pot always encourages'em to taste it before adding heat.

[thewayne]

Yeah, I'm going to bring some add'l "stuff" for the chili. I love the concept of cukes! in chili!  I'd never do it, but I love it!  Vegetarian chili is certainly a thing!  I think it was invented by people who planted zucchini and had no idea how many would grow.

[moxie_man]

The cukes thing was one of those years. My folks had planted way too many out to the family woodlot. Maybe they were mutant cukes 'cause they produced like zucchini. Even after pickling all they had time to pickle, and giving away all they could, many were left to be ruined by frost (sigh). Anyway, I had diced'em up small to add to the chili, and as I said previously, no one noticed. My chili tends to be heavy on the beans and stewed tomatoes with whatever hot peppers I can get my hands on. I live in Maine and until about 10 years ago jalapenos were considered "exotic".

[thewayne]

I have two recipes (off-hand that I remember) that I use cukes in: gazpacho and meatloaf, and at one apiece, I don't buy a lot of 'em!  We had some fun last night ribbing one of the young 'uns.  Apparently he didn't have too much of a taste for the exotic/hot, despite growing up in Houston.  Didn't develop a taste for Mexican food until going to school in Illinois!  Still, he liked my chili, so that's something I guess.  Personally, I'm really not a jalapeno fan, there's something about the flavor that I find biting.  Smoke it and turn it into a chipotle - then I'm interested.

[moxie_man]

I am not much of a jalapenos fan either. I just used that as an example of how backwards/behind Maine was to the hot pepper scene until a decade ago.

[bibliofile]

I've not baked with Meyer lemons yet, but I love the thought of an orange cake with fudge frosting.

All the cooking sounds pretty good now. If I weren't already snacking, I'd have to go to the kitchen.

[thewayne]

This was my first time with the Meyers.  The cake came out very good, my wife wanted a stronger lemon presence, so I might try that.  I'm going back and forth on how much: I suspect I'll probably double it next time.  The chocolate icing was tres bueno!