·:[ Jason On A Shtick ]:·
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For this year’s OctChiliFest, I decided to do a little experimenting.  I am old fashioned when it comes to chili and I don’t like it to get too far away from traditional ingredients.  Still, I thought that I could hit a sweet spot somewhere between traditional and fancy.  I decided to try something with a Cajun flair using some stock Cajun items, namely sausage and okra.  Here is what I came up with:

• One pound of ground Italian sausage
• One pack of Brooks “Secret” chili seasoning – Original flavor
• One can of Brooks Chili Beans – Hot
• One can of Brooks Chili Beans – Hot & Spicy
• Two cans of Margaret Holmes Tomatoes, Okra and Corn
• One jar of Muir Glen organic salsa – Medium Chipotle
• Just a touch of Mccormick’s Cajun Seasoning

As you can tell, this recipe still contains several of the stock items from my Frito Pie chili and is prepared in the same way (the kidney beans are left out, so there’s nothing to drain from the cans – just put everything in, juices and all).  I was looking for canned okra on its own, but ran into the Margaret Holmes mix and decided that would work in place of the Del Monte diced tomatoes.  The result was a more spicy chili with an interesting taste from the sausage.

I actually put more than just a touch of the Cajun seasoning in at the end, and it ended up changing the flavor of the chili by the time it had simmered a while.  I think I would go very light with this seasoning next time or leave it out entirely.  Or, it might be worth a try to leave out the chili seasoning pack and use only the Cajun spices on the meat.  I’m guessing this would really spice the chili up with a different flavor, but you know I am old fashioned.

We finally got our first good snow since Lindsay has been old enough to appreciate it. We went out in the morning, played in the snow and had a good time. When it was time to come in, Jenny had hot cocoa ready for us. I asked her for a bowl so that I could bring in some snow to make snow cream. She looked at me strangely and asked “For what?” as if I were speaking some other language. I was shocked that she didn’t know what I was talking about. I thought snow cream was a Kentucky tradition, but I guess those folks in the “deep south” around Bowling Green don’t get enough snow to enjoy this delicacy. Just in case you were robbed of it in your youth, too, here’s how to make it.

You need:

• a bowl of unsoiled snow
• sugar
• vanilla extract
• milk

Start by taking a bowl outside and skimming the edge of it along the top of some fresh snow. Obviously, the snow has to be deep enough so that you don’t pick up any grass or muck. Next, add some sugar. I’d guess I put about three quarters of a cup into a medium sized bowl of snow, though I never measure exactly. Same goes with the vanilla extract – I probably use about two tablespoons of it.  You just have to experiment and figure out your particular taste.

Finally, add in milk and stir everything together. You want your snow cream to have a consistency similar to a milkshake, but don’t add too much or it will be too runny. You can even store the extra snow cream in the refrigerator (best to use a stainless steel bowl to help it stay cold enough), but it won’t last for very long. Now, pour out a cereal bowl portion of snow cream for everyone and slurp up this delicious winter treat along side your hot cocoa!

Our friends the Dotsons host an annual “OctChiliFest” party where everyone brings their favorite chili concoctions to compete for prizes. This year, I took my famous Frito Pie chili and it won first place against some very tough competition! Here’s how you can make a batch for yourself…

You need:

• One pound of ground beef (I prefer extra lean if they have it)
• One pack of Brooks “Secret” chili seasoning – Original flavor
• One can of Brooks Chili Beans – Hot
• One can of Brooks Chili Beans – Hot & Spicy
• One can of Bush’s Best dark red kidney beans
• One can of Del Monte diced tomatoes – Zesty chili style
• One jar of Muir Glen organic salsa – Medium Chipotle
• One box of Barilla Elbows macaroni pasta
• One or two bags of Fritos

Start with your favorite chili pot. Put in both cans of chili beans and the diced tomatoes, including the sauce in the cans. Drain the water from the kidney beans, then put them in. Add the whole jar of salsa and stir everything together. Start simmering this pot around medium heat so that the chili can get started while you prepare everything else.

Next, brown the meat in a skillet. As it gets done, drain off any excess fat – otherwise, you’ll have greasy chili. I push all of the meat to one side of the skillet, then tilt it so that the grease runs to the other side. Then, I use a big spoon to scoop the grease out and put it into one of the bean cans for disposal. Once you’ve gotten rid of any grease, add the seasoning pack to the meat and mix it in. Then, pour the meat into the chili pot.

Finally, boil a pot of water and prepare the macaroni pasta per the directions. After you strain the pasta and drain the hot water off, rinse the pasta off with more water so that it doesn’t stick together.

Now you are ready to enjoy a Frito pie! Scoop some macaroni into a bowl, pour in some Fritos, then ladle on a generous helping of chili. You can top it off with sour cream and/or some shredded cheddar cheese if you are feeling extra saucy. All you need at this point is a comfy couch, a big TV and a good football game – and you’re set!