Chili

When my sister and I were kids, I couldn’t have been older than middle school age, I suggested that we make our parents a romantic dinner. I can’t remember if this was just for fun or it was a special occasion but I wanted to show my mom that I could cook. You would think that if a kid was coming up with the menu it would be something like pizza or spaghetti. I, however, even as a child had a gourmet pallet but that still didn’t explain why I chose to make vegetarian chili. I wasn’t much of a chili fan and I never knew my parents to love it either. But my sister and I spent our evening working hard to make this recipe for vegetarian chili. The final product was not exactly my taste but I proudly served it up to my parents in the dinning room among candles and fine china. My mother said she liked it but I think it was one of those moments as a parent that you are proud of what your child has done more than you enjoyed the final product. Mom, it’s okay, you can tell me athe truth now, I didn’t like it either.

For many years I was not a chili eater. Occasionally I would have some on fries or a taste here or there. Then Ed found a recipe in his much beloved America’s Test Kitchen Family Cookbook. The title of the dish is, Stick-to-your-ribs Chili and it satisfyingly lives up to its name. The only problem (which is really more of benefit) with the recipe is servings and serving size. I don’t know how many servings the recipes states but one small bowl and I’m done for the night. Not to mention that any time Ed makes it we eat it for the next 3 days. So, not really much of a problem; the best part is that it is one of those foods that gets better with time. My mom and grandma always say at Christmas, “the clam dip is better the next day”. That is true with Ed’s chili too; and the next day, and the next day and on hamburgers and on sausages and on rice…

True, this is not a diet food. The chili contains tons of calories and carbs but loads of protein too. Truly, it is not that horrible for you, especially when you make it at home and use extra lean beef, chicken, beans tomato sauce; okay so the sodium is probably pretty high too. Well, it tastes great on those occasions when Ed makes it, which was recently but won’t be any time in the near future. Ed was cast in an infomercial. Go ahead, laughing here is acceptable.

Ed started his 12 week course/diet for the infomercial on Monday. Don’t worry it’s completely healthy. It is not one of those diet shakes, pills or electro pulse things. The item the company is selling is called the Shadow Boxer. It is a piece of equipment that straps around the waist with tight elastic from the waist piece to the hands. It is intended to be used in kickboxing classes, which is what Ed is doing every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday mornings from 6:30am-7:30am. He is also following a healthy low fat diet to accentuate his results. More on the “diet” (that I, as the supporting wife, am doing with Ed) to come.