Where have I been?

Well, I'll tell you where I've been:

Hiding in the bedroom from the brutal heat. MS is one heck of a disease, let me tell you, and I've been so focused on my health care lately that I've not been doing much of anything culinarily. I'm sorry I've neglected this blog, but health has to come first.

I'm hoping that as the summer turns into autumn, I'll have more to post about, so just hang in there with me, and I'll try to have something new for you soon!

FYI: I did finally get a copy of With Or Without Beans, and am sloooooooowly reading that. It is far more academic than I thought it would be, which is good, just means I have to read it much more slowly than the last two.

The 2014 ICS Chili Season is going to start in October, though it is likely that the first event I'll get to go to is the Chilly Willy Challenge Regional in Orland Park in January, unless my luck changes. We'll see. :)

Thanks to everyone who helped out with the chili fundraiser, the funds are waiting for my next competition, so hang in there and watch for it! :)

That's it for now, I'm afraid. Just a brief update, and since the topic of this blog is not my health, I'm not going to post much about it here. You know how to find me if you want to know more about that. :)

Luv ya all!

-Kim

Too Long of a Title! My Chili Research Project.

Some of you are already aware that as a part of my fascination with Chili Con Carne, and my fascination with Capsicums, that I have begun a research project to learn as much as is humanly possible about Capsicums, their history, their first uses in food, and how they ended up as an integral part of Chili Con Carne.

Lately I've been reading. A LOT.

To start off with, there are three books that are considered by historians of Chili Con Carne to be the "Holy Triumvirate" of this topic, and they are as follows:

"With or Without Beans: Being a compendium to perpetrate the internationally- famous BOWL OF CHILI (Texas style) which occupies such an important place in modern civilization" (I kid you not that is the full title) by Joe E. Cooper, c.1952

"A Bowl of Red" by Frank X. Tolbert, c.1966 (I own the 1972 revised 4th printing, which is also autographed, confirmed by the author's daughter)

"The Great Chili Confrontation" by H. Allen Smith, c.1969 (I own a first printing of this)

I do not own the first and oldest book, and given its prohibitive price tag, it will be a while before I can get my hands on it.

I started out by reading H. Allen Smith's book as a perspective on the very first chili cookoff in the United States, and realized that while this book is anecdotal and full of letters and articles, it is rather biased in some areas, though it does have some good information, and some great recipes.

I recently finished reading "A Bowl of Red", and while I will write a more appropriate review later, know that for the chili-related sections of this book, my delving into the anthropology of chili has grown in several dimensions due to other books, periodicals, articles, and papers mentioned. In fact, I foresee there being a large dissertation-level paper being written by myself and perhaps a few others assisting me on the topic of:

The Etymology of Chili Con Carne: A Nutritional Anthropological Dissection of Chili, Chiles, Pre-Columbian, and Ancient African and Middle Eastern influences contributing to this dish from its earliest incarnations, to its modern adaptations and variations across The United States, and The World. (Title © Kimberle Andrews, May 28, 2013)

In the meantime, await a more thorough review of "A Bowl of Red", including comparisons to its counterpart by H. Allen Smith: The Great Chili Confrontation, and the character assassinations that take place in each book. Eventually, when I have read the entire triumvirate of "The Great Chili History Books" (meaning I will have read "With or Without Beans" (title abbreviated) by Joe E. Cooper, I will write a far larger cross-examination of chili history as portrayed in these books.

The task laid before me is enormous. Because now not only do I have to research Capsicums, which won't be as difficult as it could be, though I am trying to use as few internet sources as I can, I have to investigate Pre-Columbian food in the Americas, both north and south. There is some information regarding the country of Chile that suggests that the name of the country has to do with the introduction of Capsicums to the peoples of that region in a particular period of time, which will require its own research, and I have found a research partner for this who is a professional translator, who has also offered to help me with other international research aspects.

I also have to research the foods of the First Nations of southwestern North America and their contributions to the regions in which much of what we know as "Southern", "Southwestern", "Texan", "Tex-Mex", and "New Mexican" food, as well as "Sonoran" food. This includes a number of First Nations, ranging from those native to Southern California, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana, as well as the native Nations from Central America, including Mayan and Aztec influences, Northern Africa, The Middle East, Spain (as odd as that may seem), and last but not least (and likely not last, either, as I learn about more influences with each new piece of information I find) The Canary Islands.

I think I need to stop writing, as I'm starting to get too much into the material rather than inform you all of the monumental task before me. And to think, it all started with the desire to make the perfect, historically accurate bowl of Texas Chili.

----

Incidentally, if anyone is looking to help me in this research project, I need a copy of the third book, mentioned above. It can be found at the following link, at the lowest price I have found it on the internet. If anyone is willing to get me a late Birthday Present or early Christmas Present, or very belated Wedding present or even an early Anniversary present, I would love to make this book my top priority, as literature goes:

With or Without Beans at AbeBooks

Thanks again everyone for reading, and as always, I hope you learned something new, and find my exploits in the culinary world something to keep reading about.

-Kim

Video Entry!! Making A Pot of TMI Chili!

Here you go, folks! Making A Pot of TMI Chili! :)

Enjoy!

-Kim

Not food related, this is a health update

Many references have been made to my health in past posts, here's the short of it:

I've been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. I've had a lot of my food stuff on hold while I try to learn what this means to my daily life, medically, financially, and in general. Here's an update from my most recent visit to the GP:

I was given Baclofen for my spasticity and muscle twitching, she changed how I take my Norco, and the bulk of my other meds remain the same, have Lunesta on hold in case I need it. No Neuro meds yet but here's why:

Overall:

My last MRI was enough to get me my clinical Multiple Sclerosis diagnosis, but there is still a lot that is unclear because my muscles were spazzing and I was moving around too much. She's ordered more MRIs, but we're taking things a little differently to get it done.

I have to get myself onto County Health Care. I am not sure how long it will take for that to happen, as I have to get my birth certificate from California. BUT, because my facility, HBHC, has a few other grants and things that will not only help me get my MRI covered, but will make certain it is an Open MRI this time, and that I get the proper sedation (putting me under to stop the muscle spasms), and they will also help me with the transportation to/from it. They will be going for a full with/without contrast Cervical, Thoracic, and Lumbar sets. Gonna be in there all day.

Also, with the ability to pull a few strings here and there, they're going to try to get me into Northwestern University Hospital to start off with, and once things are clearer, maybe move me to U of C for specialist care. Not sure yet.

Income:

Dr. is sending over a letter that will allow me to make an appointment at the Department of Human Services with the paralegal to get my SSI paperwork filled out until my clearer MRI's come in, and I can get the final paperwork for my SSDI. This is a fairly complicated process and could take quite a while. We have to take it one step at a time, and I have no idea how much SSI will offer me.

I am going back, hopefully sooner than my 2 week followup, to get the county care setup when my birth certificate arrives, so the MRI can get arranged. I also have a 2 week followup, as I mentioned, and see about some assistive devices for around the house, like a shower chair, etc.

This stuff goes on and on.

You may have seen the post I made a while back with regard to a fundraiser that I'm running to try to keep active during my medical work, and despite my diagnoses. Fighting Social Anxiety Disorder and Multiple Sclerosis is a challenge, but I choose to fight it with doing something I love: Cooking Chili.

While the fundraiser is about to hit its deadline, I will still be able to receive donations, and if you wish to help either by sharing or donating, you can go to one of two places:

https://www.facebook.com/TheChiliGames

https://fundrazr.com/campaigns/9UAZ4

While I'd love to ask everyone to donate, I know that is not possible for everyone, but sharing this fundraiser is something everyone can do, and with enough sharing, word will reach people who are able to donate.

Thanks again everyone, for keeping up, and helping as you can.

-Kim

A little more about Chili History: A teaser... and a little about upcoming entries.

Hi everyone!

Sorry to be so stingy on the entries lately, there's been a lot going on, and my health hasn't been the best. You may have heard more about that by seeing the fundraiser I'm running, but that is not what this post is about.

I may have stumbled across a small piece of chili history through a recent spontaneous purchase. I will tell you more once I have my sources verified and checked, but I am SUPER excited about it!

Another thing to come soon will be a post about one of my favourite local places called Yanni's Dogs; a local Chicago hot dog and burger place not far from my house. I wrote a review of it on Yelp, if you'd like to see it, you can go here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/yannis-dogs-chicago, but I want to give it some more attention here. One of my next couple of entries will be about them.

So! You have a few things to look forward to, and I hope you are as excited to hear about them as I am about to write them! Stay tuned, and stay hungry! :)

-Kim

Living with MS, Cooking With Love, Chili for Life. A Fundraiser.

Its that time again, friends. I've started a fundraiser. With my MS and SAD, this was a difficult one to start, as I'm being very very open about myself in this search. Please spread the word!

Cupcake Truck!

Hi everyone! I'll let this entry speak for itself. It is my first video entry, and while short, its fun and shows the encounter my partner and I had with the food truck from Forever More Cupcakes.

Enjoy!

Can it!

Something a little different today, gang.

I thought I'd talk briefly (we'll see if I can keep it brief) about canned chili. My favourite brand of canned chili has always been Stagg® Chili, which is now (maybe it always has been) owned by Hormel®. For some reason, this chili just seems to satisfy what I want in a "quick and dirty" bowl of red, and as they have a wide variety of chili to choose from, I tend to find that I rarely tire of it.

Stagg® Chili

However, its not that simple anymore.

I live in Chicago, the Midwestern United States, and Stagg® is not available here! I can order it from Amazon, if I want to pay the premium (and I've pondered it several times), but with how things are financially right now, I just can't justify that. In my search for a substitute, I found myself trying something else from Hormel®, and I think its a good substitute given my options here. This option is "Hormel® Cook-Off Series™ Chili", in all its varieties.

Hormel® Cook-Off Series™ Chili

I have to say that for a quick and dirty bowl of red, this is satisfying my craving. Its not the most phenomenal thing to hit the market, but I don't care. I'm not diving into this for gourmet chili, or competition chili, I'm diving into this for a quick bit of comfort food, a late night snack, a good movie and a cry, a way to deal with my desire for more specific southwestern foods.

Now for those of you who may live in the midwest and suggest Wolf® Brand Chili, I have tried a bunch of it and it just does not suit me. There is something in it that my palate and my digestive tract do not like. Its not a bad chili, on the whole, but I just can't do it. I definitely suggest you give it a try. I'm partial to the Roasted Tomato and the Chipotle Chicken, but the other flavours are very good as well.

Wolf® Brand Chili

I know this chili has a long long history, 1895 and made by a ranch hand and all that, but even in TX, there is a LOT of debate about what makes a good bowl of red, and for me, this just does not... "minister to me", as a friend of mine would say. 

Everyone needs comfort food. For me, that is often chili, and for now, since I can't get my absolute favourite (especially since I think that the flavour I liked the most isn't made anymore, even in the Stagg® line), I have settled, for the moment, on the Hormel® Cook-Off Series™ Chili. May you all find the flavours that best suit you. As I say in another corner of the internet:

May the pods be ever in your flavour!

Results from The Chilly Willie Challenge Regional Chili Cookoff

Hello everyone!

So I went to the Chilly Willie Challenge Regional Cookoff in Orland Park this year, and it was a wonderful time! While I didn't place, but I was in the finals in all three categories (Well, Salsa didn't have a Finals Table, but Green and Red did, and I made it to finals in those)! This is beyond awesome! Especially since this is my second time at a chili competition, and my first time competing in Verde and Salsa.
Congratulations to the winners, and here they are!
Homestyle Chili:
Katy Withers

Salsa:
3. Mike Usiak
2. Don Cullum
1. Scott Barrett

Verde:
3. Jeff Netser
2. Mike Usiak
1. Tom Pardikes

Red:
4. Jim Stoddard (tie for 3rd)
3. Mike Usiak (tie for 3rd)
2. Jeff Netser
1. Jim Weller

I am very very thankful to all who have supported me, helping me to get to my events, and a very special thanks goes to Michael R Brown for providing transportation and for all the help he was at the booth at this event!

I entered with the Salsa recipe from my previous entry, and did fairly well, just not in the top 3. The verde recipe was very similar to a recipe I mentioned in a previous post here, though had a few changes for the competition. I kind of made it up as I went along. Here's a photo!

The cookoff was a blast, and I hope to go to many more until I finally win! Until next time, though, that's all for now! ;)

-Kim