[CH] Big Thanks, etc.

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Hey, I just wanted to thank all the chiliheads who responded to my big
vegetarian chili recipe request a couple weeks back.  We ended up making two
batches, 20 gallons of meat and about 10 gallons of vegetarian.  For the
vegetarian, we used a bunch of beef flavored tempeh.  The meat one had
ground beef and sausage.  We started by making one big batch and seasoning
it all the same and then separating into two kettles and adding the
meat/meat substitute.

My housemate and I who were in charge of cooking went easy on the chiles in
the mix at the request of the more delicate palates.  Just about everyone
who had it thought the heat level was just right.  That didn't stop us from
having a couple bowls of chopped chiles around next to the cheese bowl; one
with a jalapeno/serrano mix and the other with straight habs.  The milder
chile mix went real fast but not too many stepped up to the plate for the
habs.

For those of you who ever have a chance to cook in Very Large batches for
the general public, we've learned the following things:
1. Sautéing 20# of onions and a pound of garlic will usually make you cry
harder than watching the end of 'Old Yeller'
2. People who say they can handle hot food and put a tablespoon of Dave's
Insanity on a cup of chili typically don't know what they're getting into.
We confiscated the Dave's after a couple of those incidents for safety's
sake.  Silly rabbit, Trix are for kids.
3. 24 pounds of dried beans swell up Real Big after soaking.  However,
soaking the black beans with the pintos makes a very pretty purple color.
4. It's recommended to have at least one keg of beer next to the cooking
area.
5. Keep it simple.  Last year, we heard the chili makers used balsamic
vinegar in the mix which had a rather disastrous effect when combined with
the tempeh.  We kept it straightforward with cumin, coriander, black pepper,
oregano, and a couple cups of homemade chili powder.  Yum.
6. No matter how hard you try, there will probably be a little scorching on
the bottom of the kettle...especially the big batch.
7. Sampling chili with not fully cooked dried beans can have, well,
combustible effects on your system.

On a separate note, I've had a piquin and a hab plant in 3 gal. containers
for a year or so now.  The hab is just beginning to flower after losing ALL
it's foliage from a homemade soap/garlic/cayenne aphid concoction gone bad.
The piquin is maybe a week away from exploding with flowers after getting
hit pretty hard by aphids over the winter as well.  First, what signs should
I be looking for that would indicate that the soil needs a change or a
washing?  Second, I just noticed that on about a third of the branches of
the piquin, one, and only one, leaf is turning yellow.  Everything else
looks and feels great but it's just that one leaf here and there that have
turned.  Is it part of the plant's flowering process or could it be
maintenance related?

Fruits in garden are finally getting ready to turn red real soon after a wet
and mild northwest year.  Thai dragons, 2 cayenne varieties, and a
Franciscan are all doing real well.  Can't wait.

Thanks again.
===================================================
Mike Szwaya, P.E.
Stormwater Design Services
City of Portland - Bureau of Environmental Services
1120 S.W. 5th Ave.
Portland, OR 97204-1972
(503) 823-6993
Fax: (503) 823-7110
e-mail: Mikes@bes.ci.portland.or.us

"You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline--it
helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons,
but at the very least you need a beer."
                                       -- Frank Zappa

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