News of the Week: February Blues, Cursing in Virginia, and How to Make a Chilly Night a Chili Night

Okay, I’m Ready for Winter to Be Over

Regular readers of this column know that I much prefer the cold days and nights of the fall and winter over the warm days and nights of the summer. Actually, regular readers of this column might be a little sick of hearing that. But I bring it up again so I can say this: I’m ready for spring.

I love the cold temps and the fact that it gets dark early, and I even love snowstorms (yes, I’m one of those people), but there comes a time, right around the end of February, when even I have had enough. I want to put the shovels away for the season, the chill in the air and the dry skin start to get to me, and I’m ready for more tennis to be shown on my television. So bring on the warmer temperatures.

Of course, stay tuned to this spot in July, when I’m sure I’ll be complaining about how humid it is, the ants and the bees, the fact that I have to wear shorts, the tourists that double the population of my town, and how Labor Day can’t come soon enough.

Oh, who am I kidding. I’ll be complaining in June.

Maybe what I’m really itching for isn’t spring, but fall. Maybe the only reason I’m ready for warm weather to come is that it means we’re that much closer to September.

The Closest Thing to Home

That was McDonald’s slogan in the late 1960s. Now it looks like they’re literally trying to make that happen.

The fast food chain is selling six scented candles that smell like beef, cheese, ketchup, pickles, onions, and a sesame seed bun. I know they’re going for a Quarter Pounder theme here, but I think it’s a mistake that there’s no candle that smells like french fries.

The best thing about these candles is that they’ll make your home smell like a McDonald’s. The worst thing? They’ll make your home smell like a McDonald’s.

Here’s the first appearance of Ronald McDonald, in a 1963 commercial, long before the company thought of selling candles. That’s former Today show weatherman Willard Scott under the makeup. He has a tray of food on his head.

Uploaded to YouTube by VintageTVCommercials

This Woman Has Been Selling Girl Scout Cookies Since 1932

This weekend is officially Girl Scout Cookie Weekend. The cookies are available from your local scouts or online (yes, there’s an app for that), including the best ones, the Samoas (they may be called Caramel deLites, depending on where you live).

If you’re near Wernersville, Pennsylvania, you can buy them from Ronnie Backenstoe. She’s been selling the cookie for 88 years. Back when she started there were only three flavors of cookie, many troops baked their own, and Herbert Hoover was president.

It’s worth noting that she’s not still selling the same boxes of cookies she was selling in 1932. That’d be weird.

Road Trip!

Breaking News: You can now legally swear in Virginia.

RIP Clive Cussler, Katherine Johnson, B. Smith, Hosni Mubarak, Sy Sperling, Larry Tesler, Diana Serra Cary, and “Mad” Mike Hughes

In addition to writing or co-authoring more than 80 books, including popular novels like Raise the Titanic! that featured his hero Dirk Pitt, Clive Cussler led various expeditions to shipwrecks and lost treasure. He died Monday at the age of 88.

Katherine Johnson played a major role in getting Americans to the moon in 1969. She was one of the subjects of the Oscar-nominated 2016 film Hidden Figures. She died earlier this week at the age of 101.

B. Smith was a style and home decor expert who was also a successful restaurateur and author. She died last weekend at the age of 70.

Hosni Mubarak was the former president of Egypt. He died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Sy Sperling was not only the president of the Hair Club For Men, he was also a client. He died last week at the age of 78 with a full head of hair.

Larry Tesler was the computer scientist we can thank for creating the cut, copy, and paste functions we use every day. He died last week at the age of 74.

Diana Serra Cary — aka Baby Peggy — starred in several popular silent movies when she was a child. After leaving the industry at a young age, she went on to author several books. She died Monday at the age of 101.

You can donate to her GoFundMe page to help pay for medical bills and funeral costs.

“Mad” Mike Hughes was a daredevil and inventor who was convinced the Earth was flat. He died when his rocket crashed on Saturday. He was 64.

Quote of the Week

“They asked Katherine Johnson for the moon, and she gave it to them.”

—opening line of Margalit Fox’s obituary for Johnson, in The New York Times

This Week in History

First Woolworth’s Opens (February 22, 1879)

I miss this chain. I have a lot of great memories of shopping and eating there when I was a kid.

If you happen to be in Bakersfield, California, at some point, you can eat at the last remaining Woolworth’s lunch counter in America, at the Five and Dime Antique Mall.

Ben Hecht Born (February 28, 1894)

The writer of such movies as The Front Page, Wuthering Heights, Some Like It Hot, and dozens where he didn’t even get credit wrote several short stories for the Post, including “Swindler’s Luck,” featured in our January 12, 1952, issue.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: Party Holding Up the Elevator (February 25, 1961)

I bet the people on the first floor in this Ben Kimberly Prins cover are swearing like people in Virginia.

There’s Still Time for Chili

Sure, it’s been warm lately and I’m ready for spring, but that doesn’t mean we don’t still have some cold nights ahead of us in the next month or so. And what better to eat on those nights than chili?

Here’s a recipe for Cowboy Beef and Black Bean Chili, and here’s one for Turkey Pumpkin Chili, which won a contest among Post staffers in 2009. If you’re looking for something a little more healthy, how about this Vegetarian Chili?

There’s even a Chocolate Chili, though I don’t know if you can use the chocolate from Samoas or Thin Mints, but hey, give it a shot.

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Leap Day (February 29)

How are you going to take advantage of the extra day we have in February this year? Call in sick? Take a trip? Go shopping? Clean the house? Get married? Maybe you can just sleep in late.

South Carolina Primary (February 29)

… or maybe you can celebrate the day by watching live coverage of this Democratic Primary.

Super Tuesday (March 3)

Here are all the states holding primaries on Tuesday: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and #%$&! Virginia.

Featured image: Shutterstock

Chili: America’s Super Bowl

America is a nation of chili heads. It’s a long-standing and storied love affair. When working on a film in Italy, chili-craving Elizabeth Taylor ordered 20 quarts of her favorite recipe from LA’s legendary Chasen’s restaurant flown to her in Rome — at $100 a bowl. After moving to Washington, D.C., Lyndon Johnson couldn’t find good chili, so he filled his kitchen shelves with canned Texas chili to survive the chili drought. Humorist Will Rogers once said he judged a town by the chili it served.

So passionate are chili lovers that they began putting recipes to the taste test in chili cook-offs across the nation. One of the oldest, the Chili Appreciation Society International Championship Contest still holds its annual cook-off in the tiny town of Terlingua, Texas, drawing thousands of visitors each year.

Seems everyone has a favorite, including Emeril Lagasse. We invited the longtime football fan to share his Kickin’ Chili recipe and pre-game strategy for throwing a stress-free party.

“At my house, game day is an open invitation for my friends and family,” Emeril says. “The key to entertaining at home is prior planning, so everything goes smoothly. Cook and prep what you can in advance. On game day, heat up the chili, serve with a spread of toppings, and let guests build their own bowls.” Game on!

Emeril’s Kickin’ Chili

Recipe courtesy of Emeril’s Homebase

(Makes 4 quarts or about 16 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 4 pounds ground beef
• 4 cups chopped yellow onions
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons Southwest Essence
• 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 4 (12-ounce) bottles dark beer
• 2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
• 1 ounce (1 square) unsweetened chocolate
• 6 cups cooked red kidney beans (see note) or 4 (15-ounce) cans, drained and rinsed

Garnishes:

• 1 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 cup finely chopped green onions
• Minced red onion
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Grated Monterey Jack–cheddar cheese blend

Directions

Heat oil in large heavy pot over high heat. Add beef and brown well, about 10 minutes. Add onions, chili powder, cumin, Southwest Essence, cayenne, cinnamon, crushed red pepper, and bay leaf and cook, stirring often, until onions soften, about 8 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add beer and cook until foam subsides, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, brown sugar, and chocolate to pot. Stir well and bring to boil. Reduce to simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 1 hour, stirring occasionally to prevent chili from sticking to bottom of pot. Skim off as much fat as possible. Add beans, return to simmer, cover, and cook until thickened, about 1 ½ hours longer. Serve with cheese if desired, green onions, and cilantro alongside as garnish.

Note: To make 6 cups cooked red kidney beans, soak 1 pound dried beans for 6 hours or overnight. Drain beans and place in large saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until just tender, 30 to 45 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

Per Serving

Calories: 390
Total Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 5 g
Sodium: 871 mg
Carbohydrate: 27 g
Fiber: 7 g
Protein: 33 g
 
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 vegetable, 1/2 starch, 3 protein, 2 fat

Emeril Lagasse’s Navy Bean and Chicken Chili

Recipe courtesy of Emeril’s Homebase

(Makes 6 servings)

Ingredients

• 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 yellow onions, minced (3 cups)
• 3 poblano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced (1 1/2 cups)
• 2 serrano chiles, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• 1/2 large bunch or 1 small bunch cilantro, stems and leaves reserved separately and finely chopped
• 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce, stem removed, minced
• 1/4 cup minced garlic (8 to 10 cloves)
• 1 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano or regular oregano, crushed with fingers
• 1 pound navy beans, soaked overnight and drained
• 5 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock or packaged low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (4-ounce) can chopped green chiles, with juices
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon yellow cornmeal

Garnishes:

• Sour cream
• Lime wedges
• Minced red onion
• Finely minced jalapeños
• Grated Monterey Jack–cheddar cheese blend

Directions

Season chicken with 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt, 1 teaspoon of cumin, and 1 teaspoon of chili powder. Set a pressure cooker to t “browning” program and heat olive oil. When it is hot, add chicken breasts (in batches if necessary) and cook until they are golden on both sides and just cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, tent it with foil or plastic wrap, and set aside.

Add onions, poblano and serrano chiles, cilantro stems, chipotle chile, garlic, oregano, remaining 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin, and remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder to pressure cooker. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, 5 to 6 minutes. Add beans, chicken stock, and canned chiles. Close and lock lid, and set to “high pressure” for 15 minutes.

While beans are cooking, shred cooled chicken into bite-size pieces and set it aside.

Open pressure release valve and allow the steam to escape. Unlock and carefully open the lid. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon salt and the cornmeal, and stir to combine. Close and lock lid, and reset to “high pressure” for 8 minutes.

Release pressure, unlock, and carefully open lid. Beans should be tender; if not, continue to cook them under pressure for 1 to 2 minutes longer.

Set pressure cooker to “simmer” program. Stir in chicken and cook, uncovered, until chicken is heated through, about 10 minutes.

Serve chili in bowls, garnished with sour cream, lime wedges, minced red onion, minced jalapeños, grated cheese, and cilantro leaves.

Per Serving

Calories: 454
Total Fat: 11 g
Saturated Fat: 2 g
Sodium: 1,658 mg
Carbohydrate: 50 g
Fiber: 17 g
Protein: 34 g
 
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/4 vegetable, 1 starch, 3 protein, 2 fat

Emeril’s Chuck Wagon Chili for Slow Cooker

Recipe courtesy of Emeril’s Homebase

(Makes 12 cups)

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon cayenne
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons dried Mexican or regular oregano, crumbled between your fingers
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 teaspoons light or dark brown sugar
• 4 pounds boneless beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 medium onions, coarsely chopped (about 4 cups)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped celery, including leaves
• 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 2 jalapeño chiles, roughly chopped
• 1 (2-ounce) bottle dark Mexican beer, such as Negro Modelo
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 3 tablespoons masa harina (corn flour, not cornstarch)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves

Garnishes:

• Grated low-fat cheddar cheese
• Chopped green onion
• Sour cream (optional)

Directions

Combine chili powder, cumin seeds, cayenne, cinnamon, oregano, bay leaves, and brown sugar in small bowl; set spice mixture aside.

Add beef to medium bowl and season with pepper and 1 tablespoon of the kosher salt.

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in 12-inch or larger skillet over high heat. Add enough beef to fill pan and cook until nicely browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn pieces over and cook for another 2 minutes. Transfer browned beef to crock of a 6-quart slow cooker. Repeat with remaining beef, adding remaining vegetable oil between batches as necessary.

Add onions, celery, and 1 tablespoon of remaining salt to skillet and cook, stirring, until vegetables begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeños, and spice mixture and cook for 1 minute longer. Pour in beer, tomato paste, and crushed tomatoes and simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in chocolate, masa harina, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and cook for 1 minute longer. Transfer this mixture to slow cooker. Cover and cook chili on high, undisturbed or stirring only once during cooking, for 6 hours, or until beef is very tender. Remove bay leaves and stir in cilantro and parsley. Serve the chili hot in bowls, topped — if desired — with grated cheddar, chopped green onion, and sour cream (optional).

Note: Optional sour cream and cheddar cheese not included in final calculation below.
 
Per Serving

Calories: 580
Total Fat: 34 g
Saturated Fat: 12 g
Sodium: 1700 mg
Carbohydrate: 17 g
Fiber: 4 g
Protein: 48 g
 
Diabetic Exchanges: 1/2 veg, 5 protein, 4 fat

A ‘Two-Spicy’ Chili by 48th Annual Terlingua International Chili Champion Jason Goins

Ingredients

• 2 pounds of chili grind
• 1 can beef broth, more if desired
• 1 can tomato sauce

1st Spice Mix:



• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s Mexene Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s San Antonio Original Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s Dixon Med Hot Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s Onion Granules
• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s Garlic Granules
• 1 tablespoon beef granules
• 1 tablespoon chicken granules
• 1 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Hungarian Paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Hot Stuff

2nd Spice Mix:

• 1 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Mexene Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Mild Bill’s San Antonio Original
• 1 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Cowtown Lite
• 1 teaspoon Mild Bill’s San Antonio Red
• 1 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Cumin
• 2 dashes Louisiana Hot Sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon Mild Bill’s Hot Stuff
• 1 pack Sazon’ Goya

Directions

Brown chili grind, drain off grease. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, and 1st spice mix.

Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 50 minutes, then add 2nd spice mix and simmer for 30 minutes.

During this time if liquid is needed you may use more beef broth, also salt and heat can be adjusted to your liking by adding table salt and cayenne powder.