Texas Chili

Awhile ago, a good friend of ours gave us a bunch of dried chiles. I was really excited about them, but I'm not going to lie, I didn't do much with them. For a very long time. Well, I finally did! Here's some awesome chili that I made. It was spicy, but not too much that I couldn't eat it. Quite possibly, one of my favorite chilis!

Texas Chili-adapted from Epicurious
Total Time: 2 1/2 Hours
Serves 4

• 2 ounces dried chiles
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2 tablespoons masa harina
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• Sour cream and cheese, for serving\

Place the chiles in a slarge skillet over medium-low heat and gently toast the chiles until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Don't let them burn or they'll turn bitter. Place the chiles in a bowl and cover them with very hot water and soak until soft, 15 to 45 minutes, turning once or twice.

Drain the chiles; split them and remove stems and seeds (a brief rinse helps remove seeds, but don't wash away the flesh). Place the chiles in the bowl of a blender and add the cumin, black pepper, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 cup water. Purée the mixture, adding more water as needed (and occasionally scraping down the sides of the blender jar), until a smooth, slightly fluid paste forms (you want to eliminate all but the tiniest bits of skin.) Set the chile paste aside.

Return skillet to medium-high heat and heat four tablespoons vegetable oil and add the beef. Lightly brown on at least two sides, about 3 minutes per side, reducing the heat if the meat threatens to burn. Set aside.

Let the skillet cool slightly, and place it over medium-low heat. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in the skillet; add the onion and garlic and cook gently for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the stock, the remaining 2 cups water and gradually whisk in the masa harina to avoid lumps. Stir in the reserved chile paste, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a spatula to loosen any browned bits. Add the reserved beef and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain the barest possible simmer  and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is tender but still somewhat firmt, about 2 hours.

Stir in the brown sugar and vinegar thoroughly and add more salt to taste; gently simmer 10 minutes more. Serve with sour cream and cheese.

Corn on the Cob-Boiled

Corn on the cob is a staple of summer. Scott isn't a huge fan as he doesn't like the corn getting stuck in his teeth, so I don't buy it very often. We'll usually have it at his dad's for Sunday cookouts. I got two ears of corn from Growing Power, so I decided to give it a try!

Our grill has been out of commission for some time. We haven't quite figured out what's going on with it. Scott either needs to spend a day looking at it, or we'll solely use our mini Weber. I decided to Google some other ways to make corn on the cob. I found this recipe for boiling it, and it was quick and delicious! You don't get quite the charred feel as on the grill, but it takes about 10 minutes, and it's done!

Corn on the Cob-Boiled-adapted from Epicurious
Total Time: 10 Minutes
Serves-as many as you want :)

• Ears of corn
• Butter and salt for serving

Fill a stockpot large enough for all the ears of corn with water, and put on the stove to boil. Husk the ears of corn, making sure all the silky threads are pulled off. Place ears into boiling water and boil for at least 5 minutes. Serve with butter and salt.