koko's corner

Besides the pots of chili, we had Mexican street corn and green salad

My nephew Steve and his wife Ge always pitch in and help. He's especially adept with the grill, and she's the_best_fruit salad maker ever. 
Dang, I didn't get her picture.

After the corn is grilled, it's slathered with mayonnaise, then queso fresco is grated over it. Some use the canned Parmesan cheese which is good also. Then sprinkle with your favorite chile powder. 

Tom tending to his pot of chili. He said he was just stirring it but I think he was checking it to make sure no one sabotaged it. 

We had some pretty awesome pots of chili and we all had to have several bowls of each in order to decide who was the first loser of the cookoff. 
My niece Laurie always brings more than is asked for, we said bring chili, she brings chili, sour cream, tortilla strips, shredded cheese, cake, and garlic bread. Is she something else or what!

We also had chile cheddar shortcakes. OMGosh if you don't make these I'm going to write you out of my will. 

Besides the shortcakes, we had garlic bread, And no the garlic bread is_not_burned, we like things extra crispy around here. 

Here is the newest addition to our family, she's absolutely adorable. 

So, after we stuffed ourselves with chili and bread how could we not dive into the Tres Leches Cake. 

Then we started a fire and moaned and groaned about how we ate too much and planned on doing it again next year.

Here are my recipes. 

Chile Cheddar Shortcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons double-acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1/4 pound sharp Cheddar, grated coarse (about 1 1/2 cups)
four 2-inch pickled jalapeño chilies, seeded and minced (wear rubber gloves)
1 cup sour cream

Into a bowl sift together the flour, the baking powder, the baking soda, and the salt, add the butter, and blend the mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Stir in the Cheddar and the chilies, add the sour cream, and stir the mixture until it just forms a soft but not sticky dough. Knead the dough gently 6 times on a lightly floured surface, roll or pat it out 1/2 inch thick, and with a 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter cut out 6 rounds. Bake the rounds on an ungreased baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 425°F. oven for 15 to 17 minutes, or until they are golden.

Gourmet /Feb 1990

By the way, this is the first losing recipe, which was mine. 

I wish I would have blitzed the diced tomatoes with the stick blender, just to break them up a bit more. 
I will next time I make this, and I will, it is delicious and not too spicy. 

Chili con Carne Chipotle

2 tablespoons oil
3 pounds beef chuck roast; cut into bite-size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups chicken broth, I used Knorr tomato flavored bouillon
2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons adobo sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
Shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Sour cream
Sliced green onions

Add the oil to a Dutch oven or large saucepan, brown the beef over medium-high heat in batches, do not crowd the pan, you want the beef to sear, not steam. Once browned but not fully cooked, remove the meat and set aside.  
In the same pan, stir together the diced tomatoes and next 7 ingredients, add the meat mixture and the juices into the tomato mixture. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover and simmer until the meat is tender about 3 hours.
To serve, spoon chili into bowls. Top with cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

And that's that!