Chili that knows how to Party.

When Bill moved in with us in May, one of the first things he asked me was, "Mom, do you still make that great Chili? You mean the one with the sirloin beef cubes; yeppers and better than ever, I told him. But the summer time heat was moving in, and making chili was not on my list of things to do for the season.

That was until this past weekend when I was in the mood for chili; roast beef had been on sale at City Market and I got to working on cutting it up into pieces for the crock pot. The only problem, I didn't want to use as many beans as I normally do, and didn't want it to be too monotone in coloring. I was in a great, happy mood and wanted colorful food to go with the mood. I cut back on the beans and added bright colors from whole kernel corn, and red and green bell peppers.

Another change I made was to use medium heat chile peppers, but mild New Mexico chili powder. I wanted the heat to come from the peppers themselves, but the rich smokiness of the chili powder. This combo made my mouth hot, but not burn; and the flavors of the ingredients came through. See, one thing I don't believe in is making your food burn your mouth to the point where you cannot taste anything. Might as well just eat raw habanero or ghost chiles and get it over with. Of course, you can adjust the type of chile peppers and chili powder you use when making this recipe because it is what makes you happy that matters the most.

I served Cornbread with the chili, but instead of the conventional oven method, I baked it in a cast iron skillet. The adjustments for this are: preheat oven to 425F, but place the skillet (which should already have been preseasoned)in the oven at the start of the preheating. When ready, carefully take out the skillet and coat the bottom and sides with a generous amount of butter. Pour in the batter (don't worry about the butter you see coming up the sides of the batter) and bake for 20 minutes. Cut into eight wedges and serve with the chili.

...and here's the recipe for Fiesta Chili.

Fiesta Chili

Ingredients:

2 ½ lbs roast beef cut into ½ inch pieces; trim off fat
½ cup flour
1 cup beef stock
2 cups whole kernel corn
1 cup diced mixture of red and green bell peppers
½ cup diced chile peppers (medium heat)
2 ½ cups diced tomatoes
1 cup diced onions
4 Tbsp New Mexico chili powder (mild heat)
2 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 cans (15 oz) black beans; drained and rinsed
2 cans (15 oz) pinto beans; drained and rinsed

Note: if using dried beans instead, soak overnight in salted water and place into crock pot with remaining ingredients for the total 7 hour cooking time.

Preparation:

Set 6 quart crock pot on low. Toss beef pieces with flour; place into crock pot and pour beef stock over. Mix together remaining ingredients, except the beans (see Note), and spread evenly into crock pot. Cover and let cook for 4 hours; add beans to crock pot, mix thoroughly, cover and let cook another 4 hours.

Serve with sour cream, shredded Mexican Mix cheese and cornbread.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

Serious Texas Bar-B-Q.

Serious Texas Bar-B-Q
650 S Camino Del Rio
Durango, Colorado 81301

(970) 259-9507
FAX: (970) 259-5460

Hours: 10:30am-9:00pm Summer
10:30am-8:00pm Winter

Website: http://serioustexasbbq.com/

With five locations (4 in Colorado, 1 in New Mexico), Serious Texas Bar-B-Q is making sure to please fans of smoked meats and poultry.


These restaurants are not fancy nor classy; they're meant for folks who want to park themselves down at a table and enjoy good barbecue. The food is placed on butcher paper and a tray; utensils are plastic and each table comes with a roll of paper towels and a large bottle of their signature barbeque sauce. Whether with family or friends, the atmosphere is very relaxed and comfortable for all.



The Durango, Colorado location has an outdoor patio that overlooks the Animas River. Directly attached to the restaurant is an outdoor miniature golf course; there is also a small bandstand for musical entertainment.


Now lets get to the food; first timers should try out "The Big Six" which comes with 1/4 pound each of beef brisket, pulled pork, pork loin and turkey; a link of sausage and two ribs. It also comes with a sample of each of there signature salsas: pineapple/jalapeno and cherry/chipotle plus relish. This is perfect for two to three people who want to try out a little of everything.


The ribs have a spicy, flavorful rub on them and are not doused in sauce; they're tender, but don't fall off the bone. They come in half or full racks; or you can buy per rib if you just want to sample one.















The Beef Brisket sandwich is piled high with tender, tender meat, pickles and onions; a simple sandwich with lots for your stomach and taste buds to love.



The Pulled Pork Sandwich is a large fistful of smoky goodness topped with cherry/chipotle salsa; several napkins are recommended.



While all the sides are good, we especially like the Cheesy Potatoes loaded with melted cheese and black pepper. A large order is a must!

Seriously hungry and in the mood for barbeque; seriously head out to Serious Texas Bar-B-Q.

Mary Cokenour

A Misadventure in Chocolate.

Going through some older Gourmet magazines, I found a recipe from Ghirardelli for their Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes and wanted to try it out. I had all the ingredients; but only needed to purchase another set of custard cups (safe for oven use) as I only had a set of 4 and the recipe made 6 cakes.
Now mind you, I'm not a big fan of baking from scratch; all that measuring and calculating, but I was up for giving it a go. It was chocolate, so how wrong could that be, right? I followed the directions, made the chocolate that would go in the center of the cake and waited the two hours recommended. Then it was time to make the batter and assemble in the cups; easy peasy. Only problem is that, even tempering in the oven before hand, my metal tray decided to warp, so the cups couldn't sit on it. I ended up balancing the cups on the oven's metal rack; the oval cups I had had no problem; the round ones kept me on my toes to make sure they stayed up straight.

After 15 minutes I moved the cups to a rack on the counter for 5 minutes of cooling. I could see the cakes begin pulling from the sides of the cups as they cooled, so was happy no knife was required to help remove them.

I inverted one cup over a dessert plate, the cake easily came out.  The chocolate smell was incredible!!!

I sliced the single cake open expecting to see molten chocolate ooze out; and what did I see? Cake; super moist, decadently rich cake, but no melted chocolate center. The melted chocolate had been absorbed into the cake batter as it baked and gave me...cake!

Maybe it was just this one, so I tried another only to find the same result. To the computer I ran to read up on molten lava cakes; some recipes had higher temperatures and less bake time; some had higher temperatures with more baking time. Many recipes incorporated the melted chocolate into the batter and baked them at the same temperature and timing as I had done. Cooking forums were a little more helpful than straight recipes; the conclusion was to use the same temperature, but lower the baking time to 10 minutes instead of 15. Ovens are all different and I guess mine baked quicker which resulted in the chocolate ball melting and then being absorbed into the batter.

So alas, my family and I had to bite the cake bullet with a whipped cream topping and sliced strawberry. Oh the agony of defeat never tasted so deliciously sweet.

...and here is the recipe and directions from Ghirardelli:

Individual Chocolate Lava Cakes

Ingredients:

1 1/2 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Baking Bars
2 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup cake flour

Directions:

To make centers, melt 2 ounces of chocolate (1/2 a baking bar) and cream in double boiler. Whisk gently to blend. Refrigerate about 2 hours or until firm. Form into 6 balls; refrigerate until needed.

To make cake, heat oven to 400°F. Spray six 4-ounce ramekins or custard cups with cooking spray. Melt 4 ounces of chocolate (1 baking bar) and butter in double boiler; whisk gently to blend. With an electric mixer, whisk eggs, yolks, sugar, and vanilla on high speed about 5 minutes or until thick and light. Fold melted chocolate mixture and flour into egg mixture just until combined. Spoon cake batter into ramekins. Place a chocolate ball in the middle of each ramekin.

Bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to the touch. Let it sit out of the oven for about 5 minutes. Run a small, sharp knife around inside of each ramekin, place a plate on top, invert and remove ramekin. Garnish with raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream.

Makes 6.

Mary Cokenour

Sandstone Tires - A Public Service Warning.

Sandstone Tires

138 E Center St
Monticello, UT 84535
(435) 459-0038

Website: http://sandstonetire.com

Two weeks ago I take my car to Sandstone Tires in Monticello, Utah because it would pull to the left, not a lot, but still it shouldn't be doing that; also it would shimmy between 50 to 60 miles/hour. They give me a wheel alignment and balancing, then tell me I need new rotors because that is what is causing the problems. Really? Anyway, not only does the car now pull to the left immediately, but the shimmy is constant.

My husband decides to take it to Chip's in Moab for another opinion; I need a new caliper disc to stop the shimmy, so the part was ordered. My two rear tires were so worn down, the metal was showing; I had already traveled to Cortez, Blanding and Moab since going to Sandstone. I could have blown both tires and who the heck knows what would have happened to me. Oh, and the rotors, they were fine and didn't need replacement.

Sandstone Tires brags about being the best tire place around...and they didn't notice the extremely poor condition of both tires!?! Looks like they were more interested in bilking me, than in doing a professional job. Avoid Sandstone Tires like your life depends on it....actually, it does.

I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER!!!

Mary Cokenour

UPDATE: On several occasions I called Sandstone Tire to speak with someone about the rotors, but was told each time "to call back later". When I called later, I was told the same thing again; since I was getting no satisfaction, I was forced to write this review.

Now someone has been trying to bully me into removing the review. Apparently this person is showing their lack of integrity by making threats. Is this supposed to be an example of maturity? Why is this person even getting involved in a situation that has nothing to do with him/her? That is correct, "him/her", as they do not have the, again, integrity to even sign their full name to the threat. As to Sandstone Tire, who are they to then go and give out personal information from my vehicle record to this person at all?

Sandstone Tire made a mistake that could have caused me an injury; they will not own up to it or take responsibility. The mistake was VERIFIED by an independent mechanic, so I have written only truth and facts in my review. As Jack Nicholson said in A Few Good Men, "you can't handle the truth!".

Update March 10, 2013 On March 9, 2013, the owner Scott S. posted this response on Yelp.com: Scott S. of Sandstone Tire 3/9/2013 Information was given correctly, Customers wish to get second option. I am glad to help those who need it and appreciate it. Its too bad that there are a few out there that can just never be happy. We offered to do the exact same work that was "done else where" but we only can only suggest if customer wants to go else where then that is there business. We offer only the best customer service possible, and all employee have professional training.

...and here was my response back to him: March 10, 2013 - The owner finally decides to speak up!?! Too bad he couldn't be bothered to speak with me when I called three times BEFORE the vehicle was taken elsewhere. Each time I called I was told, "We're busy and can't take a message now". Stop making excuses Scott; especially 7 months after the issue. The response of a good and responsible owner should have been, "I am so, so sorry this happened. I was not made aware of the problem by my employees; what can I do to rectify it?" But no, you're just pushing the blame onto the customer, displaying further unprofessional behavior, and proving my review is truthful. Thanks!

Mary Cokenour

Fusion Stuffing

So why am I calling this post "Fusion Stuffing"?  Basically it's the best way to describe the combination of ingredients for today's recipe....Stuffed Tomatoes.  I'm using cubed stuffing and chicken which is typically American,  veggies, cheese and herbs which are typically Italian, but some of those same veggies plus chili powder gives it a taste of Mexican cuisine; hence the fusion part. 

Now let me warn you now about the heat in the Mexican spice factor; I used mild, since this is the first time I'm doing this dish.  Remember, you can always add, but cannot take away; that's always the best rule when working with spicy ingredients.  If you like more heat, but this is your first time making this recipe, take a little advice; start with mild and add dashes of hot sauce as you eat to see what it will taste like to you.  Not good enough?  Then use three types of chili powder (mild, medium and hot); make three stuffed tomatoes and use one type of chili powder with each.  Stick a toothpick (one for mild, two for medium, three for hot) in the appropriate tomatoes; after they're baked do your taste testing.  Don't forget you can get others in on this too for a real judging.

I thought this dish would be difficult and sure that I would mess it up terribly; but it wasn't that bad.  The trick is to use firm tomatoes that you can easily grip in your hand that won't squash, or crack when being hollowed out.  Have a game plan for all the tomato meat and liquid you'll gather as you won't be using all of it for this recipe.  I was planning on making Vegetarian Pasta Sauce anyway, so what better to put fresh tomatoes in?

Stuffed Tomatoes

Ingredients:

4-6 medium to large firm tomatoes (dependent on size)
2 cups herbed stuffing cubes
1 Tbsp butter
¼ cup each small diced red onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms
1 tsp minced garlic
2 chicken breasts halves, boneless and skinless
½ tsp each salt, ground black pepper, mild New Mexico chili powder; mixed together
Additional salt to season tomato interior
Olive oil; 1 Tbsp per tomato
Grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tsp per tomato

Preparation:

With a small knife, cut out hard center where stem was attached and discard. Cut ¼ inch off the top; use a spoon to hollow out tomato to ¼ inch inside. Rinse out tomatoes and invert onto a paper towel lined pan.  (I had two large and three medium which fit perfectly in my casserole dish.)  Strain tomatoes, but reserve ½ cup of liquid; dice tomatoes and set aside.

Place stuffing cubes in a medium sized bowl, pour reserved tomato liquid over and mix.

In a medium sized skillet, over medium-high heat, melt tablespoon of butter; sauté onion, bell pepper and mushroom until softened. Add in ½ cup of diced tomatoes and garlic; let cook another minute; add to stuffing cubes.

At same time vegetables are sautéing; season both sides of chicken with seasoning mixture; brown in skillet, with one tablespoon olive oil, over medium- high heat (3-4 minutes per side). I made several extra which I cut into 1/2 inch slices and froze for use later on; very convenient when doing a spur of the moment recipe.

Dice chicken and add to stuffing bowl; mix thoroughly.

Preheat oven to 375F; spray 2 quart round casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt inside each tomato, then stuff with mixture; place ¼ inch top back and place in casserole dish.

Drizzle one tablespoon olive oil over each tomato; bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and top with one teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese; return to oven for 5 minutes.

Makes 4-6 servings.

So, how does it all taste together? It was a cultural party going on in the mouth and it tasted so good! The chicken was tender, juicy and savory; the stuffing herbalicious with a mild tomato flavor from the tomato liquid used to soak the cubes. The tomato itself, while fully cooked, could be cut with a fork and still hold together its texture; it tasted with the Parmesan cheese, like a very chunky and rich tomato sauce. I will most definitely be making this recipe again!

Mary Cokenour

Southern Fried Bottom Feeder

...or what is more popularly known as Catfish.  A long while ago I did a blog post about Utah being a landlocked state and basically finding fresh fish is like finding a honest politician.  They're out there somewhere, just good luck finding one easily.  Anyway, I have several packages of frozen fish in my freezer and the bag of catfish is the one that caught my eye.  Usually I make Cajun Catfish, however I wanted to do something slightly different with that recipe.

First, instead of coating the fish in an egg wash, I used plain milk; I also cut out the paprika and lessened the heat a bit by not using ground cayenne. I used crushed red pepper flakes instead which aren't as hot in spice temperture due to the difference in bulk and add a bit of "decor" to my dry mixture. Technically, I should have served up the fish with hushpuppies, but I was craving my grandmother's potatoes. The potatoes are basically her version of what is typically called "German potato salad".

Southern Fried Catfish

Ingredients:

4(8 oz) catfish fillets
1 cup milk
2 cups cornmeal
¾ cup sifted flour
2 tsp fine sea salt
2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp each ground black pepper, garlic powder and onion powder
2 cups canola oil

Preparation:

Place fillets in shallow container and pour milk over them; turn fillets over twice to fully coat with milk.

In a second shallow container, mix together the cornmeal, flour and seasonings.

One fillet at a time, remove from milk and coat both sides with the dry mix. Shake off excess and set on plate until all are done; lay side by side, do not overlap coated fillets.

In a deep skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat until temperature of 350F is reached. Place two fillets into oil; let them fry for 4-5 minutes before turning over; let fry for additional 4-5 minutes; until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on paper towels.

Makes 4 servings.

Note: a sauce made of 1 cup ketchup, ½ cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons grated horseradish mixed together thoroughly can be served as a condiment for this dish.

Mary Cokenour

MD Ranch Cookhouse is Now Home to the FROZEN Cowboy.

MD Ranch Cookhouse - OUT OF BUSINESS as of September 2014

380 South Main
Monticello, Utah, 84535

(435) 587-3299

Website: Still None


If you abhor freshly cooked, flavorly seasoned food, then MD Ranch Cookhouse is now the go to place for you. Husband and wife owners, Dan and Sally believe that the best cooked food must be frozen, not fresh. While Dan does come into the restaurant, you'll find him in a side room mostly playing card games with friends. Sally is an absentee owner which speaks volumes of, "I don't care, this is just a hobby."













They also do not believe in spending money on advertising; there is a small ad in the weekly local paper and that is it. Otherwise it is word of mouth or seeing the place as you drive past (hint, keep on driving). There is a small gift shop inside selling generic "Made in China" items; guess the idea of selling wares of local artisans is too novel an idea for this duo. What is very disappointing is that when I spoke with Dan in April 2011 (my first review), he had such awesome plans for the development of MD. What happened to the enthusiasim Dan?

Chris is a friend of Dan's who manages the kitchen area; Chris has lots of enthusiasim, but little experience in the culinary arts. He manages two new cooks, one with 8 years experience in restaurant services, the other with very little experience. Basically the blind leading the blind with the staff yelling from the roof top, "give us training and professional kitchen tools and equipment to work with!" The entire kitchen, and thank you Chris for the tour, needs to be revamped with more professional kitchen equipment and better space utility and organization. Definitely better deep fryers, walk-in freezer (there is none, only an upright) and a standard home refrigerator. There is a grill area with both a flat top and barbecue style grill; one stove/oven and for some strange reason, these are constantly being turned down in temperature instead of maintaining a standard high temperature. No wonder everything is deep fried, the oven is hardly ever ready for use! MD opens at 11am, the kitchen staff usually arrives at 10:30am for preparation; a half hour to turn on the equipment basically, but very little fresh food prep work. Chris is a nice guy, but excuses of "it takes too long to prep this or that" is just that, an excuse.

Oh, before I forget, there was one beautifully shining star at MD Ranch Cookhouse, our waitress Brittany. She is perky, with lots of attitude that just makes you smile and laugh. If you do go to MD, make sure to ask for her as your server.



So lets get to the food; so I have to admit that Corn Nuggets, although frozen and deep fried, is a favorite of mine. The outside is crispy and golden brown; the inside has tender corn and creamy sauce; just absolutely yummy. Give me a basket of those and a salad and I'm a happy camper.

Now although there is a meat processing plant within the town limits, seems that MD rather pay for cheap frozen, than fresh cut meat and poultry. As for seasoning, the consensus is that the locals don't like seasoned food, they prefer very bland. Well I live in this town and can tell you that those old timers with dry as dust taste buds may like it bland, but not everyone, including tourists. During the spring, summer and fall months, the bulk of income should be made. During the winter months, when there are only the locals to rely on, there is the option of closing for the season, or catering to those locals who enjoy good, fresh and flavorful food. The others who like it bland? Let them go to the local gas station for overcooked coffee and stale donuts, just the way they like it.




The Reuben Burger can be either a quarter or half pound burger with grilled corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut and Thousand Island dressing. While the burger meat was cooked to order, it was unseasoned and depended on the other items to give it flavor. The buns are large, fluffy and toasted; while the sides are usually fries, potato chips or cole slaw, we were lucky to be able to try sweet potato fries. Unhappily the fries came out unseasoned, but once MD's seasoning salt was put on them; delicious.



The Wild West Chicken Sandwich; the West would certainly have been lost with this sandwich. If you order it with the breaded chicken breast, expect a round, pressed chicken patty as you would find in the freezer section of your supermarket. I ordered the grilled chicken which is frozen, precooked chicken; it is steamed (why, I have no clue) to order and while warm on the outside, was cold in the center. I refused to eat it as I did not want to get sick and did bring it to everyone's attention. The thick cut bacon would make any lover of bacon break down and cry; the meat was hard as a rock and easily pulled away from the undercooked fat. The barbecue sauce is house made (surprise, surprise) and is very good; they should bottle and sell it in their gift shop. I had the cole slaw as a side and while house made (another surprise), it needed a twang to it, like more vinegar; however it was fresh and that counted highly.


Ok bacon lovers, here is a photo of thick cut bacon I made this morning in my own kitchen. In a 12 inch skillet, high heat, I was able to cook 6-7 pieces in each batch; each batch took only 8 minutes to fry up to delicious crispiness.



Dan, Sally and Chris; before you make any plans to remodel the MD Ranch Cookhouse; remodel the kitchen and most especially...THE FOOD! Fresh is best; frozen has its place, but not as your main source. Good luck; you're going to need tons of it.

Mary Cokenour

NOTE: The information I have written in this blog post is either from personal experience having a meal at MD Ranch Cook House, or from speaking with current and former employees.  If the employees themselves are stating that major changes, especially in food quality and handling, are needed, than there is accuracy in the statements.