Recipe Tweak and a New Way to Get Chili

Fran, henceforth known as "Madame Blasphemer", made a change to the ingredient order in the mild chili recipe. This is what happens when I leave her alone to make a batch. I was home doing some "consulting" (yelling at the kids) when she called and asked me to bring her a couple of ingredients. I loaded up the children, bought the requested items and dropped them off at the kitchen. I noticed the large pot already simmering on the stove and was about to say something when Fran blithely dumped in what I had brought.

I stammered, "Hey you can't do it like that!" She gave me a kind, patient, knowing look and said: "Shut up, dear."

That mild batch of chili is wonderful. Anyone who has steered clear of the mild thinking that it is some sort of afterthought compared to the spicy should give it a try. There may not be the intense kick from the habanero and jalapeno however copious amounts of ground dried ancho and cascabel peppers lend a deep chile sensation offset by an almost citrusy cumin flavor.

In addition we have begun packaging the chili in 32 oz containers (you can still get just a bowl if you like). I pointed out to Fran that this conveniently equals 2.6 of our normal 12 oz servings. No one will be left with that nagging feeling of wanting just .6 servings more! At Chapman Chile we understand your fractional chili serving needs.

Tailgating? At Chapman Chile? It's more likely than you think.

Last Saturday some people came in and ordered a bunch of stuff. A few minutes later I had to go outside and noticed their car was still in the parking lot. They waved to me; it looked like they were standing around eating so I said: "I know it's not much but you are welcome to sit on the patio to eat." I looked a little closer - the tailgate to their SUV was down and I could hear music. Sure enough; they had a cooler, music and were relaxing in the scant shade. Needless to say they politely declined to eat on the patio.

Tailgating.

This has got some gears turning for Fran and I while we await the expansion renovations. Anyone interested in an event? Nothing is finalized but if we were to have some kind of tailgate event what would it be? People could bring coolers of the best adult beverages which go with chili, wings and stuffed jalapenos. It could be some kind of east Dallas bonding session. If anyone has any ideas or interest send an email to mailto:chapmanchile@att.net and let us know.

Hot Hot Heat

Fran is clean! We all suspected it was true but now she has the official certificate from the health department to prove it.

We had our first inspection last week; Fran figured it was coming since the $300.00 check she paid to the city for the privilege had only cleared days before. We got dinged for not having the lights on in our coolers. Who knew? When you have 3 feet to maneuver between warmers of hot chili and a blazing grill you try to minimize your heat sources. Anyway I guess the city assumes if you do not have well-lit refrigerators then you might accidentally grab the refrigerated rat poison instead of the hamburger buns. Oh, I'm only kidding - we don't refrigerate our hamburger buns.

July has been a hot, slow month for us so far. We did less than $100.00 sales today (7/22/2009) - inside seating is coming we promise! Thanks to our regulars for your continued support.