Is it Chili in Here?

When I was in school, I would sometimes ask my 4th period teacher if I could go to the bathroom, and then I'd secretly sneak down the hallway to check the lunch menu - a typed note posted on the cork board by the front office. On special days I'd skip away in joy - hands in the air - alerting anyone in the hallway that, "We're having chili today! Chili! Yeeesssss! Chili!" 

The chili itself was pretty good, but the star of the show and the real reason for all of my excitement was the cinnamon roll that came with the soup. That roll was a rock star. Just the thought of pulling it apart and dipping the sweet pieces into the spicy chili would brighten even the darkest of my junior high days.

Some readers of Taste of Home magazine also remember this as their "favorite school lunch".

Looks like Christina Montalvo's school kicked it up a notch. Sticky pecan rolls? I wouldn't say no.

Sadly, the food service at Urbandale High School hasn't served chili with a cinnamon roll in years. In fact, when I talk about this meal with current students, some will give me a look of disgust. I've tried to convince them that they are missing out on one of the ultimate comfort food combinations, but most just shake their heads. 

Is dipping a cinnamon roll in a bowl of chili soup a dying tradition?

I wanted to know if my old high school is still making this meal. Now I don't have to sneak anywhere to find out what is for lunch at Rock Valley. I can simply check their website's menu.

On December 7th they had chili and cinnamon biscuits. I think that's close enough.

What about the other schools in the Siouxland Conference?

The 20th will be a good day at Central Lyon HS:

The West Lyon Wildcats will be devouring their lunch on the 19th:

The West Sioux Falcons preyed on cinnamon rolls as well:

I did my student teaching at Wayne High School in Wayne, Nebraska, and it looks like the Blue Devils won't be blue on the 20th, either.

Okay, whew, I think I can relax. The chili and cinnamon roll lunch is still alive and kicking. 

Now I have to find out if anyone knows how to make Turkey Supreme. Whatever happened to that?

You Put "------" in Your Chili?

Fall is here, and I'm looking forward to comfort food - stews, soups, loose meat sandwiches, and casseroles are just a few of the highlights. The crock pot is autumn's best friend. I started looking through our recipes last week, but I got bored just reading the ingredient lists. I needed some new recipes to get me fired up about the kitchen this season.

Saturday's cooler temperatures and its sulky, steel-grey sky set the tone for a classic fall meal: chili.

We went to the grocery store to get the red grapes that I needed for the chili. Grapes? Yep. I had searched for "unique chili recipes", and the Better Homes & Garden's recipe for "Fire and Ice Beef and Grape Chili" caught my eye. A chili recipe that calls for a frozen mixture of grapes, red onion, red wine, and red vinegar? I couldn't get that out of my head. This was a recipe that I was excited to make.

"A frozen red wine ice cools our spicy beef and pinto bean chili. To serve, top the hot chili with the frozen mixture and eat immediately." (picture and quote taken from bhg.com)

I couldn't find a pound of boneless beef short ribs, so I used a pound and a half of boneless beef country ribs. (If there is a difference between the two, I don't know it.) Since I increased the amount of meat, I added more chili power. I didn't cook the grapes whole as stated in the recipe's second step. Grape skins are pretty tough, and I didn't think 45 minutes of simmering was going to break them down. To get more of the grapes' flavor, I halved and then quartered them.

How did the chili turn out? It was really good! Adding the frozen wine mix is creative, and it feels a bit "fancy", if that's possible when eating chili. I think the sweetness of the grapes balanced nicely with the chili powder's heat. With ample meat and beans, I didn't ever think I was eating a spicy fruit cocktail. In fact, the grapes weren't a distraction at all, but I don't know if they would work in a recipe that did not include wine.

About that wine, since it doesn't cook down, the alcohol is still in there. At two tablespoons per serving, it's not much, but it's more than what I would give Charlotte. That's a mute point because she is too picky of an eater to even try a taste of this dish.

Chili always gets better after a night or two in the fridge, and I'm looking forward to having leftovers tonight.

Here's the chili without the frozen wine mixture:

Wine mix:

I should had taken a picture of the two together, but was too hungry.

Here's a link to the recipe: Fire and Ice Beef and Grape Chili