coldweatherfan

I have a Samsung, a Visio, and an RCA ranging 55 - 60. Can hardly tell a difference between them. I would give the Visio a very slight advantage.

Dusted the ole crock pot off myself this week. Heading up to Chicagoland Speedway and it's gonna be chilly out, so I'm thinking good warm comfort food. - Quartered 2 apples and 2 onions and dropped them in the pot. - Added 1/2 cup water and 1/4 cup liquid smoke - Sat a 7lb pork butt (with a good thick coating of BBQ rub) on top of that. - Put the lid on and set for low 8 hours. Will pull it when I get home tonight. Reheat it at the tailgate with some Sweet Baby Ray's, and put it on toasted buns. This is the rub recipe I use. I keep some made all the time because I use it on a lot of stuff. 1/4 cup - paprika 3 tablespoons - sugar 2 tablespoons - salt 2 tablespoons - cumin 2 tablespoons - chili powder 2 tablespoons - fresh ground black pepper 1 tablespoon - cayenne pepper 1 tablespoon - garlic powder

I like these guys a lot - Reckless Kelly

I like Sturgill Simpson a lot. Reminds me of Jamey Johnson.

As High School football draws near. I saw this and made me think of our BGP friend Birdsfan.

My kids got together and got me a Beats Pill XL for Christmas, and I absolutely love it. Sound quality and volume from such a small device is phenomenal.

Sennheiser HD280 Pro would be my recommendation for comfort, quality, durability, and price. $75-80 (they used to be $200) DJ quality sound http://m.cnet.com/reviews/sennheiser-hd280-pro/30235462

Squirts from the bottle

I used 3lbs of pork butt and really liked the results.

Hope you like it.

Here you go: Olive Oil 1 large Onion (diced) 1 Red or Green Bell Pepper (chopped) 4 Garlic cloves (minced) 1 pound Ground Chicken 3 links Italian Sausage (casing removed, can be chicken sausage) 2 tablespoons Chili Powder 2 tablespoons toasted Fennel Seeds 2 tablespoons ground Cumin 1 tablespoon dried Oregano 1 teaspoon Lawry's seasoning Salt 1 1/2-2 teaspoons Red Chili Flakes 3 tablespoons Flour 6 ounces mild Lager Beer 2 15-ounce cans Cannellini Beans (rinsed and drained) 2 Jalapenos (finely chopped and muddled with 1/2 tsp salt) 2 cups fresh Corn Kernels (frozen is ok) 4-5 cups Chicken Stock 1/4 cup rough cut cilantro 1 cup grated Parmesan 1/4 cup Parsley (chopped) 2 roasted Poblanos (stems and seeds removed; chopped) Sour Cream for garnish chopped Scallions for garnish Instructions 1. In a big pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and sausage and season with salt. Cook until the edges of the chicken are brown and meat begins to caramelize, about 7 to 8 minutes. 2. Add the onions and bell peppers along with another pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. 3. Add the dried spices and cook 3 to 4 minutes, and add the flour and stir for 30 seconds. Deglaze with the lager, scraping up brown bits form the bottom of the pot and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. 4. Add the beans, jalapenos, corn, and most of the chicken stock, reserving 1 cup of stock. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, and stir frequently. Cook over medium low heat for about an hour. 5. Add the cilantro, Parmesan, parsley, and roasted poblanos. Add a little more of the reserved chicken stock if needed to thin. Cook for another 10 minutes, taste/adjust seasonings. Garnish bowls of chili with sour cream and scallions.

4 lb roast (chuck was on sale) - trimmed the fat, then floured the roast and browned it in some olive oil. Threw it in the crock pot. Mixed together: 2 cans cream of mushroom soup 1 packet onion soup mix 1 1/2 cups beef stock 1 Tbsp flour Poured all of that over the roast Added: 1 jar of pearl onions (drained) 1 lb baby carrots Set the crock pot for 8 hours. Will make some mashed taters when I get home. Yum!

Feel free to add a can of Great Northern beans too if you have a big enough crock pot.

Making a pot of my Calico Beans this weekend. Technically this is a side dish, but if you make a skillet of corn bread to go with it: it's a meal. 1 lb. ground beef 1/2 lb hot Italian sausage (you can use mild if you're a sissy):lol2: 1/2 lb. bacon chopped up 1 really large onion, chopped up 1 tsp. dry mustard 1 Tbsp prepared mustard 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 c. brown sugar 1/2 c. catsup Couple shots of Worcestershire sauce Couple of shots of hot sauce (totally optional, but I like it) 2 cans pork & beans 1 can butter beans 1 can pinto beans 1 can red beans Brown off all of the meats and onions. I cook the bacon separately, but the sausage, beef, and onions I just cook together in a big skillet. Drain the fat from the meats. Throw everything in the crock pot, and give it a good stir. I don't drain anything. I set my crock pot on 8 hours so it cooks low, it's ready in 6, but it won't hurt it at all to go the full 8. Make up a skillet of corn bread and you are ready. I like to top it with some cilantro when I put it in the bowl. A lot of folks like to top it with scallions.

If you're up for a little more work. This is CWF's award winning chili. Not mild but not blazin'. A great balance of spices, with multiple layers of flavor. For those who like mild, cut back on the hot items but do not eliminate them. They are all part of a the balance. Adding an extra tomato paste will take heat out also. INGREDIENTS · 2 pounds ground beef chuck · 1 pound bulk Italian sausage · 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained · 1 (15 ounce) can red beans, drained · 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained · 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce · 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice · 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste · 1 large yellow onion, chopped · 3 stalks celery, chopped · 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped · 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped · 1 large japaleno pepper, seeded and finely diced · 1 tablespoon bacon bits · 4 cubes beef bouillon · 1/2 bottle beer · 1/3 cup chili powder · 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce · 1 tablespoon minced garlic · 1 tablespoon dried oregano · 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning · 1 tablespoon white sugar · 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™) · 1 teaspoon salt · 1 teaspoon ground black pepper · 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper · 1 teaspoon paprika DIRECTIONS 1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease. 2. Add tomato paste and cook into meat. 3. Pour in the beans, spicy chili beans, and diced tomatoes. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bacon bits, bouillon, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. 4. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. It is my personal opinion that chili is best if you allow it to completely cool, then reheat to serve. This process steeps out the full flavor of all of the spices and veggies.

I bring it close to a boil, then turn it down and simmer 30 minutes.

Taco Soup is a simple one that everybody seems to like. 2 lbs ground chuck - brown it and drain the fat. Add 1 can chili hot beans 1 can red beans 1 can whole kernel corn 1 can diced tomatoes the kind with the basil and oregano in it 1 can Rotel diced tomatoes w/green chilies 1 can tomatoe sauce 1 packet of ranch dressing mix 2 packets taco seasoning All of the cans are the 14.5-15 ounce cans except the Rotel their smaller. Just stir everything in don't drain them. You can add a little water to make it thinner if you like. Simmer for a half hour or so. Serve with Fritos, grated cheese, and sour cream.

Didn't change a thing with the meat. We had them for dinner Friday and lunch Saturday. I typically follow a recipe exactly the first time, then may tweak it later. I sautéed up some fresh jalapeños and made some Mexican rice to go with it. A little sour cream on the side. It was very good. I think I'm going to use a pork butt the next time and see how that comes out. Might throw some chorizo in there too, but I'll wait till a third time before I do that.

Big thumbs up from Mrs C and I.

This sounds really good to me, I'm going to try it this weekend. Mrs C loves Mexican. I'll probably sub rice for potatoes though, we're big rice eaters.

I use double the amount of Giardiniera when I make it at home.

It is one of the biggest favorites at our tailgates.

Let us know what you think about it.

Pardue pulls out a big one.

Final