Here's the recipe Debra used for her chili a couple of days ago. She found it at a demo kiosk at Walmart of all places a couple of years ago. Imagine that. Anyway, we like this recipe quite well.

Chipotle Green Chili

Ingredient List:

• 1 pound fresh-ground Sausage
• 1 pound fresh-ground Ground Beef
• 2 packages Chipotle Taco Seasoning
• 1 can Great Northern Beans (or Navy Beans)
• 1 can Black Beans
• 1 16 oz. can Tomato Sauce
• 2 jars 505 Green Chili, medium heat
• 1 package Pictsweet Seasoning Blend (frozen foods)—or you may use fresh, pre-sautéed ingredients: ¼ cup diced Green Bell Pepper, ¼ cup diced Red Bell Pepper, ⅓ cup diced Celery, ½ cup diced Onion. Add some fresh-chopped parsley toward the end of the prep if you wish.
• 1 can petite cut Diced Tomatoes
• 12 oz. Beer (not lite!) or Chicken Broth

Instructions for Preparation:

Brown the Ground Beef and the Sausage; drain well. Mix all other ingredients into a crock pot or slow cooker and add the meats. Cook on low for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serving Suggestions:

Spoon over Fritos and garnish with you choice of a little chopped green onion, shredded cheddar cheese, a dollop of sour cream, a few slices of fresh avocado. If you prefer, substitute cornbread for the Fritos, or include crackers or warm tortillas on the side.

This recipe will serve 4-6 persons depending on gastronomical requirements.

From the Kitchen of:

Debra Millsap

~adapted from Walmart handout recipe

12/10/2012

Mama’s Southern Style Cornbread

Ingredient List:

• 1 cup Buttermilk
• 1 (or maybe 2) Eggs
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• ½ tsp Salt
• 1 Tbs Sugar
• 1 cup or so of Aunt Jemima or Quaker yellow Corn Meal
• 2–3 Jalapeño Peppers (optional), topped, de-veined, seeded, diced and pre-sautéed for 4–5 minutes.

Instructions for Preparation:

In a well-seasoned medium cast-iron skillet, preheat some very good quality vegetable oil to the cooking temperature of 425˚. Be sure to round the oil to coat entirely the bottom and sides of the skillet.

In a medium to large bowl, add to the buttermilk 1 or 2 eggs and stir thoroughly. Mix the dry ingredients separately—save for the corn meal—and add to the wet ingredients, stirring very thoroughly.

Add 1 cup of corn meal. If you choose to use the second egg, you may need to add just a bit more. Stir in thoroughly. It’s better for the mixture to be slightly “wet” than to make it too dry.

Add the diced and pre-sautéed Jalapeño peppers if you’d prefer that option. You may also add a bit of red, diced and pre-sautéed red bell pepper if you wish.

Pour into the pre-heated skillet and return to oven for 22–25 minutes. At about 20 minutes, check by lightly thumping a wooden spoon in the center of the cornbread. When the retort sounds like a ripe watermelon, you’re pretty much done.

Serving Suggestion:

Remove from pan, invert onto a plate and slice. Split and add real butter to taste. Please don’t ruin this cornbread with margarine! That stuff’s only one molecule away from plastic and won’t match very well.

This ain’t no Yankee-made sweet cornbread. If you want that, go get a cake mix.

This cornbread goes especially well with the Potato Soup and Hunter’s Stew, also to be found in this collection of recipies. Try it also with pan-fried pork chops, fresh cooked mixed greens and especially pinto beans. It’ll do with just a chopped burger and some mixed vegetables as well.

From the Kitchen of:

Anna Millsap

29 January 2011

Author's Bio Draft (Revision A)

[After correcting, revising and incorporating several excellent suggestions, I've come up with something a bit better. Still looking for interest and impact though . . . something you'd read on the back of a book. Soooo, I'm still open to critique with an eye toward improvement. Thanks again!]

Richard Kim Millsap

Author’s Biography

Richard Kim Millsap is an experienced free-lance writer, reviewer, blogger, poet and composer. He was a public school educator in Colorado Springs for 28 years, serving as music teacher to elementary and middle-school students. After retirement, he invested an additional seven-plus years serving the particular patrons of Glen Eyrie, a private Christian conference center owned by The Navigators. Kim currently works in a volunteer capacity as content editor and sometime contributor for the newsletter and web-site of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

Kim holds a M.M. in Music History and Literature from Colorado State University and a B.A. in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University. Additional formal coursework includes The University of Colorado at Boulder, The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as well as numerous workshops, extensions and conferences across the United States.

Kim somehow found time as an educational and business writer and editor, creating the various student handbooks and instructional content across the years. At Glen Eyrie, Kim solidified and co-authored the standard operating procedures for Guest Services as well as serving as principal administrator for social media. He has participated in writer’s conferences in Colorado with Angela Hunt, Nancy Rue and Kathryn Mackel; and in Washington with Garth Stein.

Whilst at Glen Eyrie, Kim became especially intrigued by the life of Civil War officer William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs. With strong tie-ins to his additional interests in western living and literature, firearms and ballistics, camp-style cuisine, brass instruments and various historical locales came the seminal ideas for Cheyenne Swirling.

As a former band and choral director, Kim has presented his students in hundreds of concerts and addressed audiences comprised variously of students, parents, patrons and conference attendees. Having also presented formally in Colorado and Ontario, he is a confident and adept public speaker. If Kim has any particular claim to fame otherwise, it is as a founding member of the Academy District Twenty classic rock group, Mid-Life Crisis.

Kim’s book and film reviews may be found on Amazon (writing as Russell de Ville). See his blog at lucidnoodle.blogspot.com. He is also conscientiously active on Facebook. Cheyenne Swirling is the author’s first novel. 

Author's Biography

[So here's what I've cobbled together as a Draft for my Author's Bio. To the extent you'd care to critique and comment, I'd be appreciative!]

Richard Kim Millsap

Author’s Biography

Richard Kim Millsap is alive and well in Colorado.

Kim was a public school educator in Colorado Springs for 28 years, serving principally as a band director, general music teacher and choral conductor for elementary and middle-school students. After retirement, he invested an additional seven-plus years serving the particular patrons of Glen Eyrie, a private Christian conference center owned by The Navigators. Kim currently works in a volunteer capacity as content editor and sometime contributor for the newsletter and web-site of Grace and St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church.

Kim holds a M.M. in Music History and Literature from Colorado State University and a B.A. in Music Education from Arkansas Tech University. Additional formal coursework includes The University of Colorado at Boulder, The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as well as numerous workshops, extensions and conferences across the United States.

Kim somehow found time as an educational and business writer and editor, creating the various student handbooks and instructional content across the years. At Glen Eyrie, Kim solidified and co-authored the standard operating procedures for Guest Services as well as serving as principal administrator for social media.

Also whilst at Glen Eyrie, Kim became especially intrigues by the life of Civil War officer William Jackson Palmer, founder of Colorado Springs. With strong tie-ins to his additional interests in western living and literature, firearms and ballistics, camp-style cuisine, brass instruments, various historical locales came the seminal ideas for Cheyenne Swirling.

As a former band and choral director, Kim has presented his students in hundreds of concerts and addressed audiences comprised variously of students, parents and conference attendees. Having also presented formally in Colorado and Ontario, he is quite confident and adept as a public speaker. If Kim has any particular claim to fame otherwise, it is as a founding member of the Academy District Twenty classic rock group, Mid-Life Crisis.

Kim’s book and film reviews may be found on Amazon (writing as Russell de Ville) and Goodreads. See his blog at lucidnoodle.blogspot.com. He is also insanely active on Facebook. Cheyenne Swirling is the author’s first novel. 

Whilst at The Stanley, pt I

Debra and I recently took a few days and went up to Estes Park to get away from the city and relax a bit. Whilst there, we stayed at the Stanley Hotel, built in the early 1900s by F O Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame. We were put up in a fairly warm (No AC in this Hotel!) 4th floor attic room, one initially used by maids and nannies back in the day. I should have considered the descriptive term ‘cozy’ more carefully I suppose. Still, I felt rather like we were being punished for I know not what. I had requested an upgrade but there was none to be had.

Be that as it may, we had a nice, quiet time. We went exploring and found Stephen King’s room, examined several artifacts and antiques down in the garden level, walked the grounds, rode the vintage Otis elevator, sat on the front porch (veranda?), visited and shopped the village, and enjoyed some pretty good victuals here and there. We particularly enjoyed the Cascades Restaurant in the Hotel and the very attentive service Leigh provided at supper.

I especially appreciated sitting on that porch and just looking about Estes Park and up toward the majestic Rocky Mountains. One becomes humbled and quite thankful when considering God’s creation in such surroundings. So pleased we were able to go.

Perhaps more later . . .

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Running the Signs, (cont)

A few weeks ago, I posted regarding my concerns of various citizens in my neighborhood running stop signs and a stop light close to our elementary school. When I contacted the police department via their Web-Site, I was passed to the Sand Creek Division, who referred me to the head of the Springs motorcycle patrol, who sent be back again to the Division, and specifically directed to me the crime prevention officer. Actually, I expected this. But along the way I learned a couple of things:

·        The motorcycle patrol is tasked with the top 25 schools/areas of concern. Apparently, we ain’t one of ‘em.

·        It really won’t be helpful to police to photograph or even video these culprits as most judges will not accept this as evidence in their courts. Tickets written by an observing officer are preferred.

Now the officers I spoke to seemed kind-hearted and empathetic but we really didn’t get anywhere. And of course school is now out for the summer so my primary concerns seem moot—at least for a season.

I think I’ll contact the school principal and get her take on the level of concern as voiced by others. Secondly, I’ll contact the Sand Creek Homeowners Association to determine if this has been brought up by others.

In the meantime, some Folks are still running the stop signs and the red light at the end of street. I’ll call the police again and complain. Then at least I’ll be on record.

Classical Preferences

I love our local Classical Music Station, KCME. I really do! I listen frequently and contribute to the cause, so I figure I can vent a little. I may even send a copy of this blog to the station; they should know how I feel.

·        There is too much piano by far! And excuse me but at least half of the 90% (Berra?) recorded from the boatload written is worthless drivel.

·        Please play more vocal music: arias, choral selections, art songs, operatic segments, etc. And when you so do, play a version featuring the human voice, not just some re-arranged orchestral elevator claptrap.

·        Tagging in on the previous point, Gilbert & Sullivan are worthy of more air time.

·        Most anything having to do with theme and variations should remain in the composer’s study and/or the rehearsal room. There are few exceptions to this rule.

·        Consider playing the entire symphony rather than selected movements? And perhaps program some of the lesser-know symphonies?

·        Maybe take a risk and play some Schönberg, Hindemith, Ligeti or Tippett?

·        How about more in the way of Medieval Music? Percussion Ensemble? Ethnic renderings? There’s a treasure trove in Jewish music alone!

·        I’m good for authentic renderings of our great musical works rather than transcriptions: an organ piece performed on organ, original band works performed by a fine wind band, harpsichord and virginal music so played, etc.

·        Asking a fine symphony orchestra or chorus to attempt to perform jazz is like trying to teach a raccoon to dance—your instructional efforts are pretty much wasted, and you also annoy the ‘coon. Stop it.

And of course, you’ve all a right to my opinion.