Here’s to a Happy Springtime to Each of You.

It’s so much fun putting together the “What’s Happening” newsletters. I get to talk about food and wine. Plus I’ve shared recipes, class talk, along with restaurant experiences and wine tastings. I’ve been able to fill you in about my hospital stay. Yes, the food there too. It helped make 2023 lots of fun. Now there’s therapy to talk about.

By now, most of you know I’m in print every week. Please look for me in The Auburn Villager. Read this and my newsletter. Both of them. I know that many of you are already reading. I hear about it regularly. Thank you.

Aimee and I hope that you are having the best 2024 possible. We trust you have been able to keep a few resolves for over 3 months now. Never forget we have so much to be thankful for.

I was not able to publish a March newsletter. My time has been difficult. I still cannot stand and therefore can’t walk either. I am still wheelchair professor. Thank you for understanding. At least I’m getting the hang of it. Yay for me.

Please note that all the links you see in this newsletter are active. Click and away you go.

Chili for Hot Dogs

I am frequently asked about hotdogs. Often people ask me about something in order to promote a favorite of theirs. Ok with me. I love to find out about good stuff. Or find proponents of something I’ve already experienced. Might be a reason to go back again.

Lots of hot dog lovers place a chili dog at the top of their list. I do. That’s one of the ways I want to experience a tube steak at a hot dog palace. I love a properly made Chicago dog. Versions can be found occasionally. The real thing is rare in our parts.

Basic hotdog chili can be made from ground beef and onions. Real chili with meat uses pieces of meat like for stew.  

But rather than take a look at restaurant chili dogs, I chose to look at the chili we can get at our local stores. Chili made for hot dogs. Sometimes referred to as hot dog sauce. If not that, then chili without beans and regularly used to top hot dogs.

There are hot dog sauces or chilis from Castleberry, Kroger, Bryan, and Wolf. The other chilis added were Hormel and Wolf – both no beans. I figured with 6 different options I could find one acceptable to most folks.

The dogs I chose were the feature at Kroger that week. Simple Truth uncured beef hot dogs. I did not get Nathan’s Famous. It was the winner in a dog only tasting almost 3 years ago. The dog used for all the tastings where dogs and chili were combined were Kroger   

The testing started with no more research. Just what I could find here.

We took 3 chilis and put them in regular hotdog buns. We spread a little mustard on both sides of the buns. That’s it. The dogs were warmed in a skillet so they would be similar to ones cooked on a roller at a food stand.

The first chilis were Wolf Hot Dog Chili sauce, Castleberry Hot Dog Sauce and Wolf Chili No Beans.  

The next time we used less bread. Too much on the first go. We toasted buns and put 2 halves on each plate. 2 hot dogs were placed whole on the plates. The group of chilis were Bryan Hot Dog Chili Sauce, Kroger Chili Sauce for Hotdogs, and Hormel Chili No Beans.

At another occasion we tasted the chilis alone and compared them to one another. There were more of these including other tasters. We usually had chips and pickles to help cleanse the palate between chilis if wanted. Sometimes cuts of hot dogs.

Castleberry’s was the one I had on hot dogs, growing up. It’s not the same or at least I don’t think so. But I was shorter then. It’s probably gone through a few “new and improved” iterations from Clem Castleberry’s original.

In fact Castleberry’s was sold a few times eventually winding up owned by the Bumble Bee folks of tuna fame. The chili sauce was still being canned I Augusta. Perhaps you remember some disease issues about 20 years ago and a subsequent shut down.

Later Hanover Foods (remember that name) bought the name and rights. It now makes Castleberry Hot Dog Chili Sauce.

One of our folks voted for Castleberry’s without a taste of anything. Sorry Kay. Now you know why I told you to hold on a minute. It’s not the one of our childhood. Neither are the beef or Brunswick stews.

Another hot dog chili was Bryan Hot Dog Chili Sauce. Everything came from Kroger except for this one. I got it from Wright’s Market.

Bryan’s was born in West Point, Mississippi. (I hope some of you remember the crooked letter and humpback spelling lesson.) Just like today, it’s primarily a meat company. It went through ownership changes. Sara Lee, Hillshire, and Tyson. Also born in West Point, MS.

Bryan’s packed and processed meats are still sold here in the South. Products actually from Tyson. Any canned product, like the chili sauce, is from Hanover. The name I suggested you remember. Bryan and Castleberry really aren’t with us anymore.

We all know Kroger mostly doesn’t directly manufacture the products under their name. It’s called private label work. Products are made for you by a manufacturer in that field. Companies like Kroger have a long list of those. They may make your recipe, make a few custom changes to their product, or simply put your label on their existing product.      

Another hot dog chili we tried is from Kroger. Obviously made for them and under their name.

All three of these seemed similar. A sauce and not really chili. But we didn’t expect much different. It’s what the label said.

When I did careful research, Castleberry and Bryan are produced by Hanover. Every ingredient of each of these is exactly the same including Kroger. Chances are Kroger comes from Hanover as well.

Note – none of these contain meat but do use beef fat. The meat-like substance in the chili sauce is made from crushed beans. So we have beans without beans! There’s also mustard and tomato in there. Real ingredients and no list of strange additives.

All the cans are 10 ounces. A good size for a sauce. Castleberry is priced at $1.49. Bryan at $1.15. Kroger sells for $.89.

The other hot dog chili sauce is from Wolf Brand. This is a Texas company that still makes chili there. But not in its home of Corsicana. Wolf was sold to Quaker Oats a long time back. They eventually moved the operation to Dallas. Con Agra acquired Wolf and Stokely-Van Camp in 1995. Oh, what a tangled web.

Wolf chili sauce and the original Wolf Brand chili are not the same recipe. Far from it. Just like the other sauces, there is no meat in the Wolf. It does have beef broth, but the first ingredient is water! There’s textured vegetable protein and pinto bean powder. Tomato paste, rather than tomatoes.

Needless to say, it got no votes except last. It was terrible. And from a great brand. You never know.

We tested the other two chilis that I mentioned above. The Hormel Chili No Beans fared very well. It had good flavor and some actual of meat. It went well with the hot dogs but a bit overpowering if you used too much.

The winner here was Wolf Brand Chili No Beans. It was very flavorful. Good variety of spices with just a little kick. It reminds me of what chili con carne used to taste like. Wolf is thick and can easily challenge a hot dog. Used in moderation as it should be, Wolf is the perfect condiment.

We sure had fun testing and tasting all these chilis. Very soon we will have another tasting of chilis intended to be eaten by the bowl. We’ll use the ones with beans this time.  

Recent Wines

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc was a fun wine to revisit. It had been over 5 years since we had a bottle. This one came from local attorney Harrison Lee when attending a cooking class.

This is a New Zealand wine that exhibits strong regional characteristics – grapefruity citrus plus a smash of passionfruit. The fruit that makes a hurricane possible.

Sauvignon Blanc from down under have become quite popular. Nobilo is a solid example that is good for a spring afternoon outside or for grilled foods at dinner. Make sure to get a second bottle.  

3˚ Pinot Noir

“Three Degrees is a Pinot Noir made by the Momtazi sisters when they set out to make a Pinot that tastes great, comes from high quality grapes, all while being affordable for everyone.”

That’s what the Maysara Winery has to say about their 3˚Pinot Noir. Maysara is owned by the family. Moe Momtazi is an Iranian refugee. He grew up in the Iranian city of Shiraz. Wow, how about that. He sought political asylum in the United States in 1983.

Momtazi, an engineer by education, and his family bought an abandoned wheat farm of about 500 acres in the McMinnville, OR area. It turned out to be excellent for Pinot Noir grape growing. That’s how they started and produced a small amount of wine. They still sell half their grapes. “Often to the competition,” as Momtazi says.

Maysara is a certified organic biodynamic chemical-free operation. Difficult and expensive to maintain. His three daughters are totally involved in the winery. Perhaps the 3 degrees.

We got 3 bottles of 3˚Pinot Noir last Spring. After trying a bottle, we ordered 6 more bottles. We recently had the last one. This is an easy wine to like. Very food friendly and easy sipping on its own.

Red Schooner

The grapes are grown in the Andes Mountains and then transported by ocean voyage to Caymus, where the wine is made using the same techniques as Caymus Cabernet. It’s dense, dark, and supple, with an ABV of 15%.

Red Schooner falls outside standard labeling rules. It does not include a vintage date but is known by the voyage from which it was produced (Voyage 4 is the 2013 vintage). It offers scents of ripe plums and cherries. It’s a powerful yet supple wine. It has a full rich color with flavors of French oak and soft tannins. A killer combination that makes the wine excellent with full-flavored foods.

We really enjoyed our Red Schooner. I got 6 bottles about 8 years ago. This was the last. BUT – we just got a bottle of Voyage 13 from our friend Tommy Palmer. He was a part of a session of the Sous Vide class.

La Ferme du Mont – Côtes du Rhône   Première Côte

La Ferme du Mont is a vineyard in the southern Rhône that produces Côtes du Rhône wines. The are made from grapes grown in the best Grenache and Syrah plots in Côtes du Rhône Villages, including Courthézon, Gigondas, and Rasteau. 

Those grapes are the big player in the southern Rhone. Grenache and Syrah.  The website tells us, “the grapes are long-vatted with gentle extractions.” Wow. That sounds important.

La Ferme du Mont boasts a mosaic of vineyards, now owned and vinified by Stéphane Vedeau. Formerly a soccer player in Paris, Stéphane shifted to winemaking in 1989 and spent 15 years making award-winning wines in the Languedoc. Stéphane arrived in the Rhone Valley in 2000, creating La Ferme du Mont in the Southern Rhone where he continues to produce wines with freshness and soul using native yeasts and biodynamic methods. From La Ferme du Mont’s very first vintages, Robert Parker noted, “Stéphane Vedeau one of the young, energetic Turks of Chateâuneuf-du-Pape, has emerged from the woodwork to produce stunning wines…This is a seriously talented winemaker who is quickly emerging as a star of the southern Rhone.”

An elegant red wine, the La Ferme du Mont Première Côtes du Rhône 2018 is pleasant and rounded on the palate, with a wonderful boldness that pairs well with red meat.

Interestingly I didn’t get but 2 bottles of this one. A bottle for us and another for our friend Brandon Hilyer. We love to taste and talk about fun wines.

If you see a wine from the southern Rhone, get it. It will go well with your food and wallet.

It sure is fun trying new wines and sharing with you. BTW – this week the lady at our ABS store told Aimee it will probably be soon when consumers can order wine and have it delivered directly to our homes. Wow, that will be a nice convenience.

Recently we got two products from Brookwood Farms. BBQ pork and beef brisket. Located in Siler City, N.C., this family-owned business puts out some fine “Q.”. Yes, it’s same Siler City from Andy and Barney fame. It’s also where the real Aunt Bee lived out her retirement years.

Brookwood was founded in 1978 by Jerry Wood. Right now brothers Jerry “Twig” and Craig Wood are there running the show. They are committed to turning out quality meats cooked low and slow over hickory charcoal. This level of attention builds those irresistible smoky flavors we are after.

We tried the pork first. It’s pork shoulder that’s pulled then chopped or shredded before saucing and packed for sale. The tub is a full 16-ounces of smokey goodness. Nothing artificial about it. We thought it was well-seasoned just as is. Label says original BBQ sauce. Never opened the Tabasco. Not sticky sweet.

Our plate had toasted rolls and Brunswick stew along with the heated Brookwood Real Pit-cooked Pork 

Another day we went for the brisket. The package states “smoked with charcoal.” The beef talks about using a tangy BBQ sauce. We thought it was a bit more flavorful than the one with the pork.

This time we made a sandwich as the package suggested. We used a hotdog bun. The meat was plenty moist when heated. I tried a little hot sauce on part of my sandwich. It really wasn’t needed for flavor. The extra heat was nice but not necessary at all. We had pickles and chips with our sandwiches.

No doubt both Brookwood Farms offerings we had were quite good. Much better than a typical tub of meat. It was a very good value as well.   Our selections came from Publix Cary Creek in Auburn.

Local Chinese Restaurants

Over the past few months, we’ve had the opportunity to enjoy foods from several local restaurants that offer Chinese dishes. Three of them are worth mentioning here to you.

When trying local restaurants for the first time, I tend to get similar dishes based on the cuisine being served. For Chinese-focused restaurants, I get a soup. If it’s available, my choice is hot and sour. This soup used to most always included a juicy fresh on top in each bowl. Sadly no more.

I usually skip the “roll” unless it’s included. A spring roll is my choice. No deep frying involved. Most are not made in house anyway.

For a main course my choice is a traditional spicy dish. I take a look at the Szechuan and Hunan offerings. Kung pao chicken or shrimp are favorites. Few of these are made properly. It’s always fun to see how these are done and how flavorful they really are. If you want it spicier, reach for the Sriracha after you have tried the dish.

There’s always the staple rice. Steamed tice is the Asian preference. It’s rather plain and firm. Perceived by many as dry, tough, and tasteless. Therefore on goes the soy sauce. I often try the fried rice. It will have some flavor but rarely properly made. Most rice is white but sometimes a yellow version is offered. It tends to be a little softer.

Skip the fortune cookie. Chances are it won’t be accurate. Best saved for little ones at home.

The first restaurant I want to talk about is Taste of Asia. They call themselves a Chinese restaurant, but they venture into other Asian cuisine too.

Interestingly Taste of Asia is located inside the Asian Supermarket on Pepperell Parkway in Opelika, AL. The only entrance is from within the market itself. There’s plenty of seating and full table service is provided.

The hot and sour soup at Taste of Asia is quite good. Hot from a hit of mustard. A touch of vinegar for sour. Plus lots of goodies inside. We also had the egg drop soup. Get the large container for a nice leftover. If you have any!

We have also had a quite credible double cooked pork using actual pork belly. It was so tasty. The double cooking is simmering first. Another cooking is then a stir fry. The meat is tender with a crispness too. Plus lots flavor with a hint of heat.

Another dish we had was their Hunan chicken. It had plenty of spice with a touch of sweet. Nice veggies too.

Taste of Asia serves their version of Kung Pao shrimp plus a fine spicy crab. There’s a fish market right outside the front door. Consider a selection made especially for your table.

Another spot that that gets it right is China Garden at 1888 #120 Ogletree Road in Auburn. It’s authentic Chinese cuisine.

The Hot and Sour Soup was very tasty. Not too hot with a nice sourness. The color was deep containing tofu and carrots. There’s a very interesting broth with crabmeat, shrimp, and scallops.

The Kung Pao Chicken is good. Even though the dried chili peppers are broken, they are properly seared first. Makes the flavor right. We enjoyed the heat of this dish. The fried rice had plenty of extra goodies in it.

We had a plate with an appetizer roll, soup, wonton chips, chicken, rice plus a spoon of chili paste to add some extra heat.

Our third choice is Lucky Pot in Auburn as well. It’s on Opelika Road near Waffle House. As its name signifies, there are broth-based hot pots of various kinds for service.

Also, you can get traditional Chinese delights. These are much more practical for take out. First off, the basic to go beverage service is outstanding. The cups are securely bagged and labeled. Pick your ice and sugar amount. All the packaging here is excellent.

Once again we had Hot and Sour Soup. This is a rich and flavorful version. Lots of goodies inside. We added spring rolls to our lunch. $2 for a pair of them.

The main course was called Orange Chicken. It has a pleasant hit of heat but was sweeter than we would have preferred. It had lots of chicken along with broccoli in a dark sauce. For rice we chose the yellow option.

On an occasion last year, they made Kung Pao Chicken for us and another time used shrimp. Both were really good. Made exactly correctly. Hard to fine that.

Special Birthday

Before Julia Child and James Beard and Craig Claiborne. Before the Settlement Cookbook and the Joy of Cooking. Earlier than Betty Crocker and Good Housekeeping. No McCall’s or Better Homes and Gardens yet. Let’s reach way back to Fannie Farmer.

“Fannie Farmer – Forgotten No More.” That’s what the New York Times had to say in its belated obituary for her. It was published in 2018. Over 100 years after her death in 1915. Interestingly for us, she is buried in Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, MA.

Farmer was the publisher of The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book. Later simply known as The Fannie Farmer Cookbook. It eventually contained over 1800 recipes plus lots of food, dietary and kitchen information. It’s still in publication to this day. A pillar of the American kitchen.

Farmer was born on March 23^rd, 1857 in Boston. At age 16, she suffered a stroke and couldn’t walk for a number of years. That’s when she learned cooking. In fact, became quite good at it.

When she was 30, Famer enrolled at the Boston Cooking School for an official education. She was very successful and in a few short years had graduated and become principal of the school. During that time the now famous book was published.

Farmer left the School in 1902 and created Miss Farmer’s School of Cookery. This when she published her proudest work – Food and Cookery for the Sick and Convalescent. This book was so far ahead of its time that some 30 pages were devoted to diabetes.

During the last seven years of her life, Farmer used a wheelchair. Despite her immobility she continued to work. She had already lectured at Harvard University. During this time, she taught a course on dietary preparation at Harvard Medical School.

Fannie Farmer died in 1915 at age 57 due to complications from a stroke.

Classes

I haven’t been able to offer as many classes as usual. Unfortunately, I still can’t stand or therefore walk. I’m working at it. Hard. About to start a new round of therapy in two weeks. Life in a chair isn’t that much fun.

The classes in late April and early May explore a Spring Dinner. Dishes include a chilled Cucumber Soup. Before that our first was an Avocado and Fruit Salad. Unstuffed Cabbage was certainly fun to make – and eat. For dessert there were Zucchini Popovers with a Lemon Glaze. That one was just right.

The plan is to have another set of classes in June/July. Of course those will feature some tomato dishes. I’m looking forward to all of them.

I encourage you to let me know about anything you want me to explore in my newsletter or classes. Please tell others about the newsletter. As you know, go to inthekitchenwithchefjim.com. Register and that’s it.

Thank you. “Keep Cooking – Keep Exploring.”