Food West Coast Texas Chili Vancouver Island Style · Wednesday June 25, 2008 by colin newell
Did this recipe two nights ago with some fine tuning so I thought it would run it again. Vegetarians (love you dearly): Avert your eyes!
2 pounds AAA Angus Sirloin, Strip loin or whatever is available
2 tablespoon corn oil
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
24 fluid ounces of beer, medium ale being the best
2 (16-ounce) container salsa
60 tortilla chips
2 chilpotle peppers canned in adobo sauce, chopped
2 tablespoon adobo or chilpotle hot sauce
2 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoon ground cumin
Place the meat in a large mixing bowl and toss with the oil and salt. Set aside.
Heat a 6-quart heavy-bottomed pot over high heat until hot. Add the meat in 3 or 4 batches and brown on all sides, approximately 2 minutes per batch. Once each batch is browned, place the meat in a clean large bowl.
Once all of the meat is browned, add the beer to the pot to de-glaze the pot.
Scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the meat back to the pot along with the salsa, tortilla chips, chilpotle peppers, adobo sauce, tomato paste, chili powder, and ground cumin and stir to combine. Cover pot. Cook for 40 minutes at medium heat. Serve immediately.
Goes well with more beer and more corn chips.
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Air travel rant #8 Too dangerous to fly - too innocent to arrest · Wednesday June 25, 2008 by colin newell
People speak about Canada’s no fly list…
“hastily and ill considered national security initiatives which are essentially aimed at managing perceptions more than they are in really addressing legitimate and manageable security concerns are not harmless. In fact, they cause disproportionate harm in return for very minor gains in terms of intelligence and law enforcement. “
Air travel rant #6 milk of human kindness - tossed in the trash · Sunday June 22, 2008 by colin newell
According to a CBC report this morning, approximately 20,000 pounds of stuff was confiscated at Vancouver International Airport in May 2008 – Yup. 10 tons of virtually unopened tooth-paste, hair gel, personal lubricant, ointments and unguents – put in a landfill – so you can fly safely… Or yea, and breast milk – gallons of it apparently.
Call me crazy – but wouldn’t it make more sense to collect this stuff to be recycled to a shelter, food bank or something. Except for the breast milk of course. I’d take a pass on that.
Actually Colin… (bad sign – talking to self) – In the U.S. you can actually buy confiscated swiss army knives for $10 a pound. link
I am not sure why I find this so funny. But I am smiling.
The TSA took 13 million items from travelers in 2006 alone.
13,000,001 if you include human dignity as an item.
But I digress.
Here in Canada, it just seems to tragically wasteful and foolish.
Readers: Please e-mail me if there is something positive coming from all this waste.
Victoria B.C. Canada - Sunday around town - Beer burgers etc · Sunday June 22, 2008 by colin newell
It’s late in the afternoon. The chores are done. And you haven’t had anything but breakfast.
What do you do on a late June afternoon in Victoria B.C. Canada when the Sun is shining down and there is a thirst and a hunger that needs to be quenched?
Well. Heck. You head to the Irish Times Pub that’s where!
This cavernous joint on Government at the head of Bastion Square is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. On a day like today the patio was popular so we tucked inside at one of their cosy tables. We were immediately attended to by a bubbly young waitress – you know the type; about 6’ 4” tall, fashion-forward type with a pocket-square sized mini-skirt… made of a sample swatch of, you guessed it, a red tartan. Oddly, all the gal wait staff are dressed identically. The male staff wear… kilts – knee length by the way.
The Irish Times has about 32 beer on tap – which might be a record for Victoria. We quickly zeroed on the Kilkenny . It is a significantly lighter version of Guinness – that is because Guinness is a stout and Killkenny is an Irish Cream Ale, yea?
The Irish Times has been open for a couple of years now – this is our first visit. The owner of the I.T. also has the Penny Farthing in the oak Bay Village and is working on a 3rd outlet on Government called The Bard and Banker if I am correct – opening next Friday – June 27!
Oh yea. The Burgers were spot on. We had them with Chips – all dressed.
The holy trinity: Burgers, Beers and Tartan skirts. Good as it gets.
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