The Recipe...for getting to know me

I'm taking a break from politics to discuss a subject I'm even more passionate about: FOOD! Maybe I'll start a tradition of talking about FOOD on FRIDAYS.

I love food and food loves me back! I've come to terms with the fact that I'll never have a taut stomach because I like food, wine and Skittles way too much. I'm a girl who eats beef at least 3 times a week. I love ball park nachos, Philly cheese steaks, and I dream about Frito pies.

Am I sounding double-wide to you?

If I wanted to get all fancy, I could tell you about my killer ceviche, but that's for another day.

Today I'm going to share, exclusively for my readers, the award-winning Chicken Chili that made me famous on Halloween. Everyone keeps congratulating me and telling me how much they enjoyed the chili (except my own MMA who refuses to acknowledge what a big deal I am.) And I am loving the spotlight!

...Not bashful about selling this chili; it's so good, it has its own motto:

Superstar's Chicken Chili*
"Share the spotlight!"

2 T olive Oil
1.5 lb chicken breast cut into large cubes
1 med onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 can chicken broth
1 16oz jar Salsa Verde (I used La Sabroza brand)
2 cans Rotel tomatoes with Chili seasoning
1 sm zucchini peeled and diced
1 sm squash peeled and diced
pinch of oregano
pinch of ground coriander seed
pinch of cumin
1 can navy beans drained and rinsed
1.5 cups frozen corn
2 corn tortillas (processed into tortilla-meal)
1 T cilantro minced
optional vegetables to flavor broth

(This was my process, but it could be done the same day, cooking the chicken in the crock pot.) The night before: boil the cubed chicken in the broth and add optional vegetables to flavor (such as celery, onion, garlic and cilantro.) After the chicken is cooked, scoop out the vegetables and discard. Shred the chicken and return to the broth.

The next day: saute the onion and garlic until slightly browned. Put the chicken and broth in a crock pot on low 6-7 hours before it is needed. Add onion & garlic, Rotel tomatoes, salsa verde, cumin, oregano and coriander. 3-4 hours before serving time, add the squash, zucchini and cilantro and one cup of water if needed. One hour before serving time, add tortilla-meal and mix well. Then add the beans & corn (adding them after all the mixing keeps them from breaking up.) Turn up to high and allow the mixture to slightly boil...this will thicken the chili.

Garnish with sour cream, pico de gallo and tortilla chips. Serves 6-8.

(I didn't add any additional salt or spice and it was pretty spicy. I might try substituting one can of mild Rotel next time to make it more family -friendly. I also thought about adding some diced bell pepper for color but didn't have any.)

*I gleaned heavily from White Bean Chicken Chili found at Allrecipes.com. I would appreciate any comments or suggestions, especially if you try it out!

I need a smoke...

Only now does Superstar fully realize the enormity of this storm that swept the nation with excitement and the giddy anticipation of new love.
I saw it coming, but I thought it was a Cat 2 and as it turns out, it was a Cat 4!

The news casters had a smile on their faces this morning that was reminiscent of great sex. And in a way, the coverage of this election was, for them, foreplay that culminated in a great consummation last night for all to see.

I got left out of the frenzy for two reasons. First, I can't get excited about liberal policy, so I could not be won over by the Obama-likability-factor (which is undeniable.) And second, a disappointed MMA cried himself to sleep before McCain even took the stage. So there I was, shut out, shut down and the party train left the station without me.

Hmmph!

This was the outcome I expected, but the the hysteria I was unprepared for. The display at Grant Park was remarkable! I can't fully appreciate the significance of the night from the black perspective, but I am proud that this day has finally come (I just wish it had been Colin Powell.)

All the same, race played no part in my choice (and I hope not yours.) I voted for the candidate that I believed would better represent my agenda. And when every voter does that and we elect a minority to the top office, then we can say, "Now we're really getting somewhere."

But Rome wasn't built in a day and every step in the right direction, matters.

Now the great responsibility is on Barrack Obama to make positive changes, "yes you can" just like you promised. That's a tall order, but with the kind of resources at his disposal, I am hopeful.

In closing, my party was simply outmaneuvered at every turn by the Democratic machine. Their candidate was fresh and virile, ours represented old-white Washington. They wooed the young and undecided, we let too much slip through our fingers. Their army of brilliant minds left no stone uncovered and no opportunity to chance. Obama ran the marathon and sprinted home. McCain hobbled into second place, a dignified old man with unfortunate timing.

Hats-off on playing a winning hand, President-elect Obama & Co. You were a formidable opponent.

Conservative friends and fellow Americans, let's get back in the game and reinvent ourselves. Si, se puede, tambien...And aren't you glad we will not be inaugurating Madam President and First Husband?

Conspicuously Quiet Today

You probably think that I'm so political. I'm not. You'd be surprised to learn I won't be writing about my political beliefs today, on this, of all days. I've already resigned myself not to be bitter, regardless of the outcome.

To be perfectly honest, I'm an idealist and I was especially heartbroken to finally admit to myself the many disappointments of the the W regime...many intelligent people in that cabinet and so many mistakes. But one man, one administration, does not change me.

OK, I'll say this one thing, I am decidedly conservative. I am for smaller government in scope and size. I believe more taxpayers and less welfare equals lower taxes and better quality of life for everyone. Just so you know.

I heard myself (and could not stop) saying these words to my neighbors yesterday in the street, "The government should not define marriage. It is a religious sacrament and has already been defined by the Bible. It's out of the scope of the government. Sorry to offend you, that's what I believe."

OMG!
Remember Church Lady?

The one man in the circle started walking away backwards. So it is because I've already unloaded (and thrown away my chance at the trophy next year) that I don't NEED to get it out here...

There are no good, OOPS, I meant to say "easy" choices this election. What the media will not bring up, I will not either.

You won't hear a word about the meteoric rise of this amazing man, Barrack Obama. I mean, he was only just sworn in as a US senator in January of 2005. Then in 2006, he starts campaigning for the top job... Imagine if he went to work for Shell in 2005 and just three years later, lands the job of CEO of Shell Oil to begin in 2009. Now that would be something, wouldn't it? Some might call it amazing and question his readiness, but not me.

I haven't heard much about Obama's voting record or lack-thereof. I mean, he was on the job for just a year when he started campaigning and just two years when he started campaigning hard. And he called in sick alot during important votes, so I can't really pass judgement on his stance because its unclear to me, so I won't bring it up.

Let's just keep religious beliefs out of the discussion because, after all, that's private. If, by law, you can worship in public then doesn't it follow that you should be able to worship in secret? If The Very Reverend Jeremiah Wright believes that blacks should take care of blacks first and foremost, then I don't have a problem with that. But if you change the word "black" to "white," then its a problem. There's no problem here, and anyway Obama says he never heard such a thing in 20 years at that church. It makes me feel all warm and comfortable knowing we're of the same faith, even though we've already said religion is not part of the job...I'm hypocritical that way.

I haven't heard much about the character of the man who will be president. I just like to know, you know? I must be getting old because I'm suspicious of such a stellar rise and the capital that's been quietly raised to get him the job...who is behind all that money? Who are his friends and $ supporters and what do they know about him that I should know?

The media doesn't dare touch the subject of his Muslim ties and so neither will I. But it is interesting that the man spent formidable years attending a Muslim school. In fact, he's spent more time in Muslim-tutelage than he's spent in congress. No one thinks he is aligned with the radical Muslims that hate the US, but it wouldn't surprise me to think he is more sympathetic to the Islamic culture given his background. But I've never heard him or anyone else acknowledge that and the mere suggestion would be imprudent.

I will say, at the risk of sounding ignorant, that it's us against them in Afghanistan. I'm for us and anything that saves the lives of our troops, at any cost. I have a son and God help me if the day comes that he must go off to war. But I think both candidates agree.

So if this man, with fundamentally different ideals and very foreign experiences than mine, should become president, maybe he's got Divine intervention on his side. He's got all the momentum & charm of the Clinton of '92, plus the unknowns. Maybe that which raises my small-minded doubts could reveal strengths I never imagined. I hope so.

Doesn't God seem to give us what we need and not always what we ask for? If nothing else, the man who will be president will have the power of my prayers for guidance and strength in the job.

Let's see what He says.