Barbara Kahn (Tepper)

As long as we're smart, Judy, and limit ourselves to places we think are safe we'll continue to be fine. Only one member of my family was positive after being vaccinated and that was a teenager in High School with no symptoms but she had to miss some school.  The little ones with no vaccine were exposed at school/daycare but didn't ever test positive and had to stay home too.  I am one of their babysitters and I never got it either after 3 shots. 

We are having out first family celebration in a restaurant this weekend to celebrate a 16th birthday. We haven't done that for at least 2 years. I lose track of time. Hopefully everyone will be ok.  We are all still wearing masks but the littlest ones won't keep them on. The adults now have the higher quality masks. 

Paul Simons

I'm not an expert on this but I am a buyaholic so I have various masks. The main thing about the straight N95 is that the elastic straps go all the way around your head. All the rest go around your ears. That's more comfortable and easier to deal with if you wear glasses but not as tight fitting. These round things are very effective but you can't put them in your pocket - they don't fold up. But they work.

William (Bill) Waxman

Last Sunday my son, grandsons and I flew into Kansas City for THE GAME. My son has cursed me for making him a Bengals fan; too many years of disapointment and frustration. The noise in Arrowhead Stadium was deafening, and we were disheartened for most of the first half until the Cincy touchdown followed by the defensive stop.But in the second half all those years of disappointment vanished. Chiefs' fans were very nervous. Only when the Chiefs won the overtime coin toss did the the KC fans seemed to breath easier. The Chiefs' fans emotions reverted to unease, then acute concern when the Bengals intercepted and marched down the field. The decibel level on the final kick was the highest of the day as the Bengals lined up for the winning field goal. When the kick went through the uprights, there was a collective groan from the Chiefs' fans.  In contrast we Bengals fans were at first incredulous, then euphoric, not quite believing what we had just witnessed. Great day, and on to the SB. Maybe I will go. Who Dey!! 

Laura Reid (Pease)

What a great recap Bill Waxman!  We long suffering Bengals fans are euphoric, amazed and so happy for our City.  My husband, Chip, and our two boys went to Nashville and had a great experience as you did.....on to the Super Bowl!!  Who Dey!

Allen Fisher

Go Bengals!! Proud of Joe and those young men. One more to go

Philip Spiess

So (as everyone seems to start their statements these days) I have been cooking today in preparation for tomorrow's Superbowl game.  What else but Cincinnati chili?

Now, ordinarily, I would make my Grandmother Goepp's recipe for "Cincinnati Chili," which from time immemorial we ate often at a Sunday night supper, and which I've made, to great acclaim, for numerous work and church pot-lucks over the years, though, were I in Cincinnati, my commercial choice would be Skyline Chili, BUT --

I found, to my astonishment, in the 2006 edition of Joy of Cooking (compiled by Cincinnati folk, if you didn't know) the recipe for the original "Cincinnati Chili," i.e., Empress Chili (founded 1922), and called "Empress" because its first storefront restaurant was housed in the "Empress Burlesk Theater" building, which was exactly what you think it was (i.e., striptease).  Although there for many years, Empress Chili eventually moved to Fifth Street across from the Art Moderne Greyhound Bus Terminal in order to expand, whereas Empress Burlesk, in a reduced portion of its building, became the Gayety Burlesque Theater (1940; torn down in 1970), which some of us may remember.  And the result was that the site of the birth of Cincinnati chili is now the central library of the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library system (yes, you do remember the Gayety next door, don't you?).

But I digress.  So (that opening again) I am making the recipe for Empress Chili (created by the Kiradjieff family, formerly of Macedonia and then of Cincinnati), which all histories and recipes claim to be "the original," despite how much it has gone through small alterations over the years; nevertheless, it is the one which introduced chocolate into Cincinnati chili (which many non-Cincinnati recipe books claim is what makes Cincinnati chili "Cincinnati Chili"; Skyline Chili, to my knowldege, does not include chocolate; it emphasizes cinnamon as its "secret ingredient").  Said Empress chili sits overnight to "mature," and we hope to eat it during a victory tomorrow.

I have also made "Louisiana Peanut Pie," a Cajun dish, to go with it as dessert -- but that's another story.

Judy Holtzer (Knopf)

So, Phil, you don't really weigh 350 pounds, do you? I pretty much think that if I ate your recipes, I would!

Philip Spiess

No, Judy, I don't, but I am watching my weight now that it's out where I can see it!

Larry Klein

Phil - I hope the chili was better than the game outcome.  Great minds do indeed think alike...I also made up a batch of Cincy chili for game day.  Forgot to buy cheese, though, so I had a 2-way with crackers.

I've been watching my weight for about 30 years....especially when I bend over a putt on the greens.  Sadly, it hasn't gone anywhere.

Philip Spiess

Larry:  Yes, the chili turned out to be a big success (my wife had it 5-way; I had it 3-way); I surely thought that, until those last few minutes, the game would be a big success, too.  But the Bengals played well.

As to the weight, it's what many of us elder males acquire, whether we would or no.  I should not have traveled so much when I was younger:  they say travel broadens one.

Bruce Fette

O my! I didn't realize that travel was what had caused that change in my body's shape. I did once go to Munich Germany, and they did have beer there. Maybe thats what caused it? Surely it wasnt because of Rome, Paris, Warwick Castle, Glascow, or Edinborough was it? 

Yes, I also thought they played well, and I hoped it would end as it looked 1/2 hour before it ended. The quaterback and pass receivers really seemed to be really good.

I have borth Goldstar and Skyline on the shelf here, but unfortunately, it never seems to appear as a 5 way. Maybe I am buying the wrong cans?

Philip Spiess

Bruce:  Just to relax you:  First, all Cincinnati chilis have their origin in Macedonian families, the only exception being Gold Star Chili, which comes from a Jordanian family.  (Tex-Mex chili, which we won't go into here, as it is beneath the contempt of all Cincinnati chili lovers, given that it is based on how hot you can make it, rather than on the more subtle intermixture of the spices, as Cincinnati chili is, was created by a German doctor with the unlikely name of DeWitt Clinton Pendery -- who left Cincinnati for Texas, and who, once in Texas, created Chili Powder, circa 1890, which changed the whole game.)  I base my information on Dann Woellert's book, The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili (Charleston,     S. C.:  American Palate, 2013).

Now, Bruce, to clarify (at least in Cincinnati):  Chili 1-Way is straight-forward Chili con Carne (i.e., chili peppers cooked with meat and some other ingredients, such as tomato sauce and whatever spices you are using); Chili 2-Way is Chili con Carne served over Spaghetti; Chili 3-Way is Chili con Carne topped with grated or shredded Cheddar Cheese; Chili 4-Way is Chili con Carne with chopped Onions sprinkled on top of the cheese; and Chili 5-Way is Chili con Carne with all of the previous topped with cooked Red Kidney Beans.  Now, let's review:  obviously, you can leave any of the additional ingredients out and add whatever you like, so really the number of additions you have addedd to the basic chili is the Chili-whatever Way you have made.  It's really up to you (my wife Kathy, for example, likes to mix the beans in with the chili, rather than putting them on top).

As to Rome, Paris, Warwick Castle (I don't know what you had to eat there, but when I ate there in 2009, I couldn't finish the large portion of lunch that they gave me), Glasgow, and Edinburgh, yes, dear Bruce, if you enjoy trying foreign cuisines, it probably was that which expanded not just your horizons.  (Did you try haggis in Scotland?)

Bruce Fette

Phil,

I was obliged to order the Hagis, but was not able to eat any. I think that was in Glascow.

Speaking of Glascow, I remember driving to the Bonney Bonney Banks O' Loch Lomond.  I think I am remembering that College Hill elementary put on a play where we sang the song " And Ill be in Scottland afore ye."  The driving in Glascow was particularly confusing because so many intersections were circles, it was hard to get some recognizable landmarks. And when I stopped to ask directions, the answer was not at all understandable no matter how often I asked "again?"

Philip Spiess

Yeah.  Then there was the Firth of Forth -- or was it the Forth of Firth?  Or was it the First of March?  Or a Fifth of Glenfiddich for the Thirst of March?  Speaking of Glenfiddich, I had haggis (from a can) several times in my Delaware days.  It was very edible when liberally laced with Scotch whisky (as was I).

Ann Shepard (Rueve)

Late to the conversation about Cincinnati Chili. I don't recall ever having a 3- or 4-way as a kid. My mother always made it at home, and EVERYTHING she made had bacon in it. Her recipe was simple after all the prep, that took forever.  She had one of those grinders, that attached to the counter, in which she'd grind onions, green bell peppers, and stalks of celery. She would add that to the fat left over from frying bacon (the strips set aside), to saute in a HUGE cast iron skillet. After that she would add hamburger to cook until it browned, and sprinkle in seasonings that came in a packet. Then, she'd add cans of tomato paste and tomato sauce, with equal parts of water in the empty cans, (only) Brooks chili hot brown beans, (only) Joan of Arc dark red kidney beans, then more water. While she was doing all that, she had a cauldron of spaghetti boiling. Both items alway were timed impeccably, to be done at the same time, so she could drain the spaghetti then add the meat mixture to the cauldron. I would be at her side serving as taste tester throughout the process. (She would also reserve a small dish of hot cooked spaghetti, with a little butter, for me because she knew that was my favorite.)
Once the pot of chili was made, she would add more water and/or spices, and add the crumbled previously cooked bacon. We usually had chili for dinner on Saturday  The remainer would be reheated on weekday mornings and put in my and my brother's Thermos bottles for our lunches. I have never been successful in duplicating here recipe, since it was never written down as to how many cans of this, or teaspoons of spices, or even the name spice packet she used. And of course, the bacon!!

These days, when I make chili, I use a recipe my husband modified from one published in a circa 1970's New York Times Cookbook.  The spices include chili powder, basil, bay leaf, whole celery seed, whole cumin seed (crushed with mortar and pestle), pressed garlic cloves, and cayenne pepper. Sadly, no bacon!

Philip Spiess

Judy Holtzer:  I would like you to know that I remain significantly under 200 pounds, and so I will play devil's avocado (a Spanish word, I believe, relating to the law) to tempt you to indulge in:

Louisiana Peanut Pie  [I said that was another story, and here it is -- without the story]:

3/4 cup White Corn Syrup [Karo]     3/4 cup Brown Sugar     2 Eggs, lightly beaten     2 Tbls. melted Butter     1 tsp. Vanilla    1 1/4 cups lightly Salted Peanuts     9-inch Pie Shell     A little Semisweet Chocolate

Coarsely chop the peanuts (I do it in a blender).  Blend all of the other ingredients, then stir in the chopped peanuts.  Pour into uncooked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees on the lowest shelf of your oven for 45-55 minutes, or until the crust is light brown and the filling has firmed up.  Make it the day before you plan to eat it, and serve it well-chilled with a little melted chocolate drizzled on top. 

BONUS RECIPE:  Liver and Dumplings:

1 slab of fresh Calf's Liver     2 Eggs     2 Tbls. Butter     6 Tbls. Flour     1/4 tsp. Salt

Discard the liver.  [Liver is a nasty dish.  I was first served liver at my nursery school in the Women's Building at the University of Cincinnati in the 1940s.  It tasted like iron (if you've ever licked iron).  My mother later tried it on me numerous times as I was growing up, but I was too clever for her.  Eat Prune Whip instead, which they also served at the UC nursery school, and which I loved.]  Also dump the dumplings:  If you cook them really well, they may be delicious, but you now have nothing to eat them with, do you? -- and besides, they're apt to make you fat.  (And that's what we've been talking about, isn't it?)

Jon Singer

Here goes- two recipe events that may add to the current string:

At North Avondale Elementary you could brown bag or go for the hot offering which had been listed on the one month in advance calendar.  The cost was 26 cents for the full menu which included a square miniature carton of milk.  Stangely, if you wanted a second serving of any of the items, the cost was an additional 26 cents.

I had great affection ( as did Osher) for a milk-based sloppy joe and brought sufficient funds to cover secondsies.  As it was a reasonable request, my mother sent a letter to the appropriate person(s) at the Board of Education seeking the recipe.  They complied.  It was something like 40 gallons of milk, 200 pounds of ground beef,etc.  Mom divided the component units by 400 or so and served it at home.  It was a bust.

A related culinary story involved a field trip.  Late morning, the class rode on a train from Winton Place Train Station to Union Terminal and early afternoon returned. I conveyed to mom that I ate a most delicious sandwich that was offered in the dining facility.  I described as best as I could that between duplicate slices of toasted bread rested a creamy sauce in which chunks of celery, egg whites, and egg yolk were imbedded and equally distributed. Mother declared that I had consumed my first "egg salad sandwich".  Subsequently, she individualized my own offering which was much better than the sloppy joe. 

Now you know the rest of the story.

Paul Simons

As we get older the combat seems to have shifted from some external enemy to our own waistlines, or that's how it is with me. Also being older we have developed more advanced abilities to appreciate the finer things in life. Gastronomically that could take the form of fried oysters or hot thick oyster stew. Does anyone remember an oyster house in downtown Cincinnati? The proprietor had a Greek sounding name, something like Boccegoloupos. Anyway maybe - just maybe - things like oysters might impart the enjoyment of something different without it being dense and high in calories like certain other Cincinnati products like the cherished, beloved, divine Skyline chili and Graeter's ice cream or the phenomenal school lunchroom fare that we also love and revere.

Philip Spiess

Jon:  This might be a good approximation of the recipe you mention:

"Sloppy Joes":

2 Tbsp. Vegetable Oil     1 large Onion, chopped     2 Garlic Cloves, crushed     1 lb. lean Ground Beef     1 cup Tomato Sauce     1 cup Milk     1 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce     1 Tbsp. Brown Sugar     1 tsp. Chili Powder     1/2 tsp. Salt (or to taste)     1/2 tsp. Black Pepper (or to taste) Hamburger Buns, split

Heat oil in a large skillet and saute the onion and garlic for 4-5 minutes or until golden and transparent.  Add the ground beef, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up the meat; cook until the meat is no longer pink, then drain off the fat.  Add the tomato sauce, the milk, the Worcestershire sauce, the brown sugar, the chili powder, and the salt and pepper.  Simmer uncovered over medium heat for about 15 minutes or until the mixture has thickened.  Serve over the split hamburger bun halves (serves 4).

Laura Reid (Pease)

Jonny Singer, the Sloppy Joe recipe had milk in it???

Barbara Kahn (Tepper)

Laura, I'm surprised at the milk in Sloppy Joes too but there is always some milk in traditional Italian meatballs. The milk is used to soften bread which is a basic component and added in the beginning with the egg.  At least that's the way I do it. I am doubly surprised that the milk in the SJ is added after the meat is browned and a whole cup of it at that.  

Laura Reid (Pease)

Barbara, I also add milk to meatloaf to soften the breadcrumbs.  And I have heard that soaking beef in milk before cooking tenderizes it.  I guess the milk in sloppy joes makes it creamier and a little looser so it is runny????  I'll have to try the recipe that Phil posted and see......

Hope you are well.....it is fun exchanging thoughts on this forum even though I don't do it often....exchanging thoughts about food is always fun!

Philip Spiess

Barbara and Laura:  Whatever else the milk in the "Sloppy Joes" recipe does, it makes 'em sloppier!

Dale Gieringer

  Words to the wise:  There's no milk in the on-line recipes. 

       https://www.thechunkychef.com/best-homemade-sloppy-joes/

        https://natashaskitchen.com/sloppy-joe-recipe/

Barbara Kahn (Tepper)

I'm not going to make sloppy joes here because I'm the only one who would eat them but I agree with you Laura, I love recipes. I also like to read restaurant menus. Mostly I do cook at home but I like to get ideas.  Biggest problem I have is that my husband and I often don't like the same foods.  

I do appreciate your sense of humor Phil!