Lessons of the Masters

I once said to Dick Ransom that I had tried to make his beef stick at home and had decided that I would purchase it from his stores from here on out. Laughing, he said that he didn't make his  either and would, " continue to buy it from the guy in Wisconsin that did". That was in the days when Dick was building Hickory Farms of Ohio. I often think about that when I see one of the Hickory Farms Beef Sticks today. Dick sold the business a decade and several years ago, or more, now that I try to add up the years.

In the last forty years, I probably have not eaten a Wendy's hamburger more than once or twice. In the last two months, they have been my Tuesday lunch main stay. Why the change? Well, I discovered by accident Wendy's chili could be substituted  for fries in a combo. So I would end up with a double stack burger, a chili and a small drink. Perfect for me! I got hooked on the chili, too.

The last time that I ordered one was this past Tuesday and I paid particular attention to every thing that I could see in the chili, spoonful by spoonful. It hit me that while I can cook pretty well, I had never made chili and living in Texas, I should know how to make chili. My search of the web  led to the discovery of a receipt for Wendy's chili. Looking at the list of ingredients of spices, I was a bit surprised. Then I looked at some famous receipts and noted the difference. I can do this, I thought.

To shorten the story, tonight for dinner, I had two big bowls. My receipt only needs a minor degree of tinkering, but it was good enough to let be as made. In the freezer is four more meals. Dang, I did good.

A cold front rolling in on a jet stream made chili seem a good ideal.