-=> Ruth Haffly wrote to Dave Drum <=-

 DD> It would be nice if the award were not posthumous. Les is 87 and his
 DD> old ticker is getting shaky on him. His son nis a retired cardiac
 DD> nurse and is thinking about re-locating to Springfield to take care
 DD> of his dad.

 RH> That would be nice for both of them. Steve's younger sister is a nurse
 RH> but Mom is in an assisted living place, better for both of them.
 RH> Neither of our daughters went into nursing sowe don't have any "next
 RH> generation help" lined up.

 DD> He keeps Les informed on what his doctors are really talking about.
 DD> And advises him on what he can and can't "get away with" in his
 DD> activities. Sadly Les has had to give up on cooking chilli for chill
 DD> suppers. He still can supervise, though.

 RH> Sad that he had to give up the cooking but good to know his recipe is
 RH> still going strong in the community. Does the town have a "home of
 RH> Les's (last name) famous chili" sign at the town limits along each
 RH> highway entrance? If not, why not?

Not really. We had threer chilli canners here at one time. Two of the
labels are still in business. Chilli Man, started by Joe DeFrates who
used to be part of our Thursday lunch bunch. And Ray's Chilli established
by Ray DeFrates (Joe's brother). The Defrates brothers have passed but
their labels live on. Chilli Man is owned by Faribault Foods in (of all
places) Faribault, Minne-snow-ta. And Ray's is owned by the former sales
manager for the label, Jay Nicole, and located next-town-over (Decatur, 
IL). Scully's Chilli is now being made in Carlinville, IL and is only
distributed in central Illinois.

 DD> At the end of the month the local college is putting on a "Chilli
 DD> Event" using Les' recipe. He was a volunteer instructor there for
 DD> several years The event will be held in the "Culinary Arts Center"
 DD> where they train DD> profeeionals in the culinary field.

 RH> Trained anybody famous so far?

Only locally well-known. And successful. He was also one of the driving
forces, along with his brother, Don, in the resolution passed by the
state legislature and signed by (then) Governor Jim Edgar. The whole 
thing was sponsored by former Springfield Mayor and then State Senator 
Karen Hasara. You can read the story here: https://tinyurl.com/CHILLINAME

 DD> And some have morphed into something different from what made them a
 DD> regular stop on my agenda. One of the few remaining, Ritz's L'il
 DD> Fryer, is going to our Sunday Breakfast Bunch stop this week.

 RH> Most all the places morphed into something else. One place was still
 RH> going as a restaurant last time we were there. Used to be one of our
 RH> favorite "go to" places so we went there and were disappointed. It had
 RH> changed hands, quality and quantity of the food had gone down hill.

 DD> Of copurse you guys haven'r changed a bit.  Bv)=

 RH> Not a bit! (G)

 RH> RV/radio net rally in Pigeon Forge, TN. Got to make sure we have enough
 RH> room to bring back some new cast iron pieces. (G)

 DD> Are you visiting a foundry in Pigeon Forge? Or stopping at the Lodge
 DD> factory outlet store in South Pittsburgh?. After Dollywood, of course.

 RH> There's an outlet store in Pigeon Forge, stopped there today and got an
 RH> 8 compartment scone pan, a 6 cup muffin pan and several small
 RH> accessories--with a military discount spent less than $90.

 RH> Stopping at a Lodge outlet store, not planning on going to Dollywood.
 RH> Had thought about the Biltmore on our way out but base level entry fee
 RH> was $90. per person, a bit too rich for us.

Did you know that Lodge is producig a line of Dolly Parton cast iron
cookware? I've bought one of the 12" skillets for gifting this holiday
season. https://www.lodgecastiron.com/dolly-parton

I note that I gat a "bargain". I bought the 12" skillet from Amazon at
the 10" skillet price (U$29.95)

 DD> I'm not big on theme parks, fairs and similar expositions. Part of
 DD> that is the amount of walking involved. And another (big) part is the
 DD> "Been there. Done that" syndrome of many older folks.  Bv)=

 RH> And a lot it (rides, honky tonk shows, etc) is stuff we have absolutly
 RH> no interest in. The main street/road/whatever you call it in this area
 RH> (Pigeon Forge runs into Sevierville) is full of "Adventure Land parks",
 RH> dinner and show theaters, souvenier shops of all sorts....I.O.W.,
 RH> anything to separate the tourist from their $$$.

When I was a kid I haunted the midway and its rides and games of "skill".
As well as climbing all over the farm machinery displayed. I pretend drove
a wide range of tractors, etc. before I was old enough to drive them in the
real world and learned it's a chore, not necessarily a fuin thing.

 DD> Still, though, I'm a fan of Ms. Parton. Not only is she easy on the
 DD> eyes, she can sing. And better yet, she can cook.

 DD>       Title: Dolly Parton's "Stone Soup"
 DD>  Categories: Poultry, Potatoes, Vegetables, Pork
 DD>       Yield: 8 servings

 DD>       2 qt Chicken broth
 DD>       1 lb Russet potatoes; scrubbed,
 DD>            - peeled, diced
 DD>  14 1/2 oz Can diced tomatoes
 DD>       1 sm Head cabbage; coarse
 DD>            - chopped
 DD>       1 lb Turnips; peeled, diced
 DD>       2 lg Carrots; peeled. diced
 DD>       1 sm Onion; chopped
 DD>       4 cl Garlic; minced
 DD>       1    Smoked ham hock
 DD>       1    Very clean stone
 DD>            Salt & pepper

 DD>   Pour the chicken broth into a large stockpot. Add in the
 DD>   diced potatoes, diced tomatoes and their liquid, chopped
 DD>   cabbage, diced turnips, diced carrot, diced onions,
 DD>   minced garlic and ham hock.

 DD>   Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce
 DD>   the heat to low and simmer it uncovered for about 2
 DD>   hours. Stir the soup occasionally during simmering.

 DD>   Scoop the ham hock from the soup and place it on a
 DD>   cutting board. Remove the skin and discard. Remove the
 DD>   meat and use a sharp knife to dice it. Add the diced
 DD>   meat back into the soup, discarding the bone or giving
 DD>   it to the dog.

 DD>   Taste the soup; it will have some saltiness from the
 DD>   stock and ham hock, but you can add more if it needs
 DD>   some, along with black pepper to taste. Remove the stone
 DD>   from the soup. (You can wash the stone and save it for
 DD>   the next batch.) Serve the soup while it's hot. Serve
 DD>   your soup along with this pecan chicken salad.

 RH> Nothing in the directions about when to add the stone.

That would be at your discretion.  Bv)= Like the Salt & Pepper call in
the ingredients list. It's up to you.

I've made this recipe using a rotissiere chicken that was marked down
near closing time for the store. It's on the repeat list. Some diced
Cosmic Crisp (or Honey Crisp) apple makes it very Arby's-like.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: Dolly Parton's Pecan Chicken Salad
 Categories: Poultry, Nuts, Vegetables, Sauces
      Yield: 4 servings
 
      3 c  Diced, cooked chicken
      3    Celery ribs
      1 sm Onion
    3/4 c  Pecan halves
    1/2 c  Mayonnaise
      1 tb Dijon mustard
           Salt & pepper
           Watercress or greens for
           - plating
 
  Dice the celery ribs and small onion. Add to a large
  bowl.
  
  Add the following ingredients to the celery and onions:
  diced chicken, pecans, mayonnaise and mustard. Mix well
  with a spatula, then use two forks to shred the chicken
  a bit.
  
  As you're shredding it, the chicken will incorporate the
  mayonnaise and mustard better. The more it's shredded,
  the less chance of a dry bite.
  
  Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store
  for later. It will be good for up to one week.
  
  Dolly Parton, Dollywood, Tennessee
  
  Makes: 6 servings
  
  RECIPE FROM: https://www.tasteofhome.com
  
  Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen
 
MMMMM

... Always mistrust a subordinate who never finds fault with his boss.
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