How I Spent My Summer Non-Vacation

Brisket sandwich and Disco Fries at Meat in Lansing, MI.

Well, I think I'm back!

Rosh Hashanah - the Jewish New Year - has passed, as have the 3 subsequent holidays (Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah) which follow it. August and September were chaotic at my day job, filled with 6-day work weeks, some 10-hour days, a 7-day stretch at one point ... oy! Throw in my gig emcee-ing the Girl Scout Cookie Bake-Off on September 19; the reception for "American Foodways: The Jewish Contribution" - the cookbook exhibit I'd been working on since December - on September 24; and finishing work on the dessert buffet for "Gimme Shelter" - the fundraiser for Alpha House, which cares for homeless families - on September 28 ... well, you can see that my plans to be back in early September kinda got thrown off, just a bit. Only a fool would've thought it possible; but I've missed everyone, so I had high hopes!

Pumpkin Torte by Cheryl Hanewich - winner of the
2013 Girl Scouts Heart of Michigan
Cookie Bake-off that I emcee-ed.

And these little diversions don't even take into consideration writing 3 posts/week for AnnArbor.com, which has been absorbed by MLive.com and has returned to being called The Ann Arbor News in print on Thursdays and Sundays ... writing 3 articles for the Washtenaw Jewish News' September issue (the one about the exhibit not only made the front page, but it was above the fold!), and my usual cookbook piece for the October issue ... my parents both being in the hospital this summer, even overlapping one day: my mother fell down the stairs, my father's congestive heart failure is increasingly creeping toward end-stage ... somehow managing to damage my left shoulder: woke up, thought I'd slept on it oddly, didn't resolve, negative x-ray, 4 sessions of physical therapy made it far worse, MRI shows rotator cuff tendinitis but symptoms indicate more, seeing an orthopedic surgeon on Thursday ... sigh. And, of course, I tried to spend time with loved ones so they wouldn't feel neglected - that was mandatory!

Why be bored and twiddle your thumbs, when you can have this much fun, right???

Rather than writing a seemingly endless post that will make everyone groan as they see the unwieldy length of it, let me give you the highlights of "How I Spent My Summer Vacation" ... or, rather, how I spent Food Floozie's vacation since I've personally been workin' my little tuckus off.

- Craig's birthday was June 15. We went thrift shopping and antiquing in Lansing, an hour away. And we ate at Meat, a barbecue restaurant that needs to open an outlet in Ann Arbor. Just a few weeks into my hiatus, and I was longing to wax rhapsodic about this place! Disco Fries - OMG!!! French fries topped with bacon gravy - yes, bacon gravy! - and then topped with cheese ... gasp! It could very possibly be one's last meal, but you'd certainly die happy. Good eater that I am, I still couldn't eat all of this; Craig happily finished the sandwich while I greedily devoured the fries. And since they don't serve dessert, they were completely endearing by cobbling together a birthday "cake" for Craig by offering a honey bun topped with a Pop Tart ... :)

- I was a judge at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's 1st Annual Pie Bake-Off. Is there anything better than eating pie on a summer afternoon??? Rhubarb ... peach ... cherry ... sigh.

- I found out that the world is a very small and haymish (warm, welcoming) place, when the grandson of a woman I'd mentioned in an article back in 2009 wrote to me; this turned into a story about food, family, and friendship ... and we all know that these are a few of my favorite things: Frances Maggin's Applesauce Cake and a Great Story.

- The Tigers are in the play-offs against the Red Sox. And last night's game, with that game-tying grand slam by Big Papi, is still reverberating here in Michigan! If you'd like to cheer on the Tigers in tomorrow's game, here are a couple of recent recipes to help you in your mission: Maurice Salad Subs and Greektown Sliders. We could've come back to Detroit 2-0, but now we're tied at 1-1 ... :(

- I have continued my twisted little mission to document thrift shops all trying to sell copies of In the Kitchen with Rosie. Craig at first thought it was a bit perverse, but has realized that this is a gift that keeps on giving; he now points out copies to me as we go to various stores!

- Oh, and before I forget: please vote for my Chocolate Cherry Kugl!!! I'm a finalist in the National Yiddish Book Center's contest to find the best recipes for traditional Jewish foods. A friend of Jeremy's once said it was "like eating crack" ... :)

So, I'm aiming to be back here on Mondays, and may offer some Wordless Wednesdays, too; Frugal Fridays can be found on MLive.com. I'll likely serve up recipes, for the most part, but every so often there needs to be a rant or an amusing anecdote ... something to liven things up a bit! I'm hoping to be able to catch up with all my friends, and just recalibrate a bit after all the nonsense of the past couple of months. Then we'll see where it goes from there!

The 4th Annual Ann Arbor Civic Theatre Chili Cook-Off

Joyce Casale, one of the friendliest faces I look forward to seeing at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre Chili Cook-Off each year. She brought "Joyce's Tiger Chili - The Return of Victor" in honor of Detroit Tigers star Victor Martinez, who didn't play last season after knee surgery but who is coming back for 2013; Joyce herself took last year off from competition, but was back to feed us all this time. Steve Raymond, another regular without whom the event wouldn't be the same, is in the background.

I was thrilled to be invited to judge the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's 4th Annual Chili Cook-Off last weekend at the Wolverine State Brewing Company, my second time being so honored. This is truly one of the best parties of the year - food, fun, chili, beer, chips, friends, and frivolity abound!

The first three contenders.

My fellow judges - John Fischer of Gratzi and Theresa Rickloff of Beezy's Cafe and Riki Tiki Pies - and I were entrusted with 15 different varieties of chili, from traditional to seafood and from vegetarian to Texas-style.

We sampled in groups of three, assigning values based on taste, texture, creativity, and balance. Well, until you've been faced with this daunting prospect of seeking notes of spices and underlying flavors, or of debating what precisely constitutes "chili," you have no idea how difficult this seemingly enviable job is!

But we discussed, chatted, analyzed, and parsed until we determined a winner in each round; this left us with five finalists, plus a couple of candidates for other prizes.

From those finalists, we were able to finally determine the following winners:

Overall Winner: "Soup of the Devil" from Mike Mangrum, who was also last year's winner ... he's a force to be reckoned with! He told me that he's been to other chili cook-offs, but that this prize means a great deal to him because it's judged by "foodies" who appreciate his fabulous chili.

2nd Place: "Raymond's Rockin' Red" from Steve Raymond, who was also honored with the People's Choice Award - a big day for Steve, who clearly has many fans!

Honorable Mention: "Hippie Vegan Soy-rizo Chili" from Mary Kowalski, who accomplished a nearly impossible feat - making a meat-free, dairy-free chili which was able to take on the traditionalists with great flavor and texture!

Most Creative: "Lamb, Bam, Thank You, Ma'am" from Nancy Koziol, her husband Kris, and their exchange student Naomi Put. Nancy squealed with delight when their rich, spicy chili was announced as a winner - she was so cute, and it was so sweet to see her so excited!

Our 2013 winners: Mike, Naomi, Nancy, Kris, Mary, and Steve - MAZAL TOV!!!

The Cook-Off also featured Wolverine's exceptional beers, which attendees could sample along with the chili, and an auction offering fabulous prizes ranging from handmade/homemade cookies to a weekend in a lake-front cottage, from dinner with the Civic Theatre's president (Darrell Pierce happens to be a gourmet cook and wine connoisseur) to tickets to see the Detroit Tigers take another stab at getting to the World Series after last year's success in getting there. (We won't talk about that sweep by the Giants ....) I was even given the honor of drawing tickets for raffle winners, which was a lot of fun!

With many thanks to the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre for welcoming me to its fundraising party, and with abundant congratulations to all the participants - whether planning the event, donating to the event, hosting the event, making chili for the event, attending the event, and all other contributions - for making the Cook-Off such a grand success!

Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's Chili Cook-Off

I was thrilled to be one of the judges at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's 3rd Annual Chili Cook-Off this year!  This is one of the most fun events I attend - it's lively, it's festive, there are both silent and live auctions with fabulous items to bid on, and everyone associated with the theatre is just wonderful to work with.

Buying a ticket earns you the right to taste chili samples provided by contestants, as well as beer samples provided by the Corner Brewery which very graciously hosts the cook-off each year.  Chili and beer on a bitterly cold winter afternoon - how great is that???  Do you need much else in your life?

I've attended this event all three years, now: I was a contestant the first two times, but was given the honor of being named a judge this year.  I was nervous - I've never officially worked in this capacity before, although we're all amateur judges with our own opinions, aren't we?  But as I drove to the competition, I heard the Red Hot Chili Peppers' "By the Way" on the radio ... it was bashert [bah-SHAYRT], otherwise known as destiny!

I tried to be particularly conscientious about my responsibilities on the other side of the ballot.  I watched as chili chefs decorated their stations and greeted each other (there is a core group of regular participants, so you get to see friends each year), but I kept some distance so that I wouldn't schmooze and lose my objectivity.  I was here to judge chili, after all, without being swayed by charm or humor, both of which were evident in abundance.

Some of the names for the chilis were most entertaining: Grown-Up Mutant Ninja Mock Turtle Chili, Gator Flame Chili, White Hot Tear Jerker, Jealousy - The Green-Eyed Monster, and even Slow Poked Smork (try saying that a couple of times, fast!).

My fellow judges - John Fischer of Gratzi and Eve Aronoff of Frita Batidos (yes, it was Eve's churro sundae that won first place as the best thing I ate in 2011!) - and I sat down to begin our mission.  Samples of each chili were brought to us one or two at a time, so that they would still be hot when we tried them and to lessen our confusion.

We agreed with John's suggestion to set up a point scale from 1-5 (low to high) and critique the chilis on four criteria:

- flavor
- balance
- body/depth
- creativity

We were seeking the Best Traditional Chili, the Most Creative Chili, and the Best Overall Chili among 16 entries.  Among 16 wildly varying entries.  Among 16 wildly varying entries that people had put so much pride and love into.

Judging may be fun, but it's also really challenging work!

I'm not going to gossip about who liked which chili, which chilis received high or low marks, why we picked what we did, how long or intense the debates were, or anything else like that.  I grant that this wasn't an A.A. meeting or confession to a priest with expectations of discretion!  At the same time, discretion is the better part of valor.  I truly applaud every contestant, even if - obviously - there were favorites among the entries.

So, who won?

After smelling, admiring, studying, tasting, scribbling, palate cleansing, discussing, debating, defining "chili," re-tasting, tasting yet again, etc., here were the winners:

- Best Traditional Chili: Three Dog Night Chili by Linda Kentes

- Most Creative Chili: White Hot Tear Jerker by Mike Sielaff

- Best Overall Chili: Sister Maria de Agreda's Soup of the Devil by Mike Mangrum

- People's Choice: Victor's Chili by T.J. (This was determined by having guests put money into "tip jars" at each table to vote for their favorites.)

After the judging, I was able to sneak over to the silent auction table and buzz in at the last minute to win my chosen item: a gift certificate to Mainstreet Ventures restaurants (of which Gratzi is a member, I must point out, since I plan to head over there after discussing potential Frugal Floozie Friday options with John!), as well as a cookbook from the organization which features some of its eateries' fabulous recipes.

It was great fun to watch the live auction, as guests bid against each other for a vacation up north and - even better, to my baseball-loving heart! - tickets to see the Tigers play the Angels in August ... a coupla potential contenders battling at the end of the season with the playoffs looming.

Best of all, though, was hearing the winners' names announced and seeing how happy and excited they were to have triumphed!  I made sure to meet each of the four winners, to congratulate them and to let them know how difficult a job it had been to choose them.  (Even though I had no influence over the People's Choice, I know the people had a tough time, too!)  I wanted each to know that his or her prize really was well-earned, and I wanted them to know how thrilled I was for them.

With many, many thanks to the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre for inviting me to the fabulous party!  I love being able to support a community organization, and having so much fun while doing so.  And also a huge "thank you" to the Corner Brewery (although I don't drink beer, the hospitality in hosting this event is tremendous!), to all the auction item donors, to the sponsors, to the staff, and to all the volunteers and guests.

Until next year!

Red Chorizo Chili and an Invitation

Come join the frivolity at the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre's annual Chili Cook-Off! It's being held on Sunday, February 12 from 12-3 p.m. at the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti. They're looking for more participants, and now is the time to sign up if you'd like to be a competitor.

This is one of the best events I go to, with lots of food, fun, festivity, a bit of foolishness ... and beer! Chili and beer - what else do you need on a cold winter afternoon?

So register to bring a large pot of your very best chili, as well as some festive decor for your table (I used mardi gras beads strung with rubber chickens last year), and compete with the best chili artisans we have to offer in this area.

Come show off for the judges ... 'cause I'm one of them!

Show me what you've got! Vegetarian chili with lots of vegetables? Chili made with beans or without - the never-ending debate? Chili made with chicken or pork? Chili that will sear my lipstick off? Chili that's thick enough to eat off a corn chip? Chili with a secret ingredient? C'mon - bring it!

If you'd like to get registered as a contestant, email Suzi at manager@a2ct.org. She's wonderful - she'll offer you a hearty welcome and send you all the information you need.

If you're not up for the challenge of competing but want to attend, mingle and schmooze, you're more than welcome. You can come to the cook-off and buy samples to support the cause, but there's no need to make reservations for that part. Just be sure you put it on your calendar now, so you don't forget.

The Cook-Off is loud and it's lots of fun - go email Suzi and get registered!

And in the meantime, here's a great recipe to warm you on a cold evening and inspire your own visions of award-winning chili. Jeremy thinks it's the best chili I've ever made; good thing I'm judging this year and not competing with this entry, huh?


Red Chorizo Chili

1/4 pound fresh chorizo
3/4 pound ground beef
1 small yellow pepper, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1 small yellow onion, chopped
2 large green onions, chopped
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin seed
1 tablespoon kosher salt
3 ounces tomato paste
6 ounces chili sauce
1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies
generous splashes cayenne pepper sauce
1/2 cup beer
miscellaneous accompaniments (sour cream, cheese, corn chips, etc.)

In a large saucepan, brown the chorizo and ground beef over medium heat; drain, then return to saucepan. Add yellow pepper, all 3 types of onions, corn, red pepper flakes, chili powder, cumin seed and salt; cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomato paste. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then cover and turn heat down to medium-low; cook for 20 minutes.

The chili is great served immediately, but - of course! - even better if you can wait a day or so to let the flavors blend.

Serves 4-6.

Floozin' 'n' Schmoozin' at the Chili Cook-Off

Several weeks ago, I received a fabulous email from a representative of the Ann Arbor Civic Theatre; she was inviting me to participate in this past Sunday's second annual Chili Cook-Off, Beer Tasting and Silent Auction fundraiser by saying, "We have to have some Floozie chili again!" She'd remembered me from last year's event ... awww. Of course, when you decorate your table with bright pink feathers and wear a tiara, I guess you tend to stand out!

Well, how could I resist a personal request for such a good cause???

So Tom and I shopped and chopped and stirred and tasted and tweaked, and a beautiful pot of chili was born on Saturday, in order to let the flavors really develop before Sunday's event. It smelled absolutely, deliriously amazing! And while it wasn't painfully spicy, it had enough of a presence that the flavors did a little dance around our mouths and our tongues as they left a distinct tingling. We were very, very pleased at our success!

Of course, this not being the sort of fundraiser where women lose circulation in their legs from pantyhose while men are strangled by bow ties, we had to go find decorations for my table. And that's where Fantasy Attic, a costume shop that is a local institution, came in.

Tom had the notion that a chicken chili required the watchful eye of a rubber chicken; alas -- while we did find one there! -- it was $10 ... not a lot on general principle, but a lot for a one-day event. (It's not like the little guy would be particularly appropriate sitting on my desk at work, after all ....) So we aimed for the $2.50 Mardi Gras beads with little plastic replicas instead. Toss in one bright and festive set of beads with chili peppers, too, and we had our decor!

And so on Sunday we schlepped on down to the Corner Brewery for the event, and were given such a warm welcome! Several of the folks affiliated with the Theatre remembered me, and they even told me that my table from last year was available if I wanted it. Of course, I did! It was a perfect location, first one you'd see when naturally looking from left to right.

I was happily surprised to see a friend I know through work, Sam, who had taken a traditional Jewish cholent ([CHOH-luhnt] = stew) and tweaked it with some seasonings to make it into an excellent chili. I recognized a couple of competitors from last year, as well; all together, there were 18 different varieties entered into the ring, with names such as "D.O.A.," "High Flyin' Chili," and even "Road Kill Chili" ... we won't ask for the ingredient list on that one!

The event also had a silent auction, with a wide assortment of fabulous prizes like 6 months worth of chocolate, restaurant gift certificates, a walk-on role in the Theatre company's production of "Sweeney Todd," a pearl pendant, and even -- oh, bestill my baseball-loving heart! -- tickets to see the Yankees play the Tigers at Comerica Park in May. There was a beer tasting, too, which is going to be virtually ignored here because I rarely drink, and it's literally been decades since I drank beer. Wine or prissy drinks with umbrellas, please, but no beer for me.

Anyway, on with the show!

I am thrilled to say that I was the first one of the bunch to run out of chili, even though I'd brought a full crockpot as well as a stockpot with more. I had people say "I was told I had to try this" or "My friend recommended yours and said I had to taste it." One couple told me they'd read about my chili on AnnArbor.com -- my article, I hope! There was even one fabulous woman who stopped by for a sample, who then brought her husband over for a sample, who then came by one last time saying this taste was all hers: "I'm not sharing!"

I'm also proud to say that Ingrid Sheldon, former mayor of Ann Arbor, had the honor of being my very last chili taster; she literally took her plastic spoon and scraped up the one lone remaining bean from the bottom of the crockpot, because that's all that was left by the time she stopped by to visit me.

An added twist -- in addition to the three judges who were in the back, tasting away in an effort to award prizes -- was that each contestant had a jar for collecting $1 donations; the one with the most money would win the "People's Choice Award." I was tickled to see one man slip a $5 bill into my jar ... good thing I'm already spoken for, huh??? That might have swayed me, if I were a lesser woman!

Now, as though all of this excitement weren't enough, here was the BIG news: I was absolutely giddy to have had Ann Pearlman, fellow Michigander (Michigoose???) and author of The Christmas Cookie Club -- a book I'd just read and loved at Christmastime, no less! -- stop by to visit me. She's a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award nominee, and she told me that a sequel to the Cookie Club book is due out in October, with further adventures from our favorite women ... yay!!!

I wish I'd had enough presence of mind, in the midst of my happy surprise, to have asked her for an interview ... oh, what fun we'd have had talking about food and life! Because Ann told me that her kitchen philosophy is the same as mine: the cooking, preparing, and eating of food is all about creating memories and sharing traditions and building cherished relationships through these bonding experiences.

Well, it was finally time to award the prizes -- 1st Place, 2nd Place, Most Authentic, and Most Creative. I'm sorry to say that I didn't win anything ... :(

I was kinda maybe thinking I'd win the "People's Choice;" but truly, seeing people smile, hearing their compliments, and watching them come back for more and bring their friends over ... well, that was priceless! That I got a great story to tell on a windy February day while supporting a great cause -- even better! And that I had both Tom and my BFF Wendy there, supporting me, running for chili samples (so we could taste the competition!) and enjoying themselves ... well, that was fabulous, too!!! So I really did win where it counted, I have to admit ... :)

So now, on to the chili recipe!

It looks like there's an overwhelming amount of stuff in this chili, but it's really not too bad. Some chopping, some emptying of cans, some stirring, and then just let it simmer away and work its magic! Truly, it's a thing of beauty once it's all simmered together ....

Cheesy Chicken Chorizo Chili

1 pound ground chicken
1 pound chorizo
2 large onions, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 orange pepper, chopped
1 yellow pepper, chopped
6 scallions, chopped
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon applewood smoked salt (a Christmas gift from Tom, bought at a small store in a small town; I think either regular salt or a drip of Liquid Smoke would be fine as substitutes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 packets taco seasoning mix
1-1/2 cups frozen corn
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
3 cups fresh salsa
1 10-ounce can green chile enchilada sauce
2 15-ounce cans white beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, rinsed
1 teaspoon Clancy's Fancy hot sauce
3 tablespoons chili garlic sauce
1 cup light beer (I used Arbor Brewing Company's Red Snapper Amber Ale)
2 cups water
16 ounces Pepper Jack cheese, grated
8 ounces Mild Cheddar cheese, grated

Brown the chicken and the chorizo in an 8-quart stockpot over medium heat. Add half of the onions, the red, orange and yellow peppers, and the scallions; cook, stirring frequently, for a few minutes. Add the rest of the onions, peppers and scallions and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes.




Add the garlic, smoked salt, chili powder, sea salt, pepper and taco seasoning; cook 1 minute. Add the corn, tomatoes, salsa, enchilada sauce, white and red beans, hot sauce, and chili garlic sauce; cook for 5 minutes. Add the beer and the water; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium.

Add the cheeses and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring frequently. If you can make this a day ahead and warm it up, it'd be even better!