Tell us what you have cooked lately (that's interesting)

I want to say here that I have made the mistake of using a very flavorful and somewhat hoppy stout before in a chili. Do not make my mistake. Keep the booziness low and keep it malty if at all possible. Think plain stout or Irish stout, not Russian Imperial, milk stout or a bit booze bomb stout.

Guinness is plain, simple and easily available. Not Guinness Foreign Extra, just the normal stuff. You don’t really need much either, you’re just adding depth of flavor. For that same reason, I use the same exact thing when making shepherd’s pie.

You know what else would work well? A brown ale, or a porter.

A chocolate porter would be fantastic, and I had a peanut butter porter the other day that would probably have worked wonderfully in a chili.

The alcohol is all gonna cook out.
The flavor you’re gonna get from a beer is gonna be bitterness from the hops, and then various types of sweet from the other stuff going on. The levels will depend on the beer.

Also, for chili, chocolate is always something you should put in.

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;-)

Also jesus now you, Scott, and Timex have all changed avatars. How the heck am I gonna know who I’m talking to in P&R anymore???

I’m just like the old Timex, only angrier and more vengeful.

I really, really tried to convince myself that full butter biscuits were better than Crisco. It just seems like they would have to be.

But after going back and forth, I’m convinced Crisco is just better. Also, buttermilk all the way.

I just make the biscuit recipe from the back of the White Lily flour bag. I don’t use White Lily flour, because I live in the north, but it works fine with my local flour, even if it supposedly isn’t as good as it’d be with a softer wheat. I’ve considered mixing 50-50 with cake flour, but I’m not going to buy 2 diifferent flours just to make biscuits.

I’m glad to see the biscuit recipe discussion here. Both of my grandmothers have passed, along with their knowledge of biscuit making knowledge. About the only semblance I can make are drop biscuits, made in the some of my cast iron, preferably with a little shredded cheddar in them. Still good, but not quite the same.

As @CLWheeljack says, they are just a bit better. I would say flakier is what Crisco provides. I do a 50/50 with it & butter, so not going on all in, and I think subconsciously it’s b/c I really don’t want to put that much Crisco in the mix ;-) This is the only place I use Crisco other than greasing pans - for which it is indispensable.

BTW - A trick someone showed me many years ago on how to apply Crisco to pans is to put your hand in a plastic sandwich bag and scoop some out and spread it. Then dispose the bag in the trash. Your fingers won’t touch the stuff.

Likewise on the buttermilk vs milk. I’ve tried whole milk, 2%, 1% and buttermilk and the chewy factor is just better with buttermilk.

I use a traditional butter cutter, but you can use either a fork/knife or your hands as well.

Tacos…only I am in Tokyo:

-Pico and ‘green gold’ made from scratch
-Corn tortillas, taco seasoning, jalapenos and other drugs acquired from Jupiter import foods near Nogata station (Super Gyomu only had flour tortillas for the lose)
-Everything else from Maruetsu (regular Japanese supermarket chain)
-The meat is grounded beef + pork + mystery meat but doesn’t matter because it’s spiced to hell and back.
-I didn’t buy the Coronas

Fail: no habaneros

If I were in Tokyo, I’d be there. I’d bring beer too. :)

What is it about taco night that just … makes you feel so good. It’s more comfort food to me than even Southern food, which is saying something. I grew up with my family having a taco night and it’s ingrained as a part of life, home and family. Tacos have literally won over America.

Likewise of course.

Mexican food, but specifically tacos and burritos…I would say are deeply ingrained in the American culinary experience. My parents made tacos for dinner a lot, and I have always had taco shops around…from San Diego so maybe it is only natural?

omg the most delicious thing in the world next to flan.

That’s hella impressive. I’ve heard how hard it can be to get that sorta stuff in countries like Japan. Looks like an excellent spread :-D

Curiously it was never really a thing for my family growing up. My gf doesn’t love hard shell tacos, but she really digs soft shell with a bit of rice, seasoned chicken, and cheese, so we do a Mexican spread every month or two to sate that desire. Mind, I also do a bunch of other crap, cuz crazy, but you’re so right: there’s just something deeply satisfying about putting together a buncha tacos together :)

And there are so few times when everyone is actually happy to go “assemble” their own plate for dinner. Holiday feasts, family or neighborhood pot lucks, etc, but seriously, we loooooved making our own tacos on taco night. Granted, they were VERY Americanized tacos, but whatever. It was true comfort food.

I mean admittedly she often still asks me to make the tacos for her because “[I] make them better!” which is incredibly endearing, but yeah, she can still handle getting together her nachos and cheese dip, etc.

I really love “assemble your platter” style cooking. Part of why I love “catering” friends’ parties so much, honestly. I think it’s just a really lovely feeling, all gathering around and picking out what you like and trying new things and combining stuff and then hunkering down to feast together <3

Armando I think that should be part of your 2020 platform. Make a national pot luck day or make Tuesday’s officially Taco Tuesdays, etc.

I’m still waiting the taco truck on every corner. Heck, I’ll settle for every other corner.

Hmm, Taco Tuesdays… sounds like some evil plan

It is funny you say that: I grew up (moving around a lot due to military family) in Oklahoma and some down in Texas and New Mexico, and our “traditional” Christmas meal was always enchiladas. Folks up here in New York and my previous home in Michigan just never believe me when I tell them that.

Specifically chicken enchiladas, using the Cream of Mushroom with chicken filling, and a verde sauce.

I believe that completely. Though not their Christmas meal, my girlfriends family partook of frequent enchilada meals of that same description you just gave. Her family is spread through Arizona and Nevada. I should also mention that nearly everyone in her family can make extremely good tamales; the grandma, mother, father, both daughters, etc. Instead of talking about biscuits, they describe their differences in tamale making.