IT TAKES A LOT TO EXCITE A GIRL LIKE ME!!!!!!

I'm so excited...and I just can't hide it...I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
I LIKE IT!!!

I am SO excited that I am going to publish my very favorite homemade CHILI RECIPE!!
That's HOW very EXCITED that I AM!
I am EVEN going to GIVE YOU MY SECRET INGREDIENT!!!

Do you have any idea
WHAT HAS:

Put the FIRECRACKERS in my step?
The PEPPER in my PEP?

The ZIP in my zeal?
Me SPINNING on one heel?

The SPITTING of my words? (I'm trying not to face anyone directly...)
The ACTING like a NERD?

The RHYMING like a clown?
The UP instead of down?

GUESSES?

#1.FINALLY...THE "MAN OF MY DREAMS" OR EVEN THE ONE I JUST WROTE A POEM ABOUT?

GOODNESS NO!

(Let's be realistic my friend..or did the Tooth Fairy visit you this year?)

#2.SOMEONE HAS OFFERED TO PAY FOR MY BOOB JOB AND EYE LIFT?

BINGO!..and then they're taking me to Paris for dinner..yeah..

#3.THE AMERICAN LITERARY SOCIETY IS INTERESTED IN PUBLISHING MY POEMS?

Sure..right after they publish the memoirs of Paris Hilton

NO MORE GUESSES....

After 6 long wretched, ravaged, wronged, ridiculous, and redundant? months, I have found A,

drum roll paleese...

FULL TIME JOB!!!!!

Yeah, that's right...the kind with, you guessed...BENEFITS!!!!

And just when you thought it was almost too good to be true...
THERE'S MORE...
That's right...If you order in the next 2 minutes,

Wait a minute..

HEY...where is this going?
I was telling all of you about my job...
How do I get into these jams anyway?
Far too ambitious..I HAVE tried to settle down but...

Back to my new and hopefully improved way of living...

I am working in a hospital that is only 150 beds, so if I get lost, it will not be
for long...

It is a Neurological and Surgical Center with an amazing reputation, therefore a
"feather in my cap" (not that I wear one..)

There is no Emergency Room..(Oh this really IS too good, isn't it?)

It's night shift with a mostly MALE STAFF (this is looking better all the time..)

AND...because it is a part of a huge Governmental Medical Center...

I AM WORKING FOR THE STATE AND THEY ARE PAYING FOR MY INSURANCE!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are other "goodies", but that one killed me...

Someone is going to pay for my medical insurance?

Pinch me....Wake me up....

If I wake up and find out that this is yet another one of my long and laborious dreams,
I am going to be "most upset"...(see how I CAN control what I say sometimes?...I
usually just don't want to...)

Damned thing is...I was SURE it was going to be a waste of time to interview...

The boss is someone that I worked for many years ago...

I was almost POSITIVE that she did not like me...

I was wrong..(Did I ever tell you that being wrong is not always a bad thing?)

She literally greeted me with open arms..
(did she just forget perhaps? We used to have..ummmm...."intelligent debates" about clinical differences and policies)

I never thought that it would take me this long
I am happy that for now, this search is over...

Now for my favorite Sirloin Chili...

Am I from Texas and does the chili contain BEANS?

Of Course...and whoever made up the "rule" of
"there ain't no beans in chili from Texas",
obviously resided elsewhere,
cause in Texas...
"We do what the hell we want, and MY chili has not one but TWO kinds of BEANS!"

SULTRY SIRLOIN CHILI
(wow...what a name! I'm lovin it!)
Serves 6

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup flour
Salt and Pepper (to season sirloin)
2 pounds sirloin, bite size chunks
2 large onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 red bell papper, seeded and chopped
2 jalapenos, seeded and chopped (unless you want heat, then don't seed them)
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons cumin
2 teaspoons oregano
12-ounce bottle of ale
2 cups low sodium beef stock
4 cups crushed tomatoes
2 cups canned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 to 1 ounce milk chocolate with or without almonds, chopped (to taste)
Garnish: Shredded cheddar, red onion, scallions, cilantro, sour cream, lime wedges

Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium high heat.
In a pie plate combine salt, pepper, and flour with a fork.
Toss sirloin cubes with flour to coat.
Shake off excess flour.
Brown sirloin in pot on all sides and remove meat to a plate.
If necessary, add more oil to pan and add onions.
Cook onions over medium heat until they begin to soften.
Stir in green, red, and jalapeno peppers and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add chili powder, cumin, and oregano.
Return browned meat to pan and pour in beef and beef stock.
Bring to a a boil and cover and reduce heat to a simmer.
Cook for one hour or until meat is tender.
Add crushed tomatoes and cook for 30-45 minutes.
Stir in black and kidney beans and chocolate, and gently simmer for 15 minutes.
Serve topped with the garnishes of your choice.

I like to serve this with cornbread and a crisp green salad, but sometimes...
We just break open the saltines, pour up a bowl of red, pop a beer, and say
"WOW...DONCHA JUST LOVE CHILI?"

(Actually a nice glass of Cabernet is my favorite accompaniment, but the other
idea sounded so much better, and is probably what most people do!)

Later...Nicole