Published: October 27, 2009 02:25 pm      

Big ‘D’ here I come!

Janis Saunders, Democrat Food Critic

Last week I received an invitation to be a judge at a chili cook-off being held at a Dallas hotel. By agreeing to do so, the sponsor would donate money to my charity, Dental Health for Parker County, of which I am vice president of the board.

Now, I still couldn’t see worth a plug nickel, but I figured old Jim — who now has the eye sight of an eagle after his eye surgery — would be doing the driving so I could just sit back and enjoy the ride. We figured if we left home around 8:30, by then the traffic would be thinned out and it would be an easy drive.

So Friday morning we headed east down I-20 on our way to big “D” to the Crowne Plaza Hotel. I was told it is located some where north of LBJ on Midway. We both knew where that was, so we figured it would be a slam dunk getting there.

Wrong! From the time we left the Parker County line, you would think someone had painted a great big bulls-eye on our red Suburban. We were going with the flow until we got to Mary’s Creek, just past the dump ground on I-20. Traffic was slowed all the way through Fort Worth to Highway 121 around Northeast Mall. There the driving got serious. Jim kept asking me to find a slot for him to change lanes and I kept telling him, “I can’t see anything out of my left eye and therefore the left side of my head cannot find you a slot.” He kept saying “What?” He may have good eye sight now, but he still can’t hear thunder.

The traffic kept switching back and forth in front and behind us all the way to LBJ. I was beginning to wonder if I would get there alive. Jim said, “Doesn’t any body work any more. These people for sure are not working from home and if they are unemployed, no wonder the country is going broke.” We finally made it to Midway and found the hotel. We sat in the parking lot for several minutes to gain our composure.

Finally, I felt strong enough to go inside. On our way to the Whispering Oaks room we passed an area just outside the bar where two tables of little old white-haired ladies were playing cards and having their morning cocktail. I asked Jim if I could join them and gain some more composure, but he nixed that idea. He said, “Chili and that composure don’t mix.”

I met Susan the coordinator and she showed me around the room. People were scurrying around setting up crock pots full of chili. I took my seat at the judges’ table and waited for the other three to show up. The host company was also donating money to all of the participants for their charities.

Right at 11 o’clock we were all there and people began manning their tables and stirring the chili. There were 10 entries and little cups of chili with numbers on them were given to us to taste.

Hmmm. The first one was very unusual. It was more like soup, but the second one was better. The fourth one had semi-sweet chocolate drops along with cinnamon. They called it Cincinnati Chili, but it didn’t taste like the Cincinnati Chili I had when I was in Cincinnati. The sixth one was better, but the seventh was more like vegetable soup. We Texans quickly found our favorite chili, marked the one we thought should win then walked around looking at the contestants dressed in various costumes and their decorated booths.

There was a group called the Cajuns. There was another group dressed as clowns and another four girls were dressed as poodles. They were raising money for the SPCA. The Chillibillies were an interesting looking group and their chili, well, I’m not sure what it was made from. Every one had a great time and there was a lot of joking and pranks and door prizes. Then lunch was served (it wasn’t chili). The group that won the cook-off was the one with the proceeds going to the Pancreatic Cancer Network.

We judges were awarded funds for our chosen charities and Jim and I headed home. The traffic wasn’t as bad coming back as it was going, but I now know why I never want to live east of Parker County.

You won’t find a chili recipe this week. I don’t want to see any chili for at least a month.

Try this for a quick fix on a Friday night.



Baked potato fries

1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 (28-ounce) package frozen steak fries

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon butter melted

1 teaspoon salt

Place bread crumbs in a zip top plastic bag. Dip fries in beaten egg; place fries in bag. Seal bag and shake to coat. Place fries in a single layer on an ungreased 15- x 10-inch jelly roll pan or cookie sheet. Drizzle with butter.

Bake uncovered at 425 degrees for 20 to 22 minutes or until golden, turning once. Sprinkle with salt an serve immediately. Yield about 8 servings.



Avocado corn salsa

2 (15.25-ounce) cans corn, drained

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 cup chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons lime juice

3 avocados, peeled and chopped

Combine all ingredients except avocado. Gently stir in avocado. Cover and chill at least 2 hours. Taste for seasoning. Serve with tortilla chips or chicken. Gets better with age. (Janis, how old do you have to be?)



The traffic on south main is duck soup compared to northeast Fort Worth and Dallas. After this experience, Jim said he would be happy to sit for a few minutes to cross the I-20 bridge, and he doesn’t have to ask me to find him a slot to change lanes.

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Janis may be reached at: jks4417@aol.com.