Chili in the Bedroom and Other Bits of News

How many people do you know who keep cans of Campbell's Chili in the bedroom? I do. They are my weights. I was doing some exercises this morning and it suddenly struck me as rather funny. I personally don't eat it, Matt has it now and again for a quick lunch, but the cans are just the right weight for me particularly bearing in mind how my thumb joint has been hurting. Matt wanted to upgrade me to large cans of tomatoes, but the can hurt my thumb. Watched "That's Entertainment" last night, haven't seen it in a long time. It is nice to see all the old stars, most of whom are no longer with us, although Liz Taylor is still kicking around I believe. The movie is about MGM and its musicals and of course featured Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly who were so brilliant in their time. They showed one of my favourite segments of Gene Kelly dancing with a mouse. Also the brilliant routine of Donald O'Connor in Singing in the Rain. Make 'em Laugh. There were so many wonderful stars in the old days, there doesn't seem to be as much talent around today. Of course they were all under contract and had to do what the studios told them. Singing, dancing, whatever. Saw a news report this morning about skateboarding. I don't know the names and I can't check, but there were pictures of one of the competitors having a bad crash, he lay on the ground for 5 minutes. He broke his foot and then went back again. When interviewed, this man, with a wife and three kids, said he wanted to be with his skateboarding buddies so that's why he carried on despite the advice of his doctors. He has since had a CT scan, but won't go through the rest of the tests til Monday so he can be with his buddies. They described him as having courage, we described him as having no brains. Matt said if he were the wife, he would leave. Last year one of the competitors broke several bones and ended up in hospital. Mothers, don't let your sons grow up to be skateboarders. Another segment was about the production of Tabasco. The recipe is, of course, secret, but it was interesting that the McIlhenny family have been producing it for almost 150 years on Avery Island in Louisina. It is aged in bourbon barrels apparently which is what must give it that good flavour. If you want to read Tabasco history it is interesting. These days they sell all kinds of different hot and mild sauces, but I personally only keep the original hot one. That reminds me, I haven't mentioned that they have finally decided where the salmonella poisoning was coming from, it is jalapeño peppers from Mexico; not only do the peppers have Salmonella, but so does the water with which they are spraying them. I must admit I had previously thought salmonella only came from eggs, meat or fish, not water and/or vegetables. Just shows you how dumb uninformed I am. I guess I now need a recipe using Tabasco, right? I haven't tried this, but it does sound good. This recipe calls for Lima beans, in the UK you could probably substitute broad beans - you will see from the picture that they are very similar although I have to say I love broad beans. Devilled Bean Toss Serves: 6 Source: Chatelaine 1/2 c olive oil 2 tbs red wine vinegar 1 tbs sugar 2 crushed garlic cloves 1/4 tsp each Tabasco and Worcester sauce (I'd probably use more Tabasco, but I like it spicy) 1 tsp dried oregano 1/4 tsp dry mustard (if you can use Coleman's, there really isn't any other dry mustard) salt & pepper lettuce 19 oz lima beans, frozen 19 oz chick peas, drained 19 oz red kidney beans, drained Combine dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Whisk together until blended. Turn frozen lima beans into boiling water. Boil for 1 min or until thawed. Plunge into cold water to stop cooking. Drain and add to dressing along with rest of beans. Toss until coated. Taste and add more Tabasco, salt and pepper if needed. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hrs, overnight if possible. Stir occasionally. Will keep at least 2 days. Serve on a bed of shredded lettuce. Have a great weekend.