Traditions: 3, 2, 1 Tea

Being Southern means having an opinion about your tea. Most of us seem to tilt towards sweet but not all. Lemon? Hmmm getting into interesting territory. Hot or cold? Thems fighting words.

So... what happens when a Southerner such as myself marry’s someone British?

Well for me it added a new element to my take on the Southern tradition. 3, 2, 1 tea is about the tea bags I use and why.

Three:
3 single bags of PG Tips black tea. It’s my wife’s “Cuppa” choice and well known across the Atlantic where the hot mug of tea rules. I have tried them multiple times and it just doesn’t work to well for me. That said when in Rome (well London really) I enjoy my cuppa when offered. With a little milk please. Warm tea goes with the weather there. Not so much in the South. It added a good strong hit of flavor I can’t describe... but I like it. When it is cold at least.

Two:
2 family sized Lipton Ice Tea bags. It’s the tea I largely grew up on. When they launched the bags specifically for making ice tea it made it a lot easier to avoid getting bitter tea if you cooled it to fast. Least that is the theory. Real or not it is the bag I graivitated to once I moved out on my own and became responsible for stocking my own tea. I did have a detour where I blasphemed and bought my tea (Milo’s if you must know) but I have recovered since and am now again one with the faith of self respecting southerners :-). One weakness of Lipton.. and of ice tea in general to be honest... is a lack of flavor. I see the Lipton now as the base. These are the big quart sized bags.

One:
1 small tea bag of constant comet. This is for Dad who was ever fiddling with his tea mixture and in particular I remember him adding constant comet and getting that hint of orange. I liked it and it reminds me of him in the kitchen forever in search of whatever it was he was looking for in his tea.

Steps:

1. Boil water in kettle... 1- 1.5 liters. Yes Liters. I got a plug in kettle for Suzie her first trip over. Very useful things. 
2. Put sugar amount of choice for gallons of tea in jug. For me I am now at 2/3 - 1 cup which is way down from the 2+ of my youth. 
3. Put bags on top of sugar. I used to fiddle with twining it all together on the strings. Now I just pull the strings off and toss the bags in. You have to fish out the PG tips bags anyway...
4. Once kettle pops pour over and stir. Don’t wait. If water cools even for a few seconds hit the button again and pay attention. I joke... but only a little bit. Black tea and water at or as close as humanly possible to boiling temp is important. 
5. Let steep... at least 15 minutes but I have left it on the counter for an hour or more with no real ill effects.
6. Add water to fill jug... try to avoid bubbles. Stir while adding if possible. 
7. Let cool on counter... do NOT put in fridge immediately or thou mayest endeth up with cloudy tea... no soup for you... wait... no tea for you... better. 
1. If you really want that first cup you can pour over ice at your own risk... normally comes out to weak but you gotta do what ya gotta do sometimes. 
8. Put in fridge and wait for it to reach maximum chill 
9. Add to glass with epic portions of ice... don’t forget to squeeze your lemon slice and put it in the glass BEFORE the ice. You have been warned. 
10. Enjoy your nice refreshing glass of 3, 2, 1 tea ala Southern tradition meets British style. 

*Author is not responsible for any addictions that may arise from consumption of 3,2,1 tea. And yes... Suzie likes it. Don’t let her tell you otherwise as she is often conflicted about her slow conversion to Southern life. At least one other person from Europe has praised it as... well it translated literally into the reproductive organs of a canine.  However, I was assured was a good thing. If it wasn’t he drank an awful lot of it in an attempt to be polite.

Traditions: First Frost Chili

For a few years now there has been a common conversation in our house. My wife asks if it is time for Chili and I say no... I’ll make it after we have our first frost. However I do not really play by a set recipie when it is time to cook. More like a set of guidelines and following my nostrils. 

Sometimes it works out fantastic.... other times.... yeah. Nothing ventured nothing gained and all that. Here is how this years varient turned out. 

Started out with:

• 1 28 oz can Hunts tomato sauce
• 1 28 oz can Hunts diced oregano and garlic tomato
• 1 14 oz can Hunts diced oregano and garlic tomato sauce
• Ended up getting another 14 oz can of sauce and a 14 oz can of plain diced as well.  
• 2 bell peppers
• 4 small onions... like 1 and half decent sized ones. 
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 1 pound Jimmy Deans sage sausage
• 1 brown bag blue ribbon chili mix (also use Shelby’s a lot)
• Small jar of minced garlic
• 1 can low sodium kidney beans
• 1 can low sodium pinto beans
• Pinch of sugar... like two fingers pinched in the container. 
• Various other seaonings listed in steps.. but in general salt, pepper, garlic (if not using minced), cayenne, ancho chili powder, jalepano salt, cinnamon and bay leaves

Cooking:

1. All cans of tomato in a big vat to boil
1. Season with some of the bag of chili mix... maybe half
2. Add salt (generally use kosher and a big pinch or two), black pepper and a dollop or two of minced garlic
3. Cayenne pepper
4. Ancho chili powder
5. Jalepeno salt
6. Bay leaves
2. Half stick of butter in skillet, toss in diced up onion (this is happening at the same time as the base is cooking)
1. Season onion with salt, pepper, minced garlic (spoon full)
3. Add diced bell pepper to onion
1. Cooking on med to high heat till onion starts getting translucent... not wanting to burn but a little carmalizing is good. 
4. Get base taste at least in the right neighborhood. I prefer a little to the hotter side as I start with less than the pot will contain and then add until I get it right vs adding to a full pot and possible overshooting. 
5. Add onions and bell pepper mix and keep on simmer
6. Other half of the butter stick into the skillet (don’t clean it)
7. Add meat to skillet and season and brown meat. I used the rest of the pre packaged seasoning I had and usual pinch or three of salt, black pepper, jalepeno salt. The meat should taste good by itself but I normally do not go for much heat
8. While the meat is simmering open the beans and rinse them well in a colander in the sink with cold water. Get all the can gunk off them. If you have time soaking some beans ahead of time overnight is better but I have found as long as you rinse them well it does not make a huge difference using canned. 
1. Once rinsed add to base
9. Drain the meat
10. Drain it some more
11. Really.... drain it. Lean beef is easy to deal with but the sausage has a tonn of grease to get rid of.
12. Add meat to base slowly to desired meat level. I added about 2/3rds at this point
13. Stir and simmer for a few moments and taste. I had been a bit heavy on the various hot spices so...
1. Used some beef bullion and about 8 oz of water to thin mixture a bit (was about half a small can of tomato sauce... mixed in all the cans to get any remaining sauce out of them)
2. Used masa flour to thicken back up as needed. Generally dust top of sauce evenly, mix in and simmer for a bit before adding more. 
3. Wasn’t enough...

Rest of it:

• 1 14 oz can of Hunts sauce
• 1 14 oz can of Hunts diced tomato (no additional seasoning) 
• And I got the sour cream and saltines I forgot earlier... 

14. Added two additional cans of tomato and the rest of the meat. 
15. More Masa to desired consistency... I like a hearty spoon full that is thicker than a ‘stew’. 
16. Simmer down now... just simmer down now. I had no specific timer. Started a little after three and was done by about five. Made some rice at this point and when the rice was done turned it all off. 

Notes:

I don’t have measures on seasonings to use. Hot spices where a lot lighter than the salt and pepper. The cinnamon was very light and I still almost used to much... haven’t used it before but I have had some good chili’s with it so it was this years experiment. I used a pinch of sugar in there as well to cut some of the acidity... not something I typically do. Literally pinch. 

Served above over a bed of white rice cooked with a handful of chopped cilantro, sprinkled with shredded sharp cheddar and a small dot of sour cream. Was VERY good. 

Review: Thor Ragnorok

Spoilers ahead. Reminder if you don't read my reviews that I review the entire movie and do not avoid plot spoilers. Turn back now if that bothers you. Of course... I have to say for this flick it matters less than most. And for that reason this isn't going to be that long of a review. There just isn't a lot to unwrap here. It is fun, fast, big screen fare at its best. Really if you haven't seen the film this review will be hard to follow as it is just kind of a random comment collection on bits in the movie.

The Good:

Idris Elba's Heimdal may be the most underutilized character thus far in Marvel. Part of me wants to see a whole epic movie of what he was doing on Asguard during the Grand Master party sequences.

It is funny... I mean genuinely funny. Very self aware in a good way... It isn't 4th wall breaking Mel Brooks funny just very tongue in cheek. My personal favorite in the whole bit was probably how they made fun of the past Thor movies where despite supposed aeons of history together Thor unfailing falls for Loki's mirage tricks. Here they turn the tables and make the Trickster the slow poke unchanging one.

I like the Bad Ass Valkyrie and unstoppable Hella Goddess of death. Gal Gadot's DC Wonder Woman looks to just be the first of some more equal opportunity ass kicking going on Hollywood style.

Dr. Strange makes a nice cameo and the nod to Cumberbatch's Sherlock was one of the few bits it took me a second run through to really catch. Perhaps Waititi should get a shot and a follow on for Dr. Strange. His weird comedy and Dr. Strange really could be a good fit. 

Mostly I am meh on the Sekar segment as a setting but it has a so many good 'bits'. The Willy Wonka ride introduction to the Grand Master is classic. As is Corg the "living Pile of Rocks". "Another Day.... Another Doug". And the Quinn Jet Authentication bit with Thor's authentication phrase is "Point Break" and "The Strongest Avenger" is Banners welcome (and an attempted authentication by Thor) are fantastic callbacks.

Most of Hella was just pure and simple Bad Assery. Something oddly rare for a female role. A high mark to me which was played to the hilt and made full use of having such a heavy weight in Blanchet in the role was the reveal of  the history Odin had paved over of the Rise of Asguard.

Sometimes old jokes are not bad. Honorable mention must go to Karl Urban's "Skurge" getting busy with a shake weight. 

The So So:

Being a Marvel big screen special effects fest means it suffers from green screen hell. These movies are seriously one step from going full Toy Story.

I must Say Goldblum had a good bit.... but not so sure it or the whole Sekar (or however you spell it) sequence will really stand up long term visually. The piles of trash and general overall setting put me in mind of Idiocracy.... and not in a good way.

Another Hulk Fight? Don't get me wrong... Seeing who wins among the Avengers fighting each other is great and all but they might be going to the well a bit to much here. That said I kind of wish they had left off the Iron Man vs Hulk bit and just waited for this one... and managed to hide it in the build up a bit better. The fight itself was a special effects success.

The Bad:

What was up with killing Thor's Posse like that? I mean seriously... the leader of the Guard at the entrance to the Palace puts up more of a fight than Thor's band of Hero's. I smell contract hell bleeding onto the screen.

So the first time through I was laughing to hard to really pay much attention to the movie as a whole. The second time though... some weak spots were pretty glaring. The flow while I think overall is good does suffer from some pretty sharp breaks and disjointedness in the set transitions. The other thing that becomes very apparent is that most of the comedy is really skin deep. Not the kind that keeps on giving. Most of the better bits really owe a LOT to The Avengers. Lets see... Point Break, Tony's Clothes, Hulk's flip flop smashing of a God take II, and Loki's reaction to Hulk's reveal call back to same. The "adopted" bit with the brothers.

There was a story I read that tossed this on top of the heap as funniest Marvel universe film and I am not buying it. In terms of outright Comedy it is a fair claim. For shear quantity it outstrips the rest fairly easily except maybe Guardians. But I personally would still rank The Avengers tops. It gets funnier the more I have seen it... there are layers on layers in all the Banter Joss laid into that opus. Next would be Guardians 1. I'd probably put this one as a toss up with Guardian's 2.... Really it has funnier highs... But Guardian's is better crafted overall. Both are somewhat lackluster on the 'Epic Scale' despite both being about the end of the universe as we know it...

The damn trailer. I avoided everything I could and even so I could see the whole Hulk Reveal from a Mile away. The best viewing of this movie would be for someone who had no idea who was going to be in it. As is the trailer really ruined one of the best gags.

Now I like the bad ass Female thing. But the whole chugging a 40 drunk thing felt a bit off to me. I think they could have found a better way to have a 'damaged' character flaw to liven things up. Seriously just having her keep Thor on his Toes and tongue tying him in addition to literally tying him up may have been enough on its own.

Conclusion:

Two thumbs up. It has its flaws but nothing terminal. It is a fun flick and I want to see some more.