Topic: The Chit-Chat Thread

Sneak peek of my Calendar 2021 concept. 🤫

@bimmy-lee
I have designed some of ice skate boxers.
Some of them already looks good, some of other.... still looks so ugh...! (head desk) 😩
Needs some redesign or fixes.

@Tyranexx So... I've been browsing https://www.aldi.us/en/, and I have to say, what a crappy web site. There isn't even a search function, something even the most basic of web shops have...

The only useful ingredients for the chili recipe that I was able to find on there, were the meat and some of the vegetables:

• One or two pounds (depending on if you want the chili to lean more towards veggie or regular) of lean ground beef or this one, or this one, depending on your personal taste. I prefer the more lean meat, so the leaner, the better.
• Two or three bell peppers (I usually take one of each color, so a red, green and a yellow one)
• Around 1,7 ounces of green beans. (may seem little, but it's mostly just for varieties' sake, where tastes and textures are concerned, so basically for garnish purposes)

Other things you'll need are half a white cabbage, a decent sized leek stalk, a can (300 grams/10.5 oz) of sweet corn (preferably the so-called "crispy" kind, if you even have those over there.), and 4 to 5 cans of pinto or kidney beans in chili sauce. (cans over here are usually 400 grams/14 oz, so depending on what size cans they have over there, you might need less than 4)

And then spices: I'm not really very strict on amounts, and of course, it's also a taste thing. Not everyone likes their chili really spicy, or with a lot of garlic, so I'll leave the amounts up to you. And chili peppers or hot sauce can always be added afterwards, or per plate, if some DO like it hot...

Spices I use are salt, garlic (either freshly squeezed cloves, paste or powder), ground dried chili flakes and red paprika powder (sweet and mild, NOT to be confused with chili pepper powder). There's also the smoked kind, if you prefer that, for some added taste.

Final additive, both for color and consistency, is tomato paste. I usually use 4 small tins of it, when I make a big pan such as in this recipe. The vegetables, the meat and the oil create a lot of moisture in the pan, so the paste is meant to thicken and enrich that a bit, so that it isn't too watery, and more like a rich sauce.

And of course a BIG pan to be able to hold all those ingredients. Personally, I use a big, cast-iron wok (around 13.5 inches in diameter), but any deep and wide pan will do, as long as you can stir fry the ingredients in them.

The recipe itself is relatively simple:

So, first you chop up all the vegetables. As mentioned, in the ingredients list, I like variety in textures and tastes, AND color, so that always comes back in any of my recipes.

Wash the leek and the cabbage, then cut the leek up in rings, which you then also cut in half again, so you'll get all of these half-circles. The cabbage must be cut into smaller pieces. I usually buy it pre-cut, but you could also just cut up half a cabbage in a kitchen appliance or by hand, as long as you make small bits and pieces of it.

The bell peppers I usually cut in two different sizes: I take one of them and cut it up in small cubes, and the other two in bigger parts. Basically, cut them in half, remove the insides, and then cut those halves across the length in three big strips and then across the short end for bigger pieces, and do twice that many cuts length and width-wise for smaller bits.

The green beans will also need to be washed, ends cut off and then cut into small rings, and then that's a wrap for the veggies.

Heat up the pan or wok with the gas/stove/induction (or whatever you use) setting on high, add some olive oil, put in the ground beef, season with salt, garlic, paprika powder, and a moderate amount of dried chili flakes (doesn't have to be "burn your insides" spicy, but it DOES need a bit of a bite) and stir fry it until it's semi-done, meaning you should see the meat starting to turn light brown, but not entirely, and then add all the various cut up vegetables. Sometimes, I also add a bit more olive oil at that point, just to see to it that the vegetables aren't dry-baked.

Keep stir-frying that around until you see the volume of it all start to shrink a bit, which as you know usually happens when vegetables are cooked or baked and they turn a bit softer, and then turn the fire down low, add all the cans of chili beans, add the can of sweet corn, and finally, the tomato paste. Give it a good stir, so everything is mixed together well, and then set the fire to its lowest setting and leave it for about 10 to 15 minutes, while stirring through it every once in a while.

While that slowly simmers, cook some brown rice. Amount depends on whether you're eating alone or if you're going to use your family as guinea pigs for the taste test...

And that's it. The end result should then look something like this:


As you can see from the stirred up plate, ingredients should still be clearly visible. Makes for a nice, appetizing picture... (well, at least in my humble opinion)

Well, that's all there is to it. If you have any questions or comments, you know where to find me.

Looks tasty! I wish everyone a great evening, this "white Thursday". Last year I had the change to dub a Christian animated movie in Lego.

@ThanosReXXX now im starving thanks😣

@NintendoByNature Why? Didn't you hoard any canned goods?

@ThanosReXXX I sure did. Corned beef hash and pork and beans can only take you so far 😂

@ThanosReXXX Thanks for sharing! I'm not quite in a position to jot all that down right now, but I will create a recipe card later. I have a pretty good idea on how to get most of the ingredients, though the leek stalk might give me some trouble.

Most (but not all) of those ingredients can be found at my local Aldi. I've never visited the site, so I kind of feel bad that you had to try to navigate it blind. Sounds like some web design work is in order there, at least for the US pages.

Going by that picture...it looks delicious! How many people do you reckon a batch could serve? I'd try it on my family, but I'm the odd one out when it comes to liking spicy things. My siblings don't care for a ton of spiciness, and my parents just can't handle anything too loaded any more. Not me; I like my chili to have some kick!

@NintendoByNature Awww I want some eggs and CBH now!!

@HobbitGamer made some two weekends ago with onion and peppers in a skillet. Then I put it in the broiler and made two indents for eggs. Cracked em in there, set it for about 7-8 min so the hash got crispy and eggs got cooked. Took it out and topped it with cheddar and black pepper. Sooooo good.

Okay, you guys, I'm in serious need of a second (or third) opinion here. I made a comment in the X-COM 2 article, genuinely trying to answer the question of one of the posters, who was wondering why people preferring physical games were so, and I quote, "fearful" of digital games.

I would kindly like to invite any and all of you to read my comment and his reply underneath it (and my reply again underneath that), and please share your honest opinion. I'm not objective, obviously, so I'll be the last person to deny that I could be missing or overlooking something, but I've read and re-read my own comment over and over, and for the life of me, I've no idea what he's on about. In my humble opinion he's either not used to much, or he's an overly sensitive person who thinks I'm attacking him personally or something.

Personally, I was quite dumb-founded/taken aback by his reaction, while all I wanted to do, is explain the point of view of me and other people that prefer physical games and why.

@NintendoByNature Truer words have never been spoken...

@Tyranexx If you follow the amounts in that recipe, you should end up with around 8 portions (if you use two pounds of meat), and with 8 portions, I mean 8 two-plate servings. I usually eat two plates when I first make it, and then I put the rest in the freezer, divided up into 7 400 gram/14.11 oz portions, which when combined with the rice, is again two servings per portion.

As for the family not liking spicy: when you add the chili flakes AFTER making it, as in: on the plate, the only ever so slightly spicy meal is even okay for the people used to the tamest of dishes. It's basically just beans with stir-fried vegetables and ground beef in a sauce, after all.

You add the "bite" yourself, either during or after making it.

EDIT:
To clarify, the canned chili beans in sauce aren't really spicy in and of themselves, so that's why I add the dried chili flakes to the dish, because like you, I really DO like spicy food.

But compared to my green curry dish, this chili bowl dish is a children's menu....

@ThanosReXXX
Reading to your comments, looks like there were still some short minded peoples.
They prioritize the short term benefits but didn't think about long term benefits.
I will always choose physical over digital.
Digital games just only enjoyable for short term, they will be denied for long term after 20 years or more.

Good morning, everyone. 😀
Today is Good Friday, also 4th Anniversary of my Wii U purchase.
I think i will play Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival to celebrate.

@bimmy-lee I wasn't planning on using it for anything at all. I just noticed a bunch of people talking about it online lately and didn't know what it was. It's started to feel like there's a new social media-like app that gets big and popular every few months anymore. I've mostly given up trying to stay at least vaguely aware of which is what.

Thanks for the info though!

I just finished work. It’s been a day. And it was my office day. I think I’ll make some hash with kielbasa tomorrow. Tonight, I dunno what I’ll play.

@ThanosReXXX Recipe jotted down. Once again, thanks! I titled it "Thanos Chili". I just hope nobody gets the wrong impression from that title.

Good to know the general portion sizes. I'll likely end up making a less spicy version (adding the spices in the aftermath to my own dish) and trying it on my family. After that, anytime I make it I'll likely end up freezing some of it and/or halving the recipe.

As for the XCOM 2 comments....I could see how someone speed reading or in a certain mindset might interpret some of your comment a bit aggressively, but to my eyes it didn't really seem that way. That individual might be a bit sensitive; it could be they've had some less than friendly similar encounters online before. If anything, I think you did an excellent job of explaining yourself in the follow-up comment.

I share many of your opinions on physical over digital media.

Treated myself to Sega Genesis Classics for $12 because I’m worth it.

@hobbitgamer me too!!!
@thanosrexxx I wouldn't sweat it. He didn't understand your point and he decided to take it personally, which you definitely weren't aggressive btw. Just the internet being the internet again. If you must, as lil John once said, "snap yo fingas!"

My Wii U machine after 4 years with Animal Crossing Amiibo. 😀

And also my 8 Wii U games i have so far.

@Anti-Matter did you use the 3D in super Mario 3D world ? Was the 3D feature any good?

@Ninfan
LOL
3D effect only on Super Mario 3D Land 3DS, NOT on Super Mario 3D World Wii U.