Wisconsin Chili

When I was a kid growing up in Washington State my Grandmother Anderson used to visit us from Wisconsin she always made what was called Wisconsin Chili, which to me is a cross between minestrone soup and chili.  You put it over spaghetti noodles like Cincinnati Chili.  It’s very mild but people that want it spicier just add hot sauce.  It really is good, but different than what most people consider chili.

Recipe

Ingredients

1lb-Hamburger 93% lean

1-Bell Pepper Diced

1-Onion Diced

2-stalks of Celery Diced

1-Can 14.5oz of Crushes Tomato’s

1-Can 14.5oz can of Dark Red Kidney Beans

2-Cups of Water

1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder to Taste

1 teaspoon of salt to taste

1 teaspoon of pepper to taste

1lb Package of spaghetti noodles

Instructions

Brown hamburger, add diced Bell Pepper, Celery, and Onion. Add chili powder, salt, and pepper. Continue to brown until the vegetables are soft about 5 minutes.  Add Crushed Tomato’s, Dark Red Kidney Beans and Water to desired consistency. Cook on medium heat for 30 to 45 minutes.  

Prepare Spaghetti Noodles according to instructions with the following exception.  Break noodles into 3rds while placing in the water.  Place the desired amount of Spaghetti noodles in individual bowls.  Serve Wisconsin Chili over the noodles. Add Salt, Pepper, and use hot sauce if desired to individual taste. 

Breaking Day - A Poem

In the early morning before the break of day,
riding a motorcycle across the plains of Kansas.

Coolness rifles through the body,
you know that you are alive.

Riding west as the blackness begins to fade,
 the beginning of a new day is about to dawn.

You can see the sun rays coming from the east,
hitting above the horizon in the west.

As the east lightens,
the day is breaking.

There is anticipation of the sun on your back,
as the light from the east begins to shine.

The sun comes over the horizon the day has broken,
it is a new dawn, a new day with so many possibilities.

As the sun begins to hit your back,
it fills you with the warmth of life.

The sound of the road and the sun on your back,
guides you to your next destination.

Commercial Fishing: The first time I heard the word Sushi

The things you remember during your life that somehow shaped who you are. I grew up in Washington State in a small town in the Puget Sound.  The first time I heard the word Sushi was In high school.  Back in the day, I used to commercial fish with a High School friend in Oak Harbor Washington.  My friend had what was called a gillnetter.  It's a boat with a big spool that has a 1800ft net rolled up on it.  When fishing the net is laid out in a straight line.  The fish would run into the net while swimming and get caught in their gills.  We would then roll the net back up on the spool pick fish out of it in the process.

It was in the summer of 79. The state opened salmon fishing in Samish Bay for Nooksack River Kings. These fish averaged 30-35 pounds apiece and we were getting $3.50 a pound for them, that's 100 bucks a fish. Getting 10% of the total catch there were some nights I made over a $1000.00. That was a lot of money in 1979.  When selling these fish I asked the tender workers what was happening to them. He said, "These fish were going straight to Japan to be sold for Sushi." This is why the high price. It was the first time I felt I was living in an interconnected world.  I imagined 747 cargo planes full of King Salmon flying to Japan.

Those were some fun times.  Who would have thunk it, me catching fish that was going to be eaten by someone in Japan, it was hard to wrap my head around it, at the time.   I really don't remember the first time I ate sushi, it was years after hearing the word.  Once I tried it I loved it. I now eat it regularly. To think we gave the Japanese the fish and they eventually gave us the Sushi.