Real Good Chili

Okay, here's my Chili Recipe for all of you complaining about how "chilly" it's been the last two days. It'll warm you up, I guarantee!!!!! So here goes, this is what you'll need.

Ingredients:

4 medium-size yellow onions, peeled and chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and diced

1/4 cup olive oil

l teaspoon oregano

2 bay leaves

2 pounds ground chuck

1/4 cup chili powder

1 (1lb.12oz) can tomatoes(do not drain)

3 (1lb.4oz) cans light red kidney beans (do not drain)

Note: Chili beans instead of the light red kidney

beans also work well with the recipe, and will

add a bit more spice to it. It's up to you.

2 teaspoons of salt

3 tablespoons cider vinegar

1/8-1/4 teaspoon crushed hot red chili peppers

I forgot to put my "Good Luck Bunny" in the pic with the ingredients, as I always want to include the cutie, so here he is. I must think of a name for him soon. Maybe someone out there can suggest a name for him???? Please give it a try at least!!! Okay sorry, I'll get back to the recipe. Now, the first thing we need to do is chop up the onions like this. Watch those finger tips please :)

Now, saute the onions in the olive oil in a large heavy kettle like this one that my mom gave me, and her mom gave her, and so on and so on, over medium heat. About 10 minutes until golden.

Meanwhile, chop up the garlic.

Add the chopped garlic to the kettle.

Back to this kettle for a moment, which is called Guardian Ware. It's as old as the hills. This particular kettle, belonged to my Grandma Daisy, who after many years of use, broke down and gave it to my mom, and then I had to beg my mom for it, because she just didn't want to part with it either. So I would say that the thing is probably about 50 years old. And for 50 years old, it's in damn good shape. I just want to know where the rest of the set went. Nobody wants to talk about it.

Add oregano, bay leaves, and beef and saute, breaking up the meat, about 10 minutes until the beef is no longer pink.

Add 2 tablespoons chili powder, tomatoes, 2 cans of the beans and simmer, uncovered, over low heat, 1-1/2 hours. Give it a stir every now and then.
After it has simmered for 1-1/2 hours add remaining can of beans.

Add the vinegar.

Add the remaining chili powder.

Add the salt.

Last, add the "crushed hot red chili peppers".

Isn't there a band named something like that??

Now stir it up and let it simmer for another 15 minutes.

After that, you can serve it up, with saltine crackers. I know some wonderful people who would tell you to put a nice piece of cornbread at the bottom of the bowl and top with the chili, and shredded cheddar cheese. I made white rice, and my munchkins had a little rice at the bottom of the bowl, then a nice scoop of chili, and sprinkled some shredded cheddar cheese on top.

However you you want to do it is fine and dandy with me.

This chili does not come out very spicy, so if you like it "spicy hot" just add more red peppers or whatever you like to make it more spicy. I hope you enjoy it.

And, for all ya'll who can't take the little bit of chilly weather we've been having lately, make this chili and stop complaining, it's gonna be back in the 80's by Monday.

All My Love To You And Yours,

Joyce aka Mimi

More Places You'll Remember

This used to be "Lum's"

The "Bottle Cap Inn"

Lakeview United Methodist Church

Lakeview Elementary

115th Street and 13th Avenue

Name This Building.....

Do you recognize this building? Take a good look...

I thought I might take some pics of places around the old neighborhood, so you could see how things have changed down through the years. This is now a church, but everyone who is from the old neighborhood will remember "Bennett's Drug Store". When I was thirteen my dad would let me drive our car to Bennett's and back all by myself. I'll never forget it because I would get so excited, first that I could drive, because I loved driving, but also that he would let me drive all the way to Bennett's by myself, no one else in the car. I thought it was the coolest thing ever! I felt so grown and it gave me a lot of confidence. There wasn't much traffic back then, and he could almost watch me the whole way since it was straight down 13th Avenue. But he would hide behind the bushes and I wouldn't see him until I got closer to 112th Street. When you think about it, it was pretty cool that he had enough faith in me to let me do it. It was a very cool thing for a father to do.

I hope I have rekindled some good memories you have of Bennett's.

My Love To All Of You,

Joyce

Zeigler Little House

This is Grandpa Quinnie and Grandma Daisy sitting in front of their house on 112 Terrace, and behind them on the right is the frame of the "Little House". This was before I was born, so don't even go there......

Lala says that in 1951, nine months before I was born, at 6:15 pm, I was conceived in the "Little House". She and my dad lived there after they got married March 25, 1950. While living there, they built the bigger house in the front. And there began the legacy of the "Little House". So you could say it started with me. Ooohbababeebee. If it started with me, it had to be good. If walls could talk, is what I always used to say. Thank goodness they can't. I have my story. What's yours? I promise I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours. I lived there two different times, first when I was eighteen and attending Miami-Dade North, then when I was twenty when I first got married. That was when my dad chased my ex down the street with a big ole BB gun, threatening to kill him. So, I know you have something to tell. Don't be shy now, spill the beans. Oh, btw that beautiful baby is me.

Love you guys,

Juicy Joyce

Mack's Fish Camp

Did you ever go the the fish camp?????????

Please tell me your story?

Click on comments below and spill your guts, you can do it, I promise I won't tell anyone!!!!!

"In rememberance of Danell & Johnny"

All My Love,

Joyce

Time To Get in the Pick-Up Line

Here I am arriving at the pick-up line at school. You have no idea what could happen while waiting in this line. Once in a while you have a parent who is in a hurry and breaks the rules. OMG........parent rage is something to be seen and not to mess with. Like getting out of their cars and going after the "wrong doers"!!!! When they first started the pick-up line a member of the police department was on hand in case things did get "out of hand". Now it is relatively organized. Of course, the teachers, principals, school guards spend most of the afternoon waving, and waving, and waving, for the "picker upers" to keep moving, and moving and go to the end and stop, and wait for the kid to jump in the cars, while the car is still moving (not really), or telling kids to walk all the way down to the end where the parents are forced to go to and stop and wait for them. It is an experience that every parents, grandparent, and family member, or just "picker uper" should go through.

I get there a little early before the line gets so long that you are a block away and around the corner.

Now you can see it's getting busier.

The bell rang and the kids are starting to come out.

Jump in the car, put on your seat belt and give your brother a hug. This is when she tells him, "I saw you in the cafeteria, or library, or on your way to phys ed".

He really loves it when she hugs him, as you can see.

I had already picked her up, she's at a different school. Her story comes later.

We took a detour and went to K-Mart for a few things and the girls tried on some hats.

She didn't want to at first, but I convinced her.

Sooooooooooo serious!!!! Must be a teen thing.

Now she, however, is lovin it.


She's a ham.

Finally on the way home it was looking like rain, and getting cooler.

Here she is mail in hand. They take turns getting the mail out of the box. I just tell them I really don't want the mail or the bills that come with it, so they make it a point to count how many envelopes I get which I really don't want to hear it.

Right before they went in I asked them to turn around for the pic. All they want to do at this point is to go inside, drop the book bags, take off their shoes, wash up and that's when I hear those famous words "Mimi, I'm thirsty, and what do you have to eat?"

And so the school day is over. Yet, it's not over because after the snack and qenching of thirsts, the homework begins.

And then, finally the homework is done, so they play!!!!!!

The Sprinklers

Yesterday I took the drive to mom's house. The drive is from Cutler Bay to Miami. I decided to take US1 all the way to I95. Bad decision. Traffic was horrible. So it took me longer than usual, over and hour to get there. I enjoyed it though, because I was listening to Andrea Bocelli, trying to sing along too, I think I strained my throat trying to reach those high notes.

Anyway, I picked up mom and we went to the cemetery to put flowers on the graves of my dad, my brother, and grandparents. Well, when we got there the big sprinklers were on. Omg.... it was so surreal because anyone who went to visit my parents house a lot of times, well most of the time, had to dodge the sprinklers. My dad was always working in the yard, and I think he enjoyed watching everyone run around trying not to get wet by his sprinklers. So, we dodged the sprinklers. We would wait until we were out of range and run to the graves, put the flowers on and then run back and wait for it to come around again. Of course, we got wet, but we didn't care, we were laughing hysterically. What might have been a sad day turned into a fun day for me and my mom, thanks to those sprinklers.

All Our Love, Mimi & Nana

TGIF

Oh yeah, it's Friday. Last day of the week. Garbage day. Recycle day. Last day of school day. Last day of work day. Pay day. "I will pay you on Friday" day. "We are gonna party tonight" day. "I'm not cooking tonight" day. Oh hip hip hoorah, it's the weekend!!!!!!

FORGET YOUR TROUBLES, COME ON GET HAPPY!

This happy little girl is Jenissy, Stephanie's oldest girl, my brother Johnny's first grandaughter.

HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!!!!

Love ya mucho,

Mimi

"Lala"

Now that 2009 is here I thought maybe I would get a bit more serious about life. But then I thought, "but why", it's more fun taking life not so seriously, don't you think? I want to be like my mother, "Lala", that's what I call her now, because one day last month I realized that she lives in a kind of "Lalaland". I asked her about it and she proclaimed giggly, "Oh yeah, that's me, just call me Lala". And it is so true. Come to think of it, she has been like that all her life. But this by no means is to say that she is like out there, you know like intelligent wise. Without a doubt, she is one "smart cookie". No matter how serious or terrible I try to make things look, when she and I are talking, she always looks at the brighter side, and she's always laughing and giggling and saying positive things. So Nana's name is now officially been changed to "Lala". Now when she phones me she giggles and says "Hey, it's Lala". It's too funny. I don't know how she does it. She just likes being happy all of the time, and wants to rub it off on everyone around her. What a wonderful way to be.

This is "Lala" and my dad when they first got married in 1950's. She was laughing then and has been smiling and laughing and cheering us up ever since. I've got to say that my parents were so damn good-looking, there's no denying that!!!!!!

Love, Mimi