Friday, May 20, 2011

Chili Spaghetti

This hearty recipe was given to me by Wendell Peoples

INGREDIENTS:
2 pounds ground beef
1 can red kidney beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 medium green bell peppers, coarsely chopped
2 medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon basil



DIRECTIONS:
Sauté the ground beef for about 15 minutes over medium heat. When the meat is browned, drain off any water or grease. Add chopped onions, green peppers, beans, diced tomato including the juice. Stir and simmer for about 10 minutes. Next add the tomato sauce and the spices. Let this mixture simmer over a low flame and thicken for at least an hour. Stir pot every few minutes to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.

This combination requires a thick, hearty chili because you have to eat it the spaghetti with a fork. Soupy, loose spoon chili just won’t work here. You have to let it simmer until it’s really thick.

When the chili is thickened, you can boil a large pot of water for the spaghetti. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. When water is boiling, add the spaghetti and stir it a few times to make sure it doesn’t stick together. The spaghetti should be done in about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain into a colander and rinse the spaghetti then transfer it to a large bowl. Toss the cooked spaghetti with a little oil to keep it from sticking while you wait for the chili.

Serve the chili over the cooked spaghetti. You can dress it up with shredded cheddar cheese and as always bring the bottle of hot sauce to the table.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Fireside Kitchen Open Late

FIRESIDE INN
5739 N. Ravenswood Ave
Chicago, IL 60660


Where do you go when the last set is over, you're hungry and it's after midnight?
FIRESIDE KEEPS ITS KITCHEN OPEN LATE AND
9 MORE REASONS TO LOVE IT



1. LONG HOURS
Usually you have to settle for fast food if you are out late at night. Fireside has one of the few four o’clock licenses left in the city and they keep the kitchen open late (3 a.m.).
2. PARKING
There is plenty of parking on the street and at night and weekends you can park in the lot next door.3. DELIVERY
FIRESIDE provides speedy delivery seven days a week for lunch, dinner and late night pizza. If you really are not up for any human contact, you can place your order online at the FIRESIDE website
4. HOME SWEET HOME
Many locals have made Fireside their home away from home. It truly is a public house. It’s like a second living room or a big enclosed front porch where your friends and neighbors stop by. You can just stop by knowing that someone will be there to share stories and trade gossip and maybe share a meal, snack or just friendly drink or two.
5. PATIO
The patio is open year round. It is large and comfortable in any weather because it is covered and heated. It can be back yard comfortable or dressed up for a special occasion like a wedding or a private party
6. FOOD
There is truly something for everyone here. There is an extensive menu for everything and they keep updating the choices . If all the menus were bound together in one book it would weigh in like the yellow pages
• Beer - ever changing line up of craft beers as well as all the standard favorites in bottles and on tap
• Wine List - varied selection of domestic and imported wines
• Kids - inexpensive menu with all the things kids eat
• Brunch - 150 ingredient “Build Your Own” Bloody Mary bar
• Lunch – hot and cold sandwiches, salads, weekly hot plate specials, homemade soups
• Dinner - starters, pastas, ribs, sandwiches, ribs, seafood
• Pizza - thin crust with lots of options and specialty pizzas
• Appetizers - standards and varied weekly choices
• Weekly Specials - lunch, appetizers and dinner
• Desserts - homemade apple pie, chocolate pie and changing special desserts
• Catering Events are hosted on site or they can deliver
7. FIREPLACE
Yes, there is a real, wood burning fireplace in the serene and cozy dining room
8. FRIENDLY BAR
The bar bustles and the bartenders are “small town” friendly. There are darts, TVs and a great juke box. You can come here to watch a game or just read the newspaper or check your email with the free Wi Fi
9. PROMOTIONS, PROMOTIONS, PROMOTIONS
• Half priced bottles of wine on Tuesdays
• Half priced appetizers on Wednesdays
• Complimentary appetizer buffet on Friday after work from about 4 to 7pm
• “Build Your Own” Bloody Mary Bar and Weekend Brunch
• Specials and promotions for every imaginable season and event
10. EVERYBODY BELONGS TO THIS FAMILY. I’m not sure about Hoosiers and Michiganders; but so far, I have not come across any native Chicagoans who have not had some contact with the FIRESIDE.
It’s probably because they have been open for such a long time and they do a bit of everything. I’ve talked to people who have been to FIRESIDE for:
• funeral luncheons
• late night food while in college
• weddings
• baby showers
• pizza and a game
• company Christmas party
• birthday celebration
Fireside on Urbanspoon
It seems like at one time or another, for one reason or another EVERYONE has been to FIRESIDE . It is not unusual for entire families (3 or 4 generations) to meet at Fireside for lunch, dinner or brunch.

While waiting to meet a friend on “Half Priced Wine Tuesday” I got into a conversation with Joe. Joe is a retired gentleman, wine lover and a regular fixture at the bar. At first, I thought he was the owner because of the way he greets new comers and tells them the history of the place and the neighborhood.

Opened in 1904 as the Fireside Inn, they used to rent the upstairs rooms to families who came on the train to bury their loved ones at Rosehill Cemetery. It was also a roadhouse to local farmers and merchants traveling between the farms and the markets in the city.

Joe brags about the large portions of delicious food as if his wife was in the kitchen; but no, he’s just one of the faithful regulars who are proud to feel at home here.

FIRESIDE is a Chicago institution that makes you happy and proud to be a Chicagoan

 

Click here to view menu
Fireside on Urbanspoon
Call toll free: (877) 878-7433
Local Numbers: (773) 561-SIDE or (773) 561-7433
Email : info@firesidechicago.com
Hours:
Monday - Friday 11am-4am
Saturday 11am-5am
Sunday 10am-4am

Dining Room and All Weather Outdoor Patio
Kitchen open 11 am until 3 am everyday
Sunday Brunch 10 am until 3 pm

Delivery hours
Friday 4 pm - 3 am
Saturday 4 pm - 3 am
Sunday Noon - Midnight
Monday - Thursday 4 pm - Midnight

Negatives:
1. The Fireside loyalty program "Friends and Family" is not a priority with the staff or the customers. It has a long list of qualifications and rules.

2. All the breads are uninspired. The house made bread is pasty tasting and the quality of buns and breads for the sandwiches is poor.

3. Bottle beer cooler doesn’t keep the Heineken very cold.