As I mentioned last week, my family visited LeeLee and me (and, most importantly, the Wonder-Cat) over the weekend. We had a great time catching up, watching Alexandria’s annual Scottish Walk on Saturday, crossing our fingers for another Florida State football win, and sharing many meals together. Some of them were at-home affairs – the black-bean soup I discussed last week, as well as a rendition of my baked penne recipe, just to name a couple of selections – but we also visited several of our favorite haunts around town for a change of scenery. From pizza to brunch to chili, we certainly made the rounds!
That last genre – chili – is where I’m focusing my time for the benefit of this blog post. It’s our family’s tradition that on the last night my parents are in town, we visit Hard Times Cafe, one of our very favorite chili cookeries right here in Old Town. There’s something for everyone: A meaty chili for my dad, vegetarian chili for LeeLee and me, and a chicken sandwich for my mom, who always dares to be different. :) So per tradition, that’s where we found ourselves last night, seated in one of their tight-knit booths, Johnny Cash and Elvis tunes playing in the background.
We never leave Hard Times hungry; the portions are huge! And often we leave with a little something to take home (my mother calls it a “kitty bag” on account of the Wonder-Cat). Such was the case last night, when I managed to bring home about half of my Chili Taters – chili, tater tots, and all the fixins, blended together into a tasty bowl full.
I didn’t have quite enough leftover to stand alone as a meal, but added to some vegetables? A perfectly filling dinner indeed!
So I heated the chili taters up and arranged a plate full of lettuce in the meantime. Then I spooned the chili atop the greens and topped it with cherry tomatoes, sliced olives, and nutritional yeast. Finally, I added some Thousand Island dressing to the lettuce leaves, grabbed a fork and napkin, and got down to business! (Where is LeeLee, you ask? Eating at an evening meeting tonight. The perfect time to enjoy leftovers for one!)
The outcome was glorious. Hard Times actually serves a chili salad in their restaurants, so this wasn’t too far off the mark from their existing menu item. (I don’t think they serve nutritional yeast atop theirs, however. Hee.) The chili – and tater tots – held up well overnight and were a perfect topping to the salad, blending just perfectly with the butter lettuce, tomatoes, and olives. And the dressing gave the meal a little extra burst of flavor just to keep things interesting.
These leftovers definitely got a new life today – I can’t wait to get back to Hard Times to bring home some more!
:)