2 dried Anaheim chiles, 2 dried New Mexico chiles,

2 chipotle chiles, dried or canned,   12-ounce bottle beer

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil,   1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced,   2 pounds beef chuck, trimmed and cubed

1 cup beef broth,   1 tsp. ground cumin,   1 tsp. paprika,   1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. sugar,   about 1 tsp. salt

1. Split the dried chiles in half and remove the stems and seeds. Put them in a small saucepan with the beer. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to be sure all parts of the chiles are softening.

2. While the chiles are cooking, heat one tablespoon of the oil in a skillet or large pot and saute‚ the onions 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute‚ 1 minute longer.   Remove the onions from the pan.  Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook the beef, stirring frequently, until the beef is lightly browned on all sides. Put the beef and onions in a pot with the beef broth.  Boil, reduce heat and simmer.

3. Put the chiles and cooking liquid in a blender or food processor.  If using canned chipotle chiles, remove the stems and put the chipotles in the blender or food processor.  Puree until a thick red sauce forms.  Strain the sauce to remove the bits of skin, then add the sauce to the meat.  Stir in the seasonings and sugar.  Continue to simmer at least 1 hour, until the meat is tender, adding beer, beef broth, or water if needed.  Add salt, adjust seasonings to taste.

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1 pound dried red beans, 1/4 lb. salt peter...Oops, I mean salt pork

2 c. chopped onions,   1 c. chopped fresh parsley,   2 cloves garlic, pressed

1 t. red pepper (or more if you really want to heat things up}

1 t. pepper,   4 dashes hot sauce,   1 T. Worcestershire sauce

1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce,   1/4 t. dried oregano,   1/4 t. dried thyme

2 lbs. Mettwurst or other smoked sausage, cut into bite size pieces

Hot cooked rice

Sort and wash beans; place in a large Dutch oven. Cover with water two inches above beans; let soak 8 hours. Drain. Cover beans with water and add salt pork; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer over low heat 45 minutes. Add remaining ingredients except sausage and rice; cover and cook over low heat 1 hour stirring occasionally. Add sausage; cook, uncovered, over low heat 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over rice. Yield: 8 servings.

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1/2 pound kielbasa or smoked sausage, 14 1/2 ounces stewed diced tomatoes

8 ounce can kidney beans, drained,   1 cup long grain white rice

1 cup water,   2/3 cup picante sauce (salsa)

Cut sausage in half lengthwise then cut crosswise into 1/4" slices.  in a large skillet of a big pot, combine all ingredients.  Mix well.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for about a half an hour, or until rice is cooked.  When done, top with either sour cream, cilantro or avocado slices.   Serve with additional picante sauce.

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Here's another one for your recipe page. When we were in Myrtle Beach last year, we had dinner at the House Of Blues. I had this marvelous Jambalaya ( ToyTester and TreeGuy loved it too ). So when I got back, I searched through all my cookbooks and came up with this one that closely resembles what we had ( hence the name ! )

2 tablespoons butter or margarine,   ½ cup (1 stalk) sliced celery

½ chopped green pepper,   ½ cup (1 medium) chopped onion

½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic,   ½ cup uncooked long grain rice

1 cup cubed 3/4-inch cooked chicken,   1 cup water,   1 (16 oz.) can tomatoes

½-pound cooked smoked sausage link, cut into 1/4-inch slices *

1-1/2 teaspoons instant chicken bullion granules,   ½ teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon dried thyme leaves,   1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

1 small bay leaf,   ½ pound (10 to 12) fresh or frozen raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

In 3-quart saucepan, melt butter; add celery, green pepper, onion, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender (4 to 6 minutes). Add all remaining ingredients except shrimp. Cook over high heat until mixture comes to a full boil. Cover, reduce heat to low. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until rice is fork tender (20-25 minutes). Add shrimp; continue cooking until shrimp turns pink (4-5 minutes). Remove bay leaf. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

* Any kind of smoked sausage, but Andouille (cajun sausage) is best, if you can find it !! Omit the cayenne pepper if you use hot sausage.

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