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Review of the 6th (Almost) Annual Midwest Chileheads Hotluck
September 21, 2002
Topeka, KansasA note from the host and hostess: It was a BEAUTIFUL day for a hotluck and we had a great time hosting and enjoyed all the tasty treats. We hoped for a bigger turnout, but maybe next year. It was great to see Scott & Cheri and other friends and family, and I enjoyed burning up parts of my house with Scott's cool branding iron. Of course, we only did that after scarfing down some of Cheri's excellent kicked-up fuzzy navels! Thanks to Jim Campbell for sending the wonderful sauces, and to everyone who made and brought stuff to this event. I guess its headed back North next year? Ames, Iowa, perhaps?
Scott actually did all the heavy lifting on writing the reviews this year, and his two posts below pretty much cover it, so without further adieu . . .
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Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 16:24:42 -0000
From: "Parkhurst, Scott Contractor" <SCOTT.PARKHURST@LEAVENWORTH.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: [CH] Report - 6th (Almost) Annual Midwest HotluckHad a great time at the event! The host, John, and his SO, Annie, put on a fantastic shindig. The banner hanging out front let us know we were at the right place. The food was outstanding and plentiful:
A table full of sauces, jams, jellies, preserves and chutneys. Pasole, green chile stew and a killer hot queso. A mountain of bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers (filled with cream cheese, terryaki shrimp and some with hab slices) that were out of this world once they came out of the smoker. At one point we didn't even wait for them to come inside, just picked them right off the grill. Finished off with a tangy jalapeno sorbet. And that's just some of the fare available.
Ever the generous host/hostess, John and Annie sent me home with two bags of poblano and hot new mex chiles from their garden. I'm sure glad I'm on their good side (more on that to follow).
Many thanks to hosts of this event. Truly good folks.
Scott... KCK
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Date: Mon, 23 Sep 2002 16:39:50 -0000
From: "Parkhurst, Scott Contractor" <SCOTT.PARKHURST@LEAVENWORTH.ARMY.MIL>
Subject: [CH] There's Something about JohnSomething you should know about John J. Knoll, illustrious host of the 6th (Almost) Annual Midwest Hotluck: He is VERY protective of his chile crop. I mean, he is protective of the fruits of El Grande to the highest level. The protective measures I encountered at the hotluck (EXCELLENT event!) were well thought out and quite impressive.
Starting off with a remote location, the address being highly classified, divulged on a need-to-know basis only, which is accessible only after navigating a seemingly endless series of round-a-bouts and one-way streets. Unsurprisingly, egress from the site is not simply the reverse of the ingress route. The outward appearance of a modest property belies the true extents of the estate's actual size. The garden is in the back yard, the yard being enclosed by a security fence with an estimated height of 12 feet (approx. 3.6 meters for Doug in B.C.).
Inside the fence are a trio of attack dogs, on the prowl for sight or sign of interlopers in the domain of El Grande. Rumor at the event was that they had their teeth professionally sharpened and were trained to kill on command.
The chile patch is laid out in a protective landscaping effort designed to prevent the casual observer from noticing its existence. If you didn't know it was there you'd swear it wasn't.
Further protection is afforded by an electric fence. Multiple strands of high voltage wire estimated at 10,000 volts. This figure was reached after noting the bug-zapper like action of said fence whenever a hapless insect got within 18 inches. The arc from bug to ground was most impressive and the resultant smell of ozone was practically deafening. Greater protection is undoubtedly in the works. I noticed rolls of what could only be razor wire ready to be attached to the top of the perimeter fence. And the stack of punji sticks, cleverly disguised as a box of toothpicks, fooled me for only the slightest moment.
In the event a potential defiler of this treasure trove of capsicum delights gets in, he will not get out. Apprehension by John's SO (a duly appointed member of the local police force) and prosecution by John himself (city attorney) would surely result in conviction. I dare not imagine what sentence they would ask the judge to hand down.
Scott... safely back home... KCK
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This page last updated October 4, 2002, at 2137 CDT. Stay tuned for more stuff! JJK