Hellboy

So Hellboy is in theaters and the early reviews are bad ...

Consensus is the writing is poor and the CGI is terrible.
This is disappointing news as I had been excited that this film was being made.

Considering this development, I will wait to see this film when it is available on DVD.
I will do a review after that.

Review - Reign of the Supermen (2019)

What is it about?

Six months after the death of Superman at the hands of Doomsday,
Superman's body has been taken from his grave.
Nobody knows who has taken the body or why.

Lois Lane (Rebecca Romijn), just recently learning of
Superman / Clark Kent's Secret identity and struggling
with her grief, sets out to find
some answers.

What did I like ?

Lois's interaction with Diana / Wonder Woman (Rosario Dawson)
Was awkward, as she learns of Wonder Woman's relationship
with Superman. This scene was totally believable, well acted and the dialog well done.

I liked this iteration of Steel (Cress Williams) much better
than how Steel was portrayed on The WB's  Legends of Tomorrow  .

Lex Luthor (Rainn Wilson) was spot on.
Arrogant and self-absorbed, this is the classic Luthor character
and I really enjoyed how he is portrayed here.

What did I not like?

Superboy (Cameron Monaghan) is quite different here than he is
portrayed in Young Justice.
Superboy's personality seems more like Young Justice's Impulse
than Superboy. I found this a little annoying.


how do I rate this film?

I'll give this film 4 stars 

Scale of 1 to 5
My Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Review - Knightfall Season 2 Premere

Season 1 was good and I have high hopes for season 2 as well.

As season 2 begins, we find Landry (Tom Cullen) fallen from grace and on his knees begging to be taken back into the Knights Templar.

After much debate the decision is made to allow Landry to rejoin starting over at the bottom as an initiate. Landry must prove himself worthy or be forever banned from the becoming a Templar.
Landry is to be trained by Talus (Mark Hamill) a crusty old Templar who does not seem to care for Landry in the least.

Once again the sets, costumes and locations are all top notch. Season 2 appears to off to a great start. I am looking forward to see what follows as the season progresses.

Scale of 1 to 5
My Rating - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Possible changes coming

Hey everyone,

It has been awhile.

For the past few years this Blog has been gotten quite dusty from non use.

Why you may ask?

Well, I started this Blog at the time when I had my first heart attack. Later, I had a second heart attack and shortly after, a stroke.
The stroke came as I was in the hospitable recovering from the heart attack.
I did make a small recovery from the stroke but not enough to resume my interest in cooking.
I am just not able to handle the physical demands to do anything more than the most basic cooking.

Making a video of my cooking efforts is so physically demanding that I can not enjoy it at all and cooking out doors around burning coals is not possible for me to do safely.

So that is why this Blog and my YouTube channel have been idle for so long.

I'm bored. I really need something to do.

Recently I have been considering doing some podcasting on my YouTube channel and possibly writing some articles here. I have not yet made up my mind and not yet sure what I will write or speak about in a podcast.

So that is where things stand as of today.

Thanks for reading!

Tito Jorge's Green Dragon Chili

Green Dragon Chili (made with Chicken & Pork)

INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds Beef Stew Meat
3 cans (15oz) Navy Beans
1 can (26oz) Cream of Chicken Soup
1 Large White Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
4 Large Celery stalks (Chopped)
4 large Anaheim peppers (diced)
1 Large Jalapino pepper (diced)
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven, large pot or even a Slow Cooker ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the Navy Beans (drained).

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.
(If using a Slow Cooker, cook on "low" 6 to 12 hours for best results)

NOTE: This works with Chicken or Pork as well. Ground Beef works too. You can substitute Bell Peppers for the Anaheim Peppers or add more Jalapino Peppers if you want more heat or use none at all ... its up to you!

I always go easy on the heat myself - but you can do what you want ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili

Tito Jorge's Black Magic Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds Beef Stew Meat

3 cans (15oz) Black Beans
2 cans (15oz) Diced Tomatos
1 Large Red Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
4 large Anaheim peppers (diced)
1 Large Jalapino pepper (diced)
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)
2 Tablespoons Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon Red Pepper Flakes
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon Ground Cumin

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven, large pot or even a Slow Cooker ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Black Beans undrained.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.
(If using a Slow Cooker cook on "low" 6 to 12 hours for best results)

NOTE: You can substitute Bell Peppers for the Anaheim Peppers or add more Jalapino Peppers if you want more heat or use none at all ... its up to you!

I always easy go on the heat myself - but you can do what you want ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili

Quick N Creamy Chili Verde

Got a hankerin' for some Chili but you just dont have a lot of time to make it ?


Well this Quick N Creamy Chili Verde in a Skillet is just what you're lookin' for!

Its real easy to do ... here's how!

1 pound Pork (cut into cubes)
1 can (15oz) Navy Beans
1 Can (10.5 oz) Cream of Chicken Soup

1/4 cup Thick N Chunky Green Salsa

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

I make this in my 10" Cast Iron skillet ... but you can use whatever you want  ...

Brown the meat and sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Drain and rinse the Navy Beans then add them.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, give it a good stir and simmer on "low" until the meat is tender.

NOTE: You can use any kind of meat you like in this recipe (Ground beef or pork work pretty good). Pinto beans work well or use any kind of beans you like  ... You can add Jalapino Peppers  to kick up the heat if you want ... its up to you!

Remember ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili

Tito's Kitchen on Youtube (Gettin' Closer!)

Working on my video editing skills again this week ...

Much more pleased with the results this time ...

Stayed tuned ...

Memorial Day Chicken and Pork Chili

A tasty treat for Memorial Day ... and its real easy to do!

Chicken and Pork Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Chicken
1 pound Pork (cut into cubes)
1 can (15oz) Navy Beans

1 can (15oz) Pinto Beans
1 can (15oz) Black Beans

1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)

3 cloves Garlic (diced)
1 large Anaheim pepper (diced)
3 medium Sweet peppers

1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)

1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them OR can also use Green Salsa)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.
Add the Pinto Beans undrained.

Drain and rinse the Black Beans then add them too.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.

NOTE: You can add more Jalapino Peppers or use none at all ... its up to you!

I always easy go on the heat myself - but you can do what you want ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili

Tito Jorge's Southwest Style Rotini Pasta

This Pasta is real easy to do and tastes GREAT!

Southwest Style Rotini Pasta

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Beef
1 can (29oz) Tomato Sauce
1 can (15oz) Chili (NO BEANS)
1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
1 large Bell pepper (diced) (Any color you like!)
1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)
3 sticks Celery (sliced)
1 cup Fresh Mushrooms (sliced)
1 Package (16 oz) Rotini Pasta




14" Wok

The amounts in this recipe are perfect for a 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can also use a Dutch oven or any large pot ...

Brown the meat and season to taste - I just use cracked black pepper. You can use anything you want. Dont be afraid to experiment - Then add Onion and Garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Add the rest of the fresh ingredients and give a good stir.
Cover and let cook on low heat for 10 minutes

Add all the canned ingredients, give another good stir and let simmer on low heat another 10 minutes.

Now while the sauce mixture is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil and drop several drops of Olive oil in it.

Add the Rotini to the boiling water and let cook for 5 minutes. You dont want the pasta fully cooked but just soften it up a bit ...

Drain the pasta in a colandar then add the pasta to the sauce mixture.
Give it another good stir mixing the pasta in real well and cook on low for 15 minutes ...

NOTE: The Jalapino is optional ... use more, less or none at all at your own discretion. I find one pepper with the seeds removed and diced into small bits works real good for me. You could also substitute a Tablespoon of Green Salsa instead of the Jalapino ...

I hope you enjoy this Pasta ... it's one of my favorites!

Five Spice Powder

Five Spice Powder

Recently I've been reading about something called "Five Spice Powder" also known as "Asian Five Spice" or "Chinese Five Spice"  ...

I wanted to try cooking with it , but I had a devil of a time finding it in any local grocery stores ...

I finally found some in a local Korean grocery store, and tried it in my Chicken Chili this weekend ...

I just sprinkled it on the Chicken a few minutes before tossing it in to cook.

WOW! It really gave the Chili a fantastic flavor!  And what a great smell!  I'm going to be trying this in some other recipes soon!

It comes in several different brands, but may be difficult to find.
Ingredients in Five Spice Powder include Cinnamon, Star Anise, Fennel, Ginger and Cloves. There are several variations and different brands may have a slightly different set of ingredients.

If all else fails you can find it at Amazon.com ... search for "Five Spice" ...

Tito Jorge's Chicken Chili

This Chili is healthy and easy to prepare ... Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Chicken (can substitute groundTurkey)
1 pound Boneless / Skinless Chicken Thighs or Breasts (cut into cubes)
2 cans (15oz) Navy Beans
1 can (10oz) Diced tomatos
1 Onion (diced)
3 cloves Garlic (diced)
3 large Anaheim peppers (diced)
1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)
1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them OR can also use Green Salsa)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

The amounts in this recipe are perfect for a 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.
Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - Just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.


Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for an hour or two - or until it just "looks right"...

This is the same basic recipe as my Chili Verde with some small adjustments.
You can substitute any kind of meat you like or tweak the ingredients as much as you want but this works pretty good ...

         Remember ...

You're the Boss of your own Chili!

Hawaiian Pizza Tito Jorge Style!

Quick'n Eazy Week Night Dinner - Hawaiian Pizza Tito Jorge Style!

Hawaiian Pizza

Tossed together a pizza for dinner tonight ... and its real easy to do ...

Grab a Pillsbury "Pop'n Fresh" Pizza Crust from your Grocer's refridgerator section ... OR you can use any other pre-made Pizza crust ... OR if you are feeling adventurous and have some time ... make your own Pizza dough ...

Me ... Im not that adventurous ... I like Pillsbury just fine ...

Pre-heat your oven to 425 (or just follow the directions for your particular Pizza crust) ...

Place your Pizza crust on a Cast Iron Griddle OR Pizza pan OR Cookie sheet ...

Assemble your Pizza with the following:

Canadian Bacon ... Pineapple ... Mushrooms ... Jalapinos ... Red Sweet Peppers ... Mozzarella Cheese ... and Tito Jorge's Magic Twist ... Mild Taco Sauce ...

Toss it in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the crust nice and golden brown ...

Not bad for a quick'n eazy week night dinner ...

Of course you can use any toppings that you like ... Remember ...

                        You're the Boss of your own Pizza!

Tito Jorge's Chili Verde

This Chili is easy to prepare and oh so good! ... Give it a try!

Ingredients:

1 pound ground Beef
1 pound Pork (cut into cubes)
1 can (15oz) Navy Beans
1 can (15oz) Black Beans

1 Onion (diced)

3 cloves Garlic (diced)
3 large Anaheim peppers (diced)

1 large Jalapino pepper (diced)

1/4 cup Tomatillo sauce (can use fresh Tomatillos if you can find them)

2 tablespoons all purpose flour (I use Wondra)

I make this in my 14" Cast Iron wok ... but you can use a Dutch oven or large pot ...

Brown the meat and add Onion and garlic - cook until the onions are translucent.

Sprinkle in all purpose flour to make a rue (you may need more or less - I just sprinkle it in until it "looks right").

Add the Navy Beans undrained.

Drain and rinse the Black Beans then add them too.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat, cover and simmer on "low" for 2 hours.

NOTE: You can add more Jalapino Peppers or use none at all ... its up to you!

I'd go easy on the heat myself - but thats just me.

You're the Boss of your own Chili.

About my cooking

What do I know about cooking?    Not much! But I know what I like ...

Broiled Ribeye

I never really was taught how to cook. For most of my childhood I lived with my Grandmother and while she never really tried to teach me, I learned most of what I know about cooking by watching her cook.

Later on I had a strong interest in watching cooking shows on TV. I remember watching Graham Kerr (The Galloping Gourmet) on TV back in 1969. These days I enjoy many of the cooking channels on You Tube. I also enjoy current TV shows such as Anthony Bourdain's "No Reservations" ... "Bizarre Foods" with Andrew Zimmern and Adam Richman's "Man v. Food" ... Other shows I enjoy include popular PBS series "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" with Rick Bayless  and Steven Raichlen's shows "Barbecue University" and  "Primal Grill" ...

Yes, it has been a closely guarded secret ... but now you know ... I'm a Food Show Junkie ...

When I cook, like my Grandmother, I dont really follow a recipe. Instead I cook by "what looks right" ... so if I share a recipe here ... please remember that all amounts are negotiable ... add any ingredient only in an amount that looks right to you ... and suits your own taste or preference ...

My Grandmother used to make the best Spaghetti in the whole world! She has been gone for quite some time now and unfortunately there is no written recipe. However, my little brother claims to be able to cook something that closely resembles Grandmothers Spaghetti, so I may get some hints from him and try to produce my own version of Grandmothers Spaghetti. If I am successful I'll share that recipe here ...

My love of Chili comes from my Grandfather. He used to make up a pot of Chili and bake some Cornbread in a Cast Iron Skillet. That is one of my greatest childhood memories ... Again there is no written recipe and I've never been able to make Chili exactly like my Grandfather, but I sure do enjoy trying!

And I think thats what its all about ... enjoying good cooking!

Getting Started

Here are a couple things I've cooked recently ...

Chili Verde ... with Black Beans and Navy Beans ...

And the old Standby ...
New York Steak with Cucumber and Tomato salad ...

Both of these dishes were done in Cast Iron ... the Steak in a Cast Iron Grill Pan ... and the Chili in a Cast Iron Wok ...

Here are a few pieces from my Cast Iron collection ... Wok, Grill Pan, Griddle and small Skillet ...



I'm not completely sure yet exactly what I'll share in this blog, but I think maybe I'll post some pictures from time to time and maybe a recipe here and there ...

Stay tuned!

My First Blog

Okay ...

So now I have a Blog ... what to do with that?

Grilled Swordfish

Well, in the past two years I've become more interested in cooking. I had a little setback last year with a Heart attack followed closely by a Stroke ... but here I am 1 year after that ... still alive and kickin' and starting to get back in the kitchen again ...

I'm thinking about this interest in cooking and maybe turning it into a Hobby ... it may help in my recovery from the Stroke ... it will be a challenge as I am still weak and struggle with my motor skills ... it is frustrating when my hands and fingers dont do exactly what I'm telling them to do and something ends up on the floor ... but I believe in time persistance will get me where I need to go ... at the very least it will be fun for me ... and I've never really had any kind of a Hobby before ... so maybe its about time ...

Beef and Mushroom Stir fry

What kind of cooking? ... good question ... of course I like Outdoor Grilling and BBQ ... I also like Asian Style Stirfry ... and I have a Monster Love of Chili ... especially Chili Verde ... YUM!

Recently I have developed an interest in Cast Iron Cooking ...


So I think that gives me a variety of things to explore ...

We'll see how things delvelop from here ...

Thanks for Reading!