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Post Thanksgiving

As the run-up to the holiday heated up, I could not find any time to post.  The good news is that this years event was very good.  We learn from each year and tune our efforts.  This year, we have about 350 people.  The event ran from 6pm to 9:30pm and was by invitation only.

This Thanksgiving marks 22 years of marriage for me and my (first and only) wife.  We were married at Taylor Road Synagogue in Cleveland, OH on Thanksgiving Day, Nov 27th, 1986.  Since then, we have hosted a Thanksgiving day dinner each year.  Not only do we give general thanks to God for what we have, but we also take a moment to give thanks for our marriage and our six wonderful boys.

In the past years, we have always run out of what we call "Sweet Chili".  It a recipe that my wife brought from the old country (USA), and that we have adjusted and made our own.  Usually, we eyeball the recipe until its "right".  This year, we turned it into an industrial effort with more than 20 Kg of ground beef (about 45 pounds), and associated additions.  In the interest of preserving the recipe for future years, I hearby present:

Sweet Chili 
Elliot and Leiah Jaffe, Caryn Gale
4Kg browned ground beef
4 cups of sautéed vegetables (Onions and Pepper)
5 cups of baked beans (we use assorted types, Israeli Mexican Chili beans, American Baked Beans and Black Beans).
1.5 cups of crushed tomatoes
1 Kg of catchup
3 cups of brown sugar
1/2 cup BBQ sauce (for the smoke flavor)
2 tsp crushed red pepper
1/2 cup tomato paste
1.5 Tbsp chili powder
2 Tbsp salt
1/4 cup water (as needed)
1 Tbsp crushed garlic
3 Tbsp sweet paprika

Mix the ingredients on a large pot and simmer for two hours.  It should not be too soupy.

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Comments

SuperRaizy said…
Congratulations on your anniversary!
350 people? Doesn't it cost an awful lot of money to cook for 350 people?
November 30, 2008 at 1:12 AM
Elliot said…
The cost is not insignificant. To partially defer the cost, we make only the meat (and stuffings). The rest of the food and drink is brought by the guests. The event is part of our contribution to the community.
November 30, 2008 at 3:10 AM
Anonymous said…
Having attended lots of the Jaffe's Thanksgiving/Anniversary Parties,
I can say that they are just great! People bring yummy food items-salads, kugels, desserts- and we enjoy the meat items that Elliot and Leiah prepare. We also get a chance to talk to all our friends and neighbors without the structure of a bar/bat mitzva or sheva brachot. we all look forward to Thanksgiving, thanks to the Jaffes.
December 1, 2008 at 2:28 AM
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