Did you know that cinnamon is super healthy--assisting over 500 parts of your body?  Cinnamon is the bark of a special pine tree.  Before the Communist take-over of China, the best cinnamon came from Southern China in the part formerly known as Canton.  With the Communist take-over, the USA put an embargo on everything from China, which has mostly been lifted, but not on spices.

Recently, Saigon has started growing the cinnamon pine and is now harvesting the bark and processing it into Saigon Cinnamon, which we now sell.  And, in time for fall baking, I am placing our ground Saigon Cinnamon on a very special, half-price sale until October 2, so you will have it on hand for holiday baking and for your health and for special treats.  You can sprinkle cinnamon on cereal, toast, baked goods, sweet potatoes, etc. and benefit from the special health attributes.

We have two super special classes set for next week, which is Balloon Week here in Albuquerque.  Our Balloon Week is touted to be the largest Balloon Event in the world.  A local  benefit is our  topography--we are 5000 feet or a mile high and the city  sits in a wide valley with mountain ranges on each side, making a "box" for ballooning.

The two classes are Red Chile Fiesta at 2 PM on Tuesday, October 7 and our famous Tamale Roll class on Thursday, October 9 at 11 AM.

In the Red Chile class, at 2 PM next Tuesday, we make two salsas, Bowl o' Red Chili with Fixin's and Mixins', Red Chile Beef Enchiladas, Carne Adobada--the "piece d'resistance"  of Northern New Mexico and top it all off with Spicy Chile Chocolate Cupcakes.

In the Tamale Roll class, at 11 AM next Thursday,  we make three very different kinds of tamales--Traditional Red Chile Beef, Fresh Corn and Green Chile Tamales and Dessert Tamales.  With a large class, I add Blue Corn Green Chile Chicken Tamales.  And you will be able to take some tamales home.

And....our award winning week long class is set for October 19-24.

Our popular Perfect Pies class will be at 5 PM on October 30.

And here is a quick chili to make for cool evenings--

SPEEDY CHILI

This is quite a respectable chili: however, it’s not the original Bowl O’ Red, my favorite. This version is made with ground beef to speed up the cooking time, whereas the “Bowl” recipe is made with hand cut cubes of chuck, requiring much longer cooking. Making lots of chili at a time is always a good idea as it really does improve with age. Serve with coarsely shredded Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses mixed, pickled jalapenos, chopped onion, and sour cream with lime wedges laced with red chile. This chili, with so much of all the natural oxidative power of red chile, will actually freeze quite well for a year.

1 pound ground chuck (80 percent lean)

½ cup onion, chopped (1/2- inch dice)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons Freshly ground pure mild red New Mexican chile

1 4 ½-ounce can water-packed stewed tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin, or to taste

½ teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 15-ounce can pinto beans (optional)

1. Crumble the meat into a heavy, 5-quart Dutch oven-type pot. Saute over medium heat until the pink color disappears. Tilt the pot and spoon out any visible fat. Add the onion and garlic to the pot and continue simmering for 3 to 5 minutes, until the onion becomes soft and clear.
2. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the chile, tomatoes, cumin (adding half as it cooks and the rest just before finishing cooking) and salt. Add the beans, if using (see Note). Return to the heat and simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust to seasonings. If time allows, refrigerate for a day or two so the flavors can develop. If not, serve immediately.

Note: Many Western chili buffs prefer to cook the chili and beans separately, then serve the beans on the bottom of the bowl, and topped with the chili.

Per Serving: Calories 261, Protein 21 g, Carbohydrates 11 g, Fiber 3 g, Fat 15 g, Saturated Fat 6 g, Cholesterol 72 mg, Sodium 592 mg, (Analyzed without beans and with 80 percent lean ground beef)