Dinner is (MORE) than ready!

So this happened Friday night while grilling a few things for dinner. One of the scariest sights you will ever see, is a fire on the side of your house that is fueled by propane gas and beyond your control. We felt helpless and could only imagine it catching the house and trees on fire and everything would be gone.

Our son the chef, was cooking dinner for us all and the menu was homemade enchiladas. He makes a tasty cream cream sauce using a grilled pablano pepper and white onion. Those were the only two things on the grill at the time. My son had just put them on and decided to go inside a few minutes and prepare the other ingredients. That decision saved him from harm.

We were all inside the house when my wife heard a loud noise and looked out the window and the grill was engulfed in flames. We grabbed fire extinguishers but the fire was too big. Only a few minutes into the fire, the propane cylinders heated up and started to explode shooting flames 10 feet up like a furnace.

We called 911 and started to clear the house and get out front. Grabbing the two dogs we were met outside with 6 Woodway police. We went next door and alarmed the people on that side of the house. Within minutes flames were shooting up as each cylinder heated and forced gas out the bypass valves. Unfortunately, there were two cylinders under the grill. One open and one closed as a spare.

The Woodway fire department arrived in minutes and had the fire controlled quickly. By that time the forced gas had stopped but everything around it was on fire: the grill, the fence, the tree above, and covers for all my grills.

Here is my take away that I hope and pray everyone reading this will heed:

1. Make sure you have a charged fire extinguisher within reach of your gas grill. Maybe on the patio or porch close by. Check it often for full charge and know how to use it. We had 2 but they were in the house and too far away.
2. Contrary to what others tell you, do not store your extra cylinder with the grill. Store it in a dry safe place away from the grill.
3. With a gas grill, once it becomes engulfed in flames, back off and call 911 and get clear away. A fire extinguisher is of no value on forced gas from a cylinder. Propane cylinders have blow off valves to keep them from exploding. Thank God for whoever designed that feature.
4. When gas grilling, never leave it alone for long periods of time.

The only cause we can figure is a leak in one of the lines or a leak in one for the cylinders. There were only two small items on the grill and that would not cause a fire. This is the very first fire I have ever had a fire of this proportion and it was spooky for sure.

There, you have my safely tips from this experience.

We praise God that my no one was standing in front of the grill when it caught fire. 

We praise God that it did not catch the house on fire. 

We praise God that police and fire departments were there in minutes. 

Comments? 

REAL Texas Caviar

Don't let all those other recipes fool you, there is only one real Texas recipe and I have it. This one has Texas ingredients like cilantro, mango, and of course avocado. I have to say it is really simple to make and will be a hit at any gathering wherever you live. I have to give credit where credit is due so a shout out to Nona my mother-in-law for sharing this with me. She has been making this for many years and so I adopted this one under the Chef Rico name and proud of it. With Nona's help, I first made it for a party of about 30 people and they cleaned out the bowl in no time. So get ready for a great party dip that will be a hit. (not actual picture, but close)

This recipe serves 25 + 

INGREDIENTS 

• 1 - 15 oz can pinto beans
• 1 - 15 oz  can black eyed peas
• 1 - 15 oz can black beans
• 1 - 15 oz can white corn
• 1 - 4 oz can diced jalapenos
• 1 small jar pimentos
• 1 mango fresh ( or 1- 15 oz can chopped)
• 2 - fresh firm avocados 
• 1 - medium size white onion
• 1 - medium size green pepper
• 1/2 cup - olive oil
• 1/4 cup - cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup - sugar
• 3/4 cup fresh cilantro

Preparation
1. Slice and chop the onion small, slice and chop the green pepper small, slice and chop the avocados medium size chunks, and remove stems from the cilantro and barely chop where leaves are in half.

2. Combine the olive oil, cider vinegar, and sugar into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Then remove from the stove and let cool 10 minutes.

3. Drain well with a strainer each can of beans, the can jalapenos, the pimentos, and the corn and then combine into a large mixing bowl.

4. Next add all the ingredients together in the large mixing bowl and stir well. Pour the cooled oil, sugar, and vinegar over the bowl and mix in well. Next sprinkle in the cilantro and mix well together, BUT SAVE some of the cilantro for now.

5. For presentation pour the mixed ingredients into a large decorative dish and now sprinkle the rest of the cilantro over the mixture for color.

There you have it...REAL Texas Caviar from Chef Rico. Set out some large Frito scoops and they will EAT - IT - UP!

Comments? Suggestions?