Lori C. Aronsohn

BLACK BEAN & LEFT-OVER BEEF CHILI

Recipe from the kitchen of me, Lori Aronsohn

1 - 15 oz can Trader Joe’s Cuban style black beans

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

7 oz. can chipotles in adobo sauce

1 small yellow onion, diced

1 T. olive oil

4 slice bacon, cut up

1.5 T. chili powder

2 tsp ground cumin

1.5 to 2 lbs left-over beef pot roast, shredded.

kosher salt

fresh ground black pepper

2 - 15 oz cans black beans

Empty can of Trader Joe’s Cuban style black beans, can of diced tomatoes and their juices, one medium chipotle and all the adobo sauce into food processor. (Reserve remaining chipotle for mean-spirited garnish). Process until smooth and set aside.

Heat oil in large heavy-duty pot over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add onion and cook for two minutes. Add diced bacon, cook until onion is translucent and starts to brown and bacon approaches limp doneness. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in chili powder and cumin. Stir in beef. Salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring repeatedly, until warm.

Add pureed bean mixture. Add 2 cans of black beans. Cook and stir till simmering.

Cover and simmer for at least an hour.

Serve with sour cream and grated cheese and cornbread.

Oh, and the remaining chipotles.

Enjoy!

Lori's Rant, September 8, 2010:

June 2010, I decided that I was paying too much to watch TV via DirecTV. With competitors such as Dish Network and Time Warner Cable offering introductory packages less expensive than what I, DirecTV's so-called "loyal customer" was required to pay, not to mention the availability of free, High Definition TV off antenna that provides even better HD quality than what I receive from satellite, AND with so many of my favorite programs available free online, I approached DirecTV with a proposal to either lower my bill, or see me leave.

I spoke to a salesperson who offered to help me. I was willing to work this out with him and was helpful, mind you. I suggested possible promotions that I might be eligible for. I work in the entertainment industry? I’m a member of Costco? His first offer was for me to change my package, which would mean losing several of the few channels I watch. Taking into account all the ‘promotions’ going on, he proclaimed this new rate was the best he could offer. I turned down that offer. I made it clear that I didn’t like his packages. I couldn’t care less about sports channels, or game channels or foreign language channels or most of the movie channels. I have Netflix! If he couldn’t work with me to provide me with reasonable programming at a reasonable price, I was willing to bundle up DirecTV's receivers and satellite dish and send them back to their mysterious makers. The rep then had some kind of 'epiphany', and came up with a more attractive offer, which I eventually agreed to. One of the terms of the agreement was that I would sign on for ‘direct bill pay’.

I wasn’t born yesterday, so I took copious notes during this conversation, skeptical that the deal we agreed to would come out as promised. I made a record of all that was included in the offer, down to how many receivers, what channels, etc. I gave him my credit card number for direct payment. After hanging up, I congratulated myself for standing up for myself and not continuing to be ripped off by the big, sequestered corporation.

A month and a half later I received my credit card statement in the mail. I noted my first DirecTV 'direct payment' -- it was $9 more than promised. I immediately went online and found that the next monthly payment was $17 more than promised. My monthly payment was growing!!! Monthly! Now, mind you, I read back this 'deal' to the representative over the phone on that day in June and established without a doubt that the understanding was that I would be paying exactly $85 plus tax of approximately 49 cents each month for a year.

Furious, I phoned customer service and over the course of a few days was referred from one representative to the representative’s manager to a specialist for “special handling” via telephone and Internet. Stoically putting one foot in front of the other, thinking that I was getting somewhere with emails and phone messages providing me with new phone numbers to call, using special, limited-time codes to make the call go through, I soon realized that I'd been dealing with the same department all along. DirecTV had taken the concept of giving customers the run around to new heights. No representative who can be reached by a customer has any power to do anything for me.

In the end, the only path to a possible resolution was for me to send a letter in the mail to the Office of the President at DirecTV via a P. O. Box in Greenwood Village, Colorado. And to then cross my fingers and wait. Which is what I did on August 26, 2010. I'm still waiting. There is no way to reach this office by telephone or by email. I have complete email transactions of what has taken place thus far and would just love it if this could be resolved in a public way to point out to the world what crooks they are at DirecTV. Any thoughts people?