Crazy Cowboy Candy (aka Candied Jalapeños) & Future Business Leaders in Chicago

The news media is lightning fast to point out every protest, riot and looting across America, on a now all-too-familiar occurrence. Another one of these reprehensible events occurred Monday on Chicago’s famous Magnificent Mile. I refrain from going into the detailed, political circumstances surrounding this latest round of mischievous mayhem, but I will say it’s sad. Extremely sad. And on so many levels, affecting so many hard-working people. If you aren’t familiar with this part of Chicago, or the city at all, chances are you’ve heard a song about it.

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It’s pretty safe to say over 400 songs are written about The Windy City. Ranging from blues to rock, and every genre in between, you’ve probably heard one…Paper Lace’s pop hit “The Night Chicago Died” (1974). “In the Ghetto” by soulful Elvis Presley (1969). The Chicago Bears’ schtick “Super Bowl Shuffle” (1985). But without a doubt, two classic standards are harmonious with The Second City–Frank Sinatra’s “Chicago” (1957) and “My Kind of Town” (1965).

Let me present some lesser known songs written about Chicago:

• Funky “We’re All Crazy in Chicago” by Johnny and the Leisure Suits (1986)
• Bluesy-rock “Jesus Just Left Chicago” from ZZ Top (1980)
• Disco powerhouses, The Bee Gees, “Living in Chicago” (1973)
• “Something From Nothing” by grunge-rockers, Foo Fighters (2014)
• Graham Nash’s anti-war and anti-violence anthem “Chicago/We Can Change the World” (minus Crosby and Stills in 1971)

If there was a soundtrack for the looting by multitudes of maligned millennials and aftermath from a community craving normalcy, this could be it. With the most recent lawlessness, Chicago’s already crippled tourism industry, thanks to COVID-19, is being impacted even more.

In 2015, a handful of Future Business Leaders of America students from our little Wyoming town, including Son A, qualified to go to the National FBLA Conference in The Windy City. Students arranged their travel plans, while polishing up their presentations for the conference. A few weeks before the big event, the only major component missing was a chaperone. The sponsor was unavailable, and unless someone rogered up, the kids wouldn’t get to go. With some guilting, Son A convinced me to do it. My arm really didn’t need a lot of twisting, but I was leery of trekking off to Chicago with other people’s kids for obvious reasons.

Purchasing cheap (and I mean really cheap) flights was crucial to this trip happening. The FBLA team’s fundraising efforts quickly decided this! Flying out of the nearest major airport 1-1/2 hours away was clearly out of the budget. But a 7 AM flight out of Denver, Colorado (8 hours away) was. For a 17-year-old travel planner, this is a winner-winner! For the chaperone, told after plans were booked and paid for, this is a “what are you thinking” moment!

After checking into the hotel and conference, the rest of the trip was actually really enjoyable! The kids attended seminars and workshops, and presented at their qualifying events. They didn’t placed nationally, but embraced sight-seeing in the big city! Since we were a team, we all took one for the team by visiting places that weren’t necessary on our visiting wish lists. Here were the top 5 sites of this visit.

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5. Chicago Art

For 1/3 of the kids and myself, seeing the art in Chicago was amazing! From street sculptures like Alexander Calder’s Flamingo sculpture (as seen in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) to Cloud Gate (aka “The Bean) and Millennium Park’s Crown Fountain featuring 1,000 LED faces. The Art Institute of Chicago alone is a chasm of priceless art from artists like Monet, van Gogh, and Georgia O’Keefe. And let’s not forget the street performers working each and every street corner!

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4. U-505 at The Museum of Science and Industry

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3. Willis Tower and Navy Pier

The majority of our little group was impressed with these iconic Mud City locations. Standing above the city below on the Skydeck at the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) freaked a couple of us out! It was the tallest office building (110 stories and 1,729 feet tall at the tip) in the Western Hemisphere until 2014. It is now the third tallest building in the United States, behind One World Trade Center and Central Park Tower in New York City. Riding the ferris wheel at Navy Pier, listening to music, and taking in amazing waterfront views of Lake Michigan were also well-received by the teenage trio. They even recited the HOMES acronym to remember the Great Lakes!

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2. Amazing Food Choices

Besides sleep, food is high on the priority list for teens, especially two teenage boys. We basically ate our way up and down Chicago…Garrett’s caramel and cheddar popcorn mix, Sprinkles Cupcake ATM, Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, Sugar Bliss’ macaroons, Giordano’s stuffed pizza, enormous banana splits at The Museum of Science and Industry… You get the idea!

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1. Toss-Up! Chicago River Architecture Tour v. Water Tower Place Shopping

If you ask the terrific trio, they’ll say the best part of visiting Chicago was the Water Tower Place shopping mall. After all, they were teenagers in a big city and Water Tower Place has over 100 stores including the Dr. Seuss and Lego stores. But it’s amusing to this chaperone that they wanted to visit stores we had back home.

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But if you ask me, the best part of this visit was the Chicago River Architecture Tour. Our specific tour with the Wyoming FBLA group included the Lake Michigan Navy Pier cruise. Not only did we learn about the history along the Chicago River and it’s amazing buildings, but we sailed through the locks out into Lake Michigan to see the city skyline. Simply amazing and highly recommended for your next visit to the Windy City!

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To paraphrase Ol’ Blue Eyes, Chicago and it’s incredible sites like the one above makes it “my kind of town!”

Candied jalapeño recipes aren’t new, but they seemed like the perfect fit for this post. And recycling the name “Cowboy Candy” seemed like a perfect homage to my beloved Cowboy State, Wyoming! You can find a wide assortment of Cowboy Candy recipes on the www, but the combination of sweet spices like ginger and allspice, with savory garlic and turmeric and tangy chili powder in my recipe works perfect for our pepper loving palates.

Is your mind percolating with ways to use either of these pickled peppers yet? Here’s some ideas:

• Layer on a sandwich, pita, or wrap.
• Top on nachos or tacos.
• Spice up your favorite cornbread, or use my Classic Cornbread recipe, by adding 2 to 4 tablespoons of diced peppers to the batter. Either pickled pepper recipe works great!
• Make a snappy appetizer by pouring 1 cup of Crazy Cowboy Candy over a block of cream cheese and serve with butter crackers.
• Drizzle Crazy Cowboy Candy syrup over ice cream or fresh fruit.
• Sprinkle The Hubby’s Pickled Jalapeños brine over a mixed salad as a zesty, low-calorie dressing.
• Perk up pork or chicken by marinading in 1-1/2 to 2 cups of The Hubby’s Pickled Jalapeños brine in Spicy Chicken Strips with Jalapeño Buttons.
• Cocktails! Use the syrup or brine in our Sweet and Spicy Margaritas or the Jalatini Cocktail (a jalapeno martini).

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Both recipes are extremely easy and quick to make! The most time-consuming part is slicing the jalapeños into 1/4-inch slices. Be sure to wear gloves if you are sensitive to the fiery capsaicin found in the pepper’s seeds and white membranes. After a slight cook, both pepper versions store in the chill chest for up to 3 months.

Feel free to use any variety and combination of hot peppers to suit your heat preferences. We particularly like Thai Dragon peppers! On that fiery note, here’s to more spicy adventures and eats!

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