It's housewarming time.

I love and hate having people over for dinner, mainly because the crazy neurotic part of me takes over. "What if they don't like it? What if it's horrid and I don't like it?! What if I run out of food??? OMG they'll hate me and run away AHH!!!"

This time, I've done it to myself. I'm trying to make (for the first time) an old favorite that Mar introduced me to...Skyline Chili, or Cincinnati style chili. It's this awesome, almost-sweet chili with chocolate and cinnamon served over spaghetti with grated cheddar and oyster crackers...I know it sounds odd, but it's absolutely delicious. Anyways, the recipe suggests making it 3 days ahead...how wonderful is that for party-planning?! So I made it yesterday, and added the yeast before I put it in the fridge but after it sat out in the rain for 2 hours (to cool it without overheating the fridge). When I tasted it this morning, however, I tasted carbon dioxide. That means that the yeast in there is still alive. I have fermenting chili in my fridge, and 15 or so people coming over for dinner Friday night. This is going to be a disaster. Or it's going to be totally awesome. I won't know until Friday.

Here's what I'm mulling:
-The plan was to skim and boil it down on Friday. This should kill the yeast and boil off the carbon dioxide and most of the ethanol that is being produced. Hopefully.
-I could possibly boil it down tonight, though I'm getting home late and leaving early tomorrow morning for a day/nite in Oregon. If I did this, I could assuage my fears by being able to taste the final product, but then I wouldn't sleep much. But who needs sleep when your credibility is on the line?
-If this chili is going to turn out well, why don't more people ferment their soups? Online searching finds a few hippy sites and methods for home distillation. I am not trying to make chili booze here, so this isn't much help...
-It can't be that bad, I only added 2 tsp of molasses and 2 tbsp of brown sugar. Eventually the yeast will run out of food and die, and I can still boil everything else off, although I have no idea what effect the yeast and byproducts will have on the chili. Sour? Umami? It works for bread...
-I wonder why the recipe calls for active dry yeast? Maybe even after 15 tries this guy doesn't know that Brewer's yeast is the type that most people reference when they put yeast in food. Does he mean for it to be alive or dead? I think he meant dead. Why did I assume alive? I wanted to be special! Well now I'll be special! 15 people will know me as the girl who promised chili and couldn't deliver!
-Friday I can make another batch using a less fancy recipe...but then I won't have time to cool it and skim the fat off the top, so it'll be too greasy...

***edit***
I think it'll turn out ok - I tasted it before I left for OR on Thursday and the CO2 was gone, so I think all the yeast is now dead. Going to go home and boil it up tonight before the party - hopefully it won't concentrate the yeast taste...next time I'd add half the yeast.

Thank Goodness for being able to vent the crazy!
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Off the personal neurosis track, I think we should Nix the Farm Bill. No more corn subsidies!