Tasty Tuesday – October 23, 2007

Football season is here! I may not be much of a sports fan, but I can appreciate the fun and camaraderie that sports engender in family and friends. Plus, I love me a good bowl of chili on a cold day while hubby and Little One watch the Bengals.

Now, we live in Cincinnati, which supposedly is famous for chili. Um… right. Cincinnati chili is not real chili as far as I’m concerned. It’s thin and runny and tastes like chocolate and cinnamon. REAL chili is thick and chunky with lots of tomatoes, beans and onions. And boy, is it easy to make. If you can brown hamburger and open cans, then you can make delicious chili. Whip it up on game day, or make it in the crock pot before you leave for work, and come home to a hearty meal. My recipe doesn’t have any real measurements. Just keep adding stuff until you get it how you like it.

Easy Game Day Chili

Ingredients:

• One large onion, diced. More if you’re an onion fan. (If you don’t like onions, skip them. The chili will still taste good!)
• A pound or so of ground beef
• Assortment of canned beans. Get creative here! Try red beans, kidney beans, black beans, garbanzo beans… the more colors and textures, the better!
• Several cans of diced tomatoes
• 1 can of tomato soup
• Green peppers if you like them
• Chili powder
• Salt and pepper
• Cheese, sour cream, oyster crackers, rice, spaghetti noodles, etc. for trimmings,

Directions:

• Brown ground beef, drain and set aside.
• Sautee onions in a little of the beef fat, until tender. If using green peppers, sautee those, too.
• If making your chili in a crock pot, put beef, onions and peppers into the slow cooker. If you’re doing it on the stove, put them in a big pot.
• Start adding beans. Add an assortment until you feel like you’ve got enough. Just remember to drain them first.
• Add tomatoes with juice.
• Add the tomato soup until you get the consistency you like, just don’t add too much, since the chili will thin on its own as it simmers.
• Add chili powder, salt and pepper to taste.
• Cover the chili and let it simmer for at least a half hour. If making in the crock pot, cook it on low heat for the day.
• When ready to serve, ladle over rice or spaghetti for a little more of that “stick to your bones” factor. Top with cheese, sour cream, more chopped onions, oyster crackers, etc.