Chili So Soon

So for the past two mornings we wake up to temperatures in the 40s. Can this be possible in the middle of September? Well, after the year we have had, anything is possible. Thankfully, the forecast looks better towards the end of the week and we may even hit 75!

So after waking up with socks and sweats on, I decided today would be a perfect day to stay home, stay warm and make some chili. We are all certainly used to staying home. I have all the ingredients which means I don‘t even have to take off my sweats, get changed and go to the store. So I now decide this is the perfect Sunday to make chili and read my book.

I have defrosted some ground beef and will use it in my chili. If you prefer a meatless chili just skip this step. In a skillet, with chopped garlic and olive oil, I sauté the ground beef until slightly brown. Don’t forget it will continue to cook in the chili. When this is done, I set it aside and prepare a pot to make chili. Of course, I put more garlic and oil on the bottom of the pot and cook for a few seconds before adding the beef. We can never have enough garlic. Then, after adding beef I add ingredients one at a time to my pot of chili and continue stirring.

Here is a list of ingredients I add to my chili. If you are making meatless, just add these ingredients after sautéing garlic and olive oil for a few minutes.

... 2 cans of chili beans

... 1 can of black beans

.. 1 can of kidney beans

(you can use cannelini beans in place of any beans I added — just personal preference)

1 can (16 oz.) tomato sauce (I use Tuttorosso)

Season with:

. Garlic powder

. minced onion

. Red pepper

. Chili powder

. Frank’s Hot sauce (just 2 tablespoons — more or less to your own preference)

Sometimes, I add chopped tomatoes, red peppers and some leftover meat to chili. During winter I usually save some leftovers with anticipation of making a chili. Be creative. I have used leftover steak, hamburger, fried onions, and even hot dogs. Usually, I try to mix up the beans I use. A good tip is if you have a leftover meat sauce, use that instead of the canned sauce. It will make your chili even more flavorful. I love cooking and I don’t often stick completely to a recipe without adding my own ideas. Thankfully you can do that with cooking (baking not so much).

Put burner on low simmer and keep watching chili. You should cook for at least thirty minutes. I usually prefer to simmer and stir for about an hour.

You are ready to serve chili. This can be done in a few ways. Often, I will make some white rice on the side (or rice of preference). Turn off pot of chili and prepare one bowl at a time for serving.

If using rice just put rice in bottom of bowl, scoop in some chili, and put cheese on top (either shredded or pieces). I prefer cheddar but I have used American, mozzarella and even Monterey Jack in a pinch. Making chili is all about personal taste. After dish is put together, microwave for one minutes.

In fact, if you are trying to not eat carbs you can also use quinoa or farro under the chili before heating each bowl. I always feel better doing that and I do like to change it every time since I do make chili often in the winter. I just didn’t expect to make it in September. I am looking forward to a few days of summer before the fall begins. Then, I can look forward to my pumpkin recipes and pumpkin spice coffee. The fall is wonderful as long as winter doesn’t come. My hopes is that everyone has a milder winter because after being home so much this year we all need to enjoy the outdoors as much as possible. Enjoy your chili and share the recipe.If you are looking for other quick recipes for dinner, check out my other articles on Vocal:

https://vocal.media/feast/stuffed-peppers

and

https://vocal.media/feast/pasta-at-your-service.

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