Cold + Snow = Chili

Well, the "white blanket of doom" has covered our area. We received about 1/4 in of ice and then 2 or 3 inches of snow Friday afternoon and evening. The roads were a mess, it took my son 2 hours to get home from work on Friday. A trip that usually takes him about 20 to 30 minutes. Cars and trucks weren't able to get on the entrance ramps to the highways because they were so slick, everyone was sliding. Even slight hills throughout the city were causing problems for drivers. As I've said we, here in the Upper South don't do well with snow, but when ice is added to the mix, it becomes a nightmare.

Since this was a cold  snowy weekend, what better time to make a big pot of chili. I must say that it sure tasted good after I was out shoveling snow yesterday. You may ask why my son didn't shovel snow? He would have if I'd asked him, but since it wasn't really a lot, I look upon it as a good way to get some exercise, so I really don't mind. Now, if it had been 7 or 8 inches, yeah, he would have done it.

Yummy......

Now I know that there is one ingredient in this picture, maybe even two, that could be controversial, but just go with me on this.

Chili can be a touchy subject, depending on what part of the country that you live in. Some say that "true" chili should be just meat and sauce, some say no to beans, spices are different depending on where you live and then there is the pasta. Most people say a big NO to pasta, but around here, maybe not most, but a whole lot of people add spaghetti to their chili. This is the way we had chili in school, it's how my family made it and every church chili supper I ever went to fixed it this way.

First I browned 2 lbs. of ground chuck.

After draining any excess grease, I then add quite a bit of chili powder, about 1/2 of the 3oz bottle, sometimes even a little more.

I then dice up a large onion. I like lots of onions and not little teeny tiny pieces either, pieces I can see.

This time I even added several dashes of cayenne pepper and a couple of squirts of tomato paste. Just for a little extra oommpf.

Then it's just a matter of dumping everything else in, the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce, the can of chili beans. I also filled the empty cans of tomato sauce and chili beans with water to add some liquid to the chili. I ended up only using 1/2 the can of black beans. Stir it all together and let it  simmer for a couple of hours.

(those yellow pieces in the chili look like corn but it's not, it's pieces of onions)

After it has simmered for a couple of hours, bring it to a boil and then add the spaghetti. I break the spaghetti into 1/3's. How much you put in is up to you, some people like it with lots and lots of spaghetti, me, not so much. I don't put in a whole lot, just enough so you know it's there.

Let it cook til the pasta is al dente then take it off the fire. It will continue to cook for a few more minutes after that. The spaghetti tends to soak up some of the liquid and you may have to add a little more water.

Ta dah!! A steaming, yummy pot of chili.

Even how you eat chili can be a tricky subject.  I grew up eating chili with a peanut butter sandwich or peanut butter and crackers. Some people eat it with grilled cheese sandwiches, which is good also. It can also be served with condiments like sour cream, shredded cheese, corn chips, lime wedges and cilantro. Then there are the people who eat it with saltine crackers and they smash lots of crackers into their chili til it soaks up almost all the juice. Not me though.

The majority of the time I like to eat my chili with just saltine crackers. I don't want to soak them in the chili, I like to dip them in and scoop up a little chili on the cracker and then eat it. That way the cracker is still crisp.

It's interesting how many ways there are to make chili and how many ways there are to eat chili. I hope you will try my chili, I think you will like it. There's nothing better on a cold, snowy day.


Enjoy

Kathy