January 03, 2005

Merri's Chili for a Chilly Day

Today was a pretty bad weather day - sleet causing very icy conditions - and we've got more coming - they are predicting more sleet tomorrow and then 6-12" of snow on Wednesday - UGH! How do I warm up my hubby, the mail carrier, after a long day of carrying mail in this crud? I know what you may be thinking, but let's stick with food....hehehe. Honestly, chili is one of his favorite meals on a day like today. Here's my "quick to put together" recipe that tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), two turns around a frying pan
1 medium yellow onion, chopped into small pieces
3 garlic cloves, crushed and chopped
1 pound of lean ground beef or chuck (or venison, for those of you who have a hunter hubby)
Kosher salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
A couple of glugs of beer (optional)
2 cans of Bush's Best Chili Beans
1 can of Bush's "Chili Magic" (I use "Traditional" but any flavor will do)
1 can of tomato sauce
1 tablespoon (or to taste) of dark chili powder

Instructions:

Place a frying pan over high heat, coat with two turns of EVOO and toss in the onion and garlic, stirring and cooking until they are slighly opaque and tender. Break up the ground meat into the frying pan and add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Throw in a couple of glugs of beer, if you like (the alcohol cooks out, leaving a nice concentrated flavor). Drain the fat off of the meat and veggie combination.

In a larger pot, put the chili beans, Chili Magic and tomato sauce, gently mixing. Add the meat and onions, as well as the chili powder (at this point I also add more red pepper flake and any additional salt/pepper if needed). Heat through on medium heat, stirring occasionally.

ENJOY - and I hope the weather is treating you better where you are!