I spent the morning in the basement trying to organize some clutter (I have a long way to go) and came across my tubs of fall decor. And even though it’s not technically fall yet, I decided to decorate early. And if you are going to decorate for fall, you might as well make some chili. Did I mention Jay was also watching the first football games of the season?
I also found some leftover fall cocktail napkins when I was unpacking the tubs, which lead to the organizing of all my cocktail napkins. I have a touch of what some would call OCD but I actually love that part of myself and consider it one of my best qualities- until I am up at 3am trying to organize my cabinets.
As I get older, I have the attention span of a squirrel and often find myself falling into rabbit holes. Today is a good example: basement clean up led to fall decorating, napkin organization and chili.
I have never made the same chili twice. I always find myself looking in the cabinet for things to add. The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond, has what I consider to be the perfect basic chili recipe. I always start with that and then add in whatever feels right in my heart. Yes, I could make up my own chili recipe, but why reinvent the wheel?
The recipe cards I include in my posts are my real recipe cards and as you can see, this is the basic chili recipe with no real directions, complete with food stains on the card.
The most important part of chili is the toppings. Today, I lined up sour cream, onions, jalapenos, shredded cheese, lime wedges and chips. At the last minute, I decided to add tater tots. I crisped them in the oven on a large baking sheet and tossed in this pan to serve.
If you are feeding a crowd, double or triple the recipe. And for a crowd I like to make a pot of spicy chili and a pot of not so spicy chili. Tonight this pot of chili fed 6 adults and a few of those adults had multiple helpings. I was looking forward to chili left overs because it freezes beautifully, but there was none. And that is the best compliment I could receive.
Pair this with sweet tea or ice cold beer.
Chili
Ingredients
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 15 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
1 can Rotel tomatoes with chilis
Directions
Brown the hamburger meat and drain. In a large pot, saute the onions for a few minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add all the spices and mix with the onions and garlic. Toss in the spices and mix well. Add the hamburger meat and the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to a simmer, usually low, and cover for at least an hour stirring occasionally. You can simmer it much longer, but at least an hour.
Make this recipe your own. Bump up the heat with red pepper flakes, add different types of beans or omit the beans, add a spicy sausage or use ground turkey or chicken. Don’t settle for the recipe and listen to your heart. If you want more chili powder and cumin, add it. If you love garlic, add more.
