If you were wondering, last Saturday I had this particular situation come up. I knew that a group of guys, including my boyfriends little brother, were going to be over to play cards and have a few beverages. I knew I didn’t have what I needed in the fridge/freezer to make something without hitting the grocery, so I had to come up with something I could quickly shop for and cook. My light bulb came on and bada bing, I saw chili. So everyone makes their chili differently, and we all know there aren’t true measurements when making a soup, or at least you do now. We like our chili with LOTS of fresh onion and chili powder. I really don’t think you can add too much of either honestly. The first thing I do is slightly brown hamburger with some onions, salt and pepper. While this is happening, I start a big pot for the soup part chili and add the following ingredients: more onion (to your liking), water, ketchup (I know, you have probably never heard of this, but TRUST ME), red & black beans, red pepper flakes (to your liking), lots of chili powder, several generous squirts of Worcestershire sauce, green pepper chunked and diced jalapeno. Stir all of this together and bring to a boil. Once your hamburger is slightly browned, drain the grease off to save a few calories, and add it to the big pot of broth and beans. Bring to a boil and simmer for 1.5-2 hours or until your desired thickness is achieved. NOTE: I just squirt the ketchup out of the bottle and keep tasting until it’s to my liking. Same thing with chili powder. I also add a little garlic salt for flavor. The key is to keep tasting the chili! I cannot stress this enough!
I like to add a little Ohio flare to my chili, and it was a hit when I introduced it to my Chicago friends…spaghetti noodles! Boil your spaghetti noodles until tender. Place them in a bowl or on a plate, cover with chili, cheese and crackers if you like, and voila, you have another delicious meal! You can also have chili the 1st day and create chili spaghetti for leftovers the next. That’s what Rory and I always do anyway.
The chili I made over the weekend was a hit and got tons of compliments! So much that I think I am entering a chili cookoff on March 20th! Until next time…keep your pot simmering.
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds hamburger
1 large yellow or purple onion
1-1.5 cup ketchup (approx…to taste)
1 large can black beans
1 large can red beans
chili powder to taste (more is better!)
red pepper flakes
1 small jalapeno or jalapeno sauce
salt & lots of pepper
Worcestershire sauce
Dash of garlic salt
Crackers
Shredded yellow cheese
1 box spaghetti noodles
