Friday, September 17, 2010

Ode to Chili

When I was editing the pictures you see in this post, my husband called me a nerd!  It's true...I am a nerd...and proud of it!  So here is my first "nerd" post I guess!

It has been getting pretty chilly in Minnesota lately!  Of course, what I call chilly now will be down right warm in a few months!  But I digress.  Since it is getting chilly around here, that means a few different things: Fall is coming, football season has begun, and it's time for chili!!!  Chili has been a staple dish in my family for as long as I can remember and we would usually have it on Sunday nights while we watched the Vikings play football.  I have a lot of good memories of fun times with friends and family with chili as the meal.

So we bought a few pounds of hamburger one day and were trying to figure out what different meals we could make with it.  I remembered seeing a coworker having some homemade chili at work one night and I knew that I wanted to make some chili as well.  So we decided to start the chili the morning after one of my overnight shifts.  It was perfect since I could throw all the ingredients together and let it cook while I slept.  So I started out by browning the beef with the onion and green and orange peppers.

Browing the beef, onion, and peppers

Once the beef was cooked, I drained the fat and tossed it all in the crock pot.  I then added kidney and black beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and a packet of chili seasoning.

All the ingredients in the crock-pot

I stirred it all together, put the top on, and went up to bed!  I swear, within about 15 minutes of cook time, the wonderful smell of chili was filling the house!  I woke up a couple of times during the day and the smell of chili greeted me every time!  If I wasn't so tired, I probably would've eaten right then and there!  I finally woke up for good, but there was one more thing to make before I could have my chili: rice!  It seems like every one has a different way they eat chili.  One of my friends eats chili with a piece of bread with grape jelly on it!  My family eats chili with rice mixed in and it is amazing!

Once the rice was cooked, I piled some chili on top of my bed of rice, sprinkled on some cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and some tortilla chips (for just a bit of crunch).

The final product!

It was delicious!  I know chili is a simple meal, but it's one I really enjoy making and enjoy eating even more!

4 comments:

  1. great post! and i don't think you're a nerd, not one bit...you're just honest, chilli is awesome.

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  2. I see you have added your own touch to the family recipe; peppers.

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  3. Thanks Zach!

    Mom: I didn't think about adding peppers till one of my coworkers suggested it last year. It adds something a little extra texture and, if you leave some of the seeds in, a little extra spice to the chili that we both really like!

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