Adventures in the Kitchen — Cooking!

Wondering what the word kitchen actually means, I looked it up in the dictionary. It means cooking room. Who’d have thought? I thought it was an extension of the craft room. Of course I knew you could also cook there …

OK, I’m hoodwinking you here. But I really did look it up and that really is what kitchen means.

Chili today, hot tamale

I’m getting more forgetful these days, so I decided to write down my simple recipe for chili. (Can’t ever remember how many cans of stuff to bring up from the basement.)

Basic Mild Chili

1 large or 2 small onions, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped

Cook in safflower (or other) oil till nearly translucent (5-10 min.) Add:

1.5 lb ground beef
Salt, if desired

Cook till beef is nearly done (just a bit of pink in a few places). Remove excess grease (use paper towels). Add:

1.5 packets McCormick Mild Chili Seasoning
1 large (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1 medium (14.5 oz.) can petite-cut tomatoes
4 @ 15 oz. cans beans (kidney, pinto, black, and chili mix—not the seasoned chili beans, though it probably doesn’t matter), juice included
1/2 – 3/4 cup water (rinse one can and pour water back and forth from can to can to get every drop and bean)

Bring to a boil, simmer about 20 min.

This makes a large amount of chili, so you won’t have to cook again for several days … couple of weeks?

Freeze leftovers.