Award Winning Chili

 Recipe From: Laura

 80’s Flashback!  Chili reminds me of Halloween night when I was a kid. As Grandma Lewis would say, “Are you going Halloweening?”.  ha ha she's cute.  

Maw would cook up some frankenweiners, adding em to that awesome Hormel canned chili.  Mmmm…my kids will never know what they’re missin’ out on.  Lol   um not.   We kids would inhale our chili and beg maw to hurry cuz ya know,we kids’ be off like banshees, collecting our yearly supply of hi fructose laden sweets.    At the end of the night, Dad seemed to snag his favorite delight from each pile.   We’d trade pieces, get rid of what we didn’t like, and eat to our hearts’ content in hopes we’d get to miss school.  lol   Much to my dismay, that mighty immune system of mine was always victorious & up and running like a champ the next day.    So what’s your favorite Halloween candy? Twix and Reese’s have my heart.

 

Ok, now for something that’s even yummier than any Halloween treat.

This simmering pot of scrumptiousness is superb!  A perfect blend of spices to season an array of southwestern ingredients, all so beautifully mingled for a hearty and satisfying award-winning chil-aye!   It’s extra delish when served with cornbread.  

 

Kick it up a notch by setting out a serve-yourself chili bar with fun garnishes such as shredded cheese, green onions or onions, sour cream, avocado, olives, cilantro, tortilla chips, jalapenos, or heck….bring back the 80’s Halloween night with those classic beef franks mixed in.  Oh, what a chili bar! Mmmmm… you’re gonna need a bigger bowl.  

 

From a kiddos point of view— Brooklyn says to use crushed fire roasted tomatoes instead of diced—she no likey chunkies.  She luved the added kick of baaacoonn!

Also, if you have leftovers the next day, there tends to be a bulk of the chili but no liquid. Add in more beef broth to desired consistency.  Heat and enjoy. 

5 strips uncooked bacon chopped

1 large yellow onion diced

1 red pepper diced

3 cloves garlic minced

1 lb ground beef

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 Tablespoon chili powder

1 Tablespoon ancho chili powder (found at F.Meyers)

1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon onion powder

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 1/2 cup beef broth (if you like a more 'liquidy' chili, add more beef broth)

15 oz can dark red kidney beans lightly rinsed and drained

15 oz can black beans lightly rinsed and drained

14.5 oz can diced fire-roasted tomatoes undrained

7- oz can fire roasted green chilis

¼ cup tomato paste

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

Instructions:

 Place chopped (uncooked) bacon in a large pot or Dutch oven and cook over medium heat until crisp and cooked through. Remove bacon to a paper towel-lined plate and drain all but 1 ½ Tablespoons of grease.

Add onion and pepper and cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).

Add beef, breaking apart with a spatula as you cook. Once the meat is partially (about 50%) browned, add sugar and all spices (chili powders, paprika, cumin, onion powder, black pepper, salt, and cayenne pepper) and stir well.

Add all remaining ingredients — beef broth, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, chilis, and Worcestershire sauce — and your cooked bacon and stir well.

Bring to a boil and cook 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Simmer for 30 minutes to allow the flavor to really develop.

Serve with cornbread and garnish with toppings such as sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese, jalapenos, avocados, and chips.

 

Facts, Folklore, and Fun!

 

·         U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson famously loved chili. The White House received so many requests for the family recipe that Lady Bird Johnson, the First lady, had the recipe printed on cards to be mailed out.                                           

 

·         National Chili Day is the fourth Thursday in Feb.

 

·         Chili Con Carne means chili with meat                                                                    

 

·         In 1977 chili was proclaimed the State Food of Texas.

 

·         Cincinnati chili is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti.  Its name evokes comparison to chili con carne, but the two are dissimilar in consistency, flavor, and serving method.

 

·         The first chili cook-off took place in 1967 in Terlingua,TX, a border town about 400 miles west of chili’s alleged birthplace, San Antonio. It ended in a tie between a native Texan and (surprisingly) a New Yorker.

 

·         Chili is often a fav. in cookoffs

 

·     In 1860 the Texas version of bread and water was instead a stew, made from cheap ingredients (fine beef, chiles and spices boiled in water). The “prisoner’s plight” became a status symbol of the Texas prisons. The inmates used to rate jails on the quality of their chili. The Texax prison system made such good chili that the inmates who were released often wrote for the recipe, saying what they missed most after leaving was a really good bowl of chili.

 

·   Chili peppers have been found to prevent certain types of cancer. How? Scientists theorize peppers trigger apoptosis, or cell suicide, which encourages the turnover of cells.  Chili peppers contain carotenoids and flavonoids, which scavenge free radicals in the body.  Free radicals are known to cause cancer.