Chili recipe that 4/5's of the family like
Crafting a pot full of hearty of chili for dinner in early February seems almost de rigeur; that temperatures Monday and Tuesday when I made a pot of hearty chili that we consumed rose to 60 degrees definitely detracts from the tableau in my mind of a perfect winter meal :).
I've tried various chili recipes over the years. Many of the recipes were ok but they weren't fantastic or ones that I pined to make again. All of the chili eaters in our house like Wendy's chili so I've made variations of copy cat Wendy's chili that I've found online. Interestingly, though not really surprisingly, all of the Wendy's chili copy cat recipes that I've read are not the same. The recipe that I'm writing about in this post is a Wendy's chili copy cat recipe. However, I don't think it tastes a lot like Wendy's chili. Rather, it's just good tasting chili.
I'm including a link to the recipe here. I've made several changes that suit our personal tastes. As with any recipe that includes a number of spices in it, changing the amount that the recipes calls for is one of the most impactful ways to "personalize" it and make it your own. For instance, the original recipe calls for a mere two teaspoons of cumin. That's at least two tablespoons too little of cumin for my liking. So, I increase the amount of cumin to make it equal to the amount of chili powder.
Here is the recipe as I make it:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 29- ounce can of tomato sauce
2- 15 ounce cans of kidney beans (with liquid)
2- 15 ounce cans of pinto beans (with liquid)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
3 Tablespoons ground cumin
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups of water
Directions: Place onion, celery and meat in a skillet over medium heat and brown the meat. Drain off excess fat.
Add the meat, celery and onion to a large crock pot. Add all of the other ingredients.
Cook on the low setting of the crock pot for about two hours, stirring occasionally.
Ladle in bowls and enjoy the chili with any number of toppings from cilantro to cheese to sour cream. Tastes great with tortilla chips (but then again what doesn't taste great with tortilla chips???) too. I've enjoyed eating it with corn bread. However, no one else in my family likes corn bread and the last thing I need is an 8 x 8 pan of cornbread for myself so I've stopped making cornbread as a side.
Here are a few notes about the recipe:
1. The meat need not be all beef. I've subbed 1 lb turkey for 1 of the pounds of beef. It could probably all be made with turkey. I personally like the flavor of beef a lot so I wouldn't go that far but you definitely could.
2. The original recipe doesn't call for this to be a crock pot recipe. I've always used my crock pot and not the stove. Just simmer everything in a large pot if using the stove (brown the meat first).
3. I add the water last. I place the two cups of water in the empty tomato sauce can and then pour the water from the tomato sauce can into the crock pot. Some of the sauce that originally stayed in the can comes out when the water is combined with it. It's just a way to use every bit of the sauce that I can.
4. Speaking of water, you'll likely need to add a little water if you have leftovers (and you will unless you're making this for a large gathering) that you want to heat up the next day.
The pickiest and littlest Rineer does not like chili- any kind of chili in any form whatsoever. I don't make her eat it (it's too good to be wasted on someone who doesn't like it and the thought of hearing her complain after taking minuscule bites and asking if she could be done would detract from my enjoyment of the meal too much :)). Sometimes I know in advance that she's going to be missing a meal at our house and that's a time when I'll make this chili. The recipe lasts for two meals so there's generally one meal that she'll be with us when we have it. I find something quick and easy for her and don't sweat her dislike of the chili.
Not the greatest pictures in the world- this chili tastes better than I can photograph it
Tuesday...
Oh, well, the chili was still good no matter what the temperature was.
I've tried various chili recipes over the years. Many of the recipes were ok but they weren't fantastic or ones that I pined to make again. All of the chili eaters in our house like Wendy's chili so I've made variations of copy cat Wendy's chili that I've found online. Interestingly, though not really surprisingly, all of the Wendy's chili copy cat recipes that I've read are not the same. The recipe that I'm writing about in this post is a Wendy's chili copy cat recipe. However, I don't think it tastes a lot like Wendy's chili. Rather, it's just good tasting chili.
I'm including a link to the recipe here. I've made several changes that suit our personal tastes. As with any recipe that includes a number of spices in it, changing the amount that the recipes calls for is one of the most impactful ways to "personalize" it and make it your own. For instance, the original recipe calls for a mere two teaspoons of cumin. That's at least two tablespoons too little of cumin for my liking. So, I increase the amount of cumin to make it equal to the amount of chili powder.
Here is the recipe as I make it:
2 lbs of ground beef
1 29- ounce can of tomato sauce
2- 15 ounce cans of kidney beans (with liquid)
2- 15 ounce cans of pinto beans (with liquid)
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced celery
3 Tablespoons ground cumin
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons ground pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 cups of water
Directions: Place onion, celery and meat in a skillet over medium heat and brown the meat. Drain off excess fat.
Add the meat, celery and onion to a large crock pot. Add all of the other ingredients.
Cook on the low setting of the crock pot for about two hours, stirring occasionally.
Ladle in bowls and enjoy the chili with any number of toppings from cilantro to cheese to sour cream. Tastes great with tortilla chips (but then again what doesn't taste great with tortilla chips???) too. I've enjoyed eating it with corn bread. However, no one else in my family likes corn bread and the last thing I need is an 8 x 8 pan of cornbread for myself so I've stopped making cornbread as a side.
Here are a few notes about the recipe:
1. The meat need not be all beef. I've subbed 1 lb turkey for 1 of the pounds of beef. It could probably all be made with turkey. I personally like the flavor of beef a lot so I wouldn't go that far but you definitely could.
2. The original recipe doesn't call for this to be a crock pot recipe. I've always used my crock pot and not the stove. Just simmer everything in a large pot if using the stove (brown the meat first).
3. I add the water last. I place the two cups of water in the empty tomato sauce can and then pour the water from the tomato sauce can into the crock pot. Some of the sauce that originally stayed in the can comes out when the water is combined with it. It's just a way to use every bit of the sauce that I can.
4. Speaking of water, you'll likely need to add a little water if you have leftovers (and you will unless you're making this for a large gathering) that you want to heat up the next day.
The pickiest and littlest Rineer does not like chili- any kind of chili in any form whatsoever. I don't make her eat it (it's too good to be wasted on someone who doesn't like it and the thought of hearing her complain after taking minuscule bites and asking if she could be done would detract from my enjoyment of the meal too much :)). Sometimes I know in advance that she's going to be missing a meal at our house and that's a time when I'll make this chili. The recipe lasts for two meals so there's generally one meal that she'll be with us when we have it. I find something quick and easy for her and don't sweat her dislike of the chili.
Not the greatest pictures in the world- this chili tastes better than I can photograph it
The line or ring above the chili is there because I took these pictures on leftover day of eating the chili.
This was my bowl of chili for lunch today after having it for dinner the previous two nights. I don't get sick of it...
...the addition of this good stuff takes the chili to a whole new level. I'm eating the cheese for the calcium, really, not because it makes the chili irresistibly decadent and delicious. Well, ok, for that reason, too.
This was a screenshot of my phone's Weatherbug app that I took on Monday. I realize that the date isn't displayed so I could have taken this picture on a random day in late April when this kind of weather would have been normal. But, trust me, I took it on Monday.
Tuesday...
Oh, well, the chili was still good no matter what the temperature was.
Comments
Post a Comment