Mom Says Just One Bite!: Chili

Yesterday was a busy day, so I needed one of those quick, throw together, as little food prep as possible, one pot, cook yourself type meals. Definitely sounds like chili night! Tyler had early release from school and soccer practice plus I needed to fit in a trip to Kroger which I normally try to do on Wednesday mornings when Brenna has preschool and I only have to drag Aiden and Ethan with me. Since I was out of commission Wednesday, the trip to Kroger was made yesterday instead with all 3 little ones in tow. Taking 3 children grocery shopping when you only have two arms is interesting to say the least, but thank goodness for Kroger and their super cool car shaped shopping carts. Aiden and Brenna can sit up front and pretend to race cars so I don't have to worry about Brenna running off while I'm checking out the produce section. Ethan can sit happily in his carrier in the large part of the cart and stare at the fluorescent lighting above. I get the awesome task of trying to strategically utilize as much possible space in the top little part of the shopping cart and bottom flat part of the cart without anything falling out!!

Growing up, chili was one of the standard weekly meals we had. Dinner time was always one of the most consistent things at my house. Tacos, chili, goulash, spaghetti, pizza from a take out place, chicken cooked in mushroom gravy, hamburgers, stir fry, chicken cutlets and some type of meat cooked well well well WELL done. Sure there were other things thrown in here and there, but this was pretty much the standard weekly menu.  Of course now it provides me and my brothers a topic of humor on the rare occasions we are all together sitting around reminiscing about the good old days, but at the time, it wasn't quite a laughing matter!! Don't get me wrong though, I am extremely thankful I had a mom who at least would cook for us and for the most part is a fabulous cook! I'm just saying a TINY bit more variety would have been appreciated...and by that I mean appreciated 20 years later. At the time I am sure we would have been ungrateful and complained anyway. So kudos to you Mom for standing your ground and always managing to put a delicious meal on the table...monotonous or not.

I always liked helping my mom make chili, but I wasn't a fan of actually eating it. She put mushrooms in it, served it over rice and I hated almost every kind of bean...especially the KIDNEY bean. It just looked weird and was named after a body part!! I would eat it this way now because not only do I love mushrooms and pretty much any type of bean, I also have realized the value of rice as a really good and inexpensive filler when needing to stretch a meal out.  I probably thought my mom was serving the rice for flavor without recognizing that white rice really doesn't have a flavor! She was just doing it to afford feeding 5 people...something I now find myself trying to do. Funny how history sometimes repeats itself!!

When I was pregnant with Tyler, I craved Wendy's chili. I ate it almost every day for lunch...no joke!! Probably part of the reason why I gained a whopping 65 lbs during that pregnancy. I might as well have been carrying twins!! After I had him, I realized just how much and how quickly a baby financially drains you and with that first realization came the second one of not exactly being able to afford to buy it as often (or ever for that matter)...and that was back when chili was still on the dollar menu!!  On top of that I really dislike how inconsistent their chili is. Sometimes it is nice and thick, but other times it is really runny! You never know what you're going to get until after you order and pay for it!! So I set out to create my own "Wendy's-like" chili. Over the years I think I've come pretty close. I know Wendy's has celery in theirs, which I don't put in mine, but it is close enough to keep me from spending the extra money on fast food. You can make it using beef or turkey and adjust the spice level to your liking. I personally prefer a very mild chili. I thought to myself, well I' don't have the little red headed girl in pigtails, but I do have the chili...what if...(INSERT DREAM SEQUENCE MUSIC HERE)....

Brendy, Aidendy, Tylendy and Ethendy...Nah!

Brendy with Junior Chili, Small Chili and Large Chili...closer, but probably not. Still needs some more work...

Chili

1 1/2 lb ground beef or turkey (I personally like the Jennie-O lean ground turkey the best which is sold in 1.25 lb packages)
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 packet mild chili seasoning (I use the McCormick brand because they have no added MSG in it. You can also get a spicier chili packet if you prefer)
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 16 oz can chili beans in mild sauce (I use the Bush's brand. I have used other brands and generic store brands, but I will spend the extra quarter because I really like the taste of the Bush's brand the best! I mean they don't call them Bush's Best Beans for nothing!! They also make the chili beans in a "hot" sauce if you prefer a spicier chili)
1 16 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed (doesn't matter if they are dark or light)
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
**I personally like to eat mine over lettuce with shredded cheese and crushed tortilla chips on top...kind of like a taco salad. I also love my chili leftovers served the next day over french fries and covered with cheese. Chili Cheese Fries...mmmmmm!

Brown meat over medium-high heat with the diced onions. Once browned, drain the grease. Since I used lean turkey I didn't have any grease to drain. Yeah!

Add the diced green pepper and continue to sautee over medium high heat for another 3 - 5 mins.

Remainining ingredients.

Add the spice packet and additional spices. Allow to cook for another minute, stirring constantly. Cooking the spices directly over the heat allows the flavors to be released more easily.