October 1st: chili

I planned this recipe without planning for it to be a cold, indoorsy sort of day. It just happened to work out perfectly. This chili recipe is one I've been making for years; it is simple to prepare and takes awhile to cook, so you can get the pot going then clean the kitchen (as I did) or relax (as I would have liked to do). It's also mildly spiced, so if you like your food hotter, I recommend adding some red pepper flakes or Tabasco, or spice up your own bowl. It's got loads of flavour though. The original comes from All Recipes, but I've tweaked it over the years to perfection:


Chili

1 pound (454 g) ground beef 1 onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried oregano 1 798 mL can diced tomatoes 1 213 mL can tomato sauce 1 398 mL can kidney beans with liquid

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Combine ground beef, onion and garlic in large stockpot. Cook and stir over medium heat until beef is brown.
2.	Stir in chili powder, salt, oregano, tomatoes and tomato sauce. Heat to boiling, reduce heat to simmer, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
3.	Stir in beans. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

Makes 4 servings.


In tonight's version, I added veggies from our farm box: 1 diced green pepper, added in step 1, and the last of the summer tomatoes, chopped and added in step 2. Delicious additions.


Topped with Cheddar cheese, diced green onion and sour cream, and served with a baguette on the side. Perfect first day of October meal.

Camera batteries died. iphone takes terrible indoor photos. Sigh.