Cooking 4 Dummies: Left overs Chili

All seasonings are dried not fresh for ease of use… If you’ve not seen my recipes before I like easy to make, goof proof recipes. My spelling might be off as I’ve not gone back to the kitchen to make sure I’ve spelled things correctly (call me lazy…).

This is a non spicy chili recipe.

Ingredients:

Half a package of thick sliced bacon (frozen)
2lbs of ground beef (low fat %)
1 white onion
left over fried chicken (two or three pieces)
Minced Garlic (yes the kind in a jar…)
1 packet of chili seasoning mix
1 can of pinto beans (not refried but straight up pinto beans can use kidney or red beans if you so choose as well)
1 12oz can diced tomatoes (del monte makes one with garlic and onions that I use myself)
1 8oz can of tomatoe sauce
ground cumin
ground corriander
chopped ciliantro
season salt
celery salt

Do not drain grease unless there is a step that tells you to do so.

Take frozen bacon and cut up into pieces. Put into pot you have decided to make your chili in. Fry off bacon until crisp and brown (they will go softer later so don’t worry about crunchy bacon in your chili).

While bacon is frying chop up your white onion. Once bacon is done add onions to bacon. Add about a spoonful of minced garlic as well and cook until onions start to go “clear”. This should be done on a slightly lower heat than you fried the bacon to let the water in the onions soften up your bacon. Once the onions are nearly done add a pinch of cumin, corriander and cilantro and continue sauting for a few more moments. Once done add ground beef. While ground beef is cooking up take left over fried chicken from the fridge and take the skin off. Let significant other eat the chicken skin while you peal the chicken from the bones (I have found it comes off better cold so don’t reheat chickent). Stir ground beef, try not to let it get into too small of pieces… return to chicken and cut pieces up.

Once ground beef has cooked all the way through (and after several goes through with stirring), add more corriander, ciliantro, and cummin, and the chicken. At this point I usually add celery salt and season salt. Once I’ve let this all cook together for about a moment or two more I add the packet of chili powder mix, the tomato sauce, the tomatoes, the beans (or no beans if you prefer with out). I sprinkle a bit more cummin stir. Oh the chili packet will tell you to add water as well.. do so, what ever amount is says as it’ll need that to thicken up.

Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.. the longer the better.. (this will be even better the next day as well).

Taste.. adjust seasonings to your taste, more or less.

The important thing to remember is low fat beef, and don’t drain the bacon grease. If you use low fat grease your chili will not come out oily, part of this is because of the tomato sauce, but the lower the fat the less greasy all foods used with it is.

Since chili is really how the eater wants it feel free to serve with crackers, bread and butter, cheese, sour cream… what ever.