Monday, January 30, 2012

Mommy Mondays {Simple Recipes}


My mom would be soooo proud!!! Last week I did it....I finally found a recipe for chili that I liked and tweaked it a bit to better suite our family's tastes. Hudson ate nearly three helpings and Adam is still going on about it :)

The inspiration came while shopping at Publix one day. I passed the Apron's cooking demo and tasted their version of Ground Beef Chili. I really liked it so I grabbed the card and filed it away for a nice cold day. I made a few adjustments based on what I had in the pantry at the time and also to take it to the next level.

In my opinion it is the BEST I have ever had and much of that is because once the ingredients have simmered and married together the finished product is rich, chunky and not too tomatoey (not sure if that's a real word, but it fits- ha!)

Here's the recipe and hope you enjoy it as much as we have!

1 lb. ground beef
1- onion (or sub dried diced onion)
1- 15oz of crushed tomato w/ oregano
1- 10oz can of mild diced tomato/green chiles (drained; I used Rotel)
1- 15oz can of black beans (drained)
2- 16oz. can of spicy chili beans
1- 10oz can of condensed tomato soup

The following Seasonings are approximate and can adjust...
1 tsp. Season Salt
1-2 tsp. Celery Salt
.5-1 tsp. Garlic
2 tsp. Paprika (for spicier Chili can sub chili powder)
2 heaping table spoons Brown Sugar
Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Black Pepper (to taste)

Serves. Approx. 8-12

For me, it's the Brown Sugar that helps smooth out the tone of the tomato base and adds a light sweetness. I simmered all the ingredients together for about 3 hours before starting on the ground beef. When cooking the beef I added in Salt, Pepper, Diced Onion, Season Salt and a bit of Garlic while it browned. Drain cooked beef and then add to the sauce, let simmer for another hour or so.

The more the sauce simmers the more flavorful it becomes so this is an ideal recipe to prepare in a crock pot or even make a day in advance.

We plate ours on a small bed of crushed Frito's with fresh shredded Colby Jack cheese and a dab of Sour Cream on top.
And if there is any leftovers it's excellent for chili cheese dogs...but...that's "if" there are any extras :P

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