An Unexpected Compliment

Today I made chili. It's appropriate - Chili on a chilly day. :-) Jeramy took some to work and when he called me on his break he told me that it was better than his chili . . . which is his Mom's recipe!

Wow.

I never thought I would have heard that one. :-) "Your cooking is okay but not like Mother makes . . . " (Tim Hawkins) I knew this and I'm not offended by it like some women might be. I learned the majority of my cooking skills from my Mother-in-Law directly from her or secondarily through my husband who was taught by her. Besides that I grew up in suburban Northern VA and she is a country Southern GA cook. That doesn't mean the NoVa has inferior food (hey-MD crab cakes aren't too far away!), not at all, it's just a different style.

But this compliment was so memorable, I had to share it. Thanks, Honey.

This recipe for chili I got from my Mom, although I alter it a tad, it still has her marks all over it. I take a big can of diced tomatoes from Sam's Club and make a big pot. Browning 2 lbs. of 90/10 ground beef with diced onion, green pepper, celery, salt, black pepper, just a touch of Italian seasonings, and lots of cumin and chili powder (although I cut out the onion due to my 1st Tri-nausea). I can't tell you how much seasonings I used, I just throw them in there and taste as it's simmering. The kidney beans I bought dry and used the quick soak method the night before, then had them simmer/cooking while the meat was browning. After the meat browned, I added the big can of diced tomatoes and more chili powder, cumin, salt & pepper seasonings, brought it up to med-high temp then added the drained beans to continue cook/simmer for a total of 2 hours for the beans. The longer it simmers, the better the flavor. It's done when the beans and celery are tender. Sometimes I add ground red pepper if I'm in the mood for spicy chili. I always serve it with cornbread muffins, sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese. I like this chili a lot because it's a complete healthy and hearty meal - meat, vegetables, and dairy - and a big pot is not expensive to make, about $5, the dairy will cost more.

If you try it, I hope you'll like it.