Chili

Chili is T.H.'s all time favorite meal. When we met in college I don't think he had ever cooked much of anything other than a hot pocket; but my mom's chili recipe is so easy and delicious that he now makes it all the time. This is the recipe that I grew up on and in my opinion is the ultimate chili.

Chili

Ingredients

1. 1 can of kidney beans

2. 2 cans of pinto beans

3. 1 medium onion diced

4. 1 large clove of garlic

5. 1 (14.5) can of whole tomatoes

6. 1 lb. ground beef

7. 2 tbsps. chili powder

8. 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Directions

1. Brown 1 lb. of ground beef. Drain off fat

2. Add onion and garlic. Cook until onion is tender.

3. Add can of tomatoes. With a spoon break up the whole tomatoes slightly.

4. Add the beans (do not drain)
5. Add chili powder. The amount is approximate. Despite what you may think, chili powder doesn't actually add a lot of heat it just adds a kind of smokey background taste. The more you add the darker the final product will be.

6. Add red pepper flakes. Again the amount is approximate. A little goes a long way so add a little bit and let it cook for awhile and then you can taste and determine if you want to add more.

7. Add enough water to cover the entire chili mixture.

8. Cook on medium high heat for around 20-30 minutes stirring occasionally to ensure the bottom doesn't scortch.

9. Serve hot

T.H. likes his with lots of shredded cheddar cheese. I like mine with a little shredded cheese a few shakes of Frank's Hot Sauce and some saltine crackers. This and the white bean soup also in this blog are my all time favorite soups ever. When I think of comfort food this is what I think of!

First Post!

I have been wanting to start a food blog for ages and I have finally gotten around to doing so! As a newylwed I am constantly looking online for interesting recipes to try out on The Hubs (we'll call him T.H.) and I like the idea that I could possibly help someone in the kitchen! I am in love with my Mama and Granny's cooking but asking for recipes from them is like pulling teeth. I get the same standard response every time. "I don't have a recipe for that. I just throw a little of this in and a little of that in until it tastes right." Ugh! Because of this I get SUPER excited when I try to recreate one of their recipes and it tastes exactly as it should. The recipe below is one such occasion. I had tried to make this for T.H. while we were dating in college and oh boy it was wretched. I think because I didn't use any bacon grease. As unheatlhy as it is it really does make the dish and afterall this is comfort food...you shouldn't have to think about cholesterol when you eat comfort food! This time I made sure to make it per my mom's instructions and it turned out perfect! I feel like a real grownup when this happens, haha. When my sister and I were still living at home my Mama made this soup for us all the time (primarily because I asked for it all the time). It's great with leftover ham from a nice dinner but it's equally good with just plain ole deli lunch meat. So here it is my first blog post ever: White Bean and Ham Soup.

Ingredients:
1. 1 to 1 1/2 cups of ham cubed
2. 2 stalks of celery diced
3. 2 carrots diced
4. 1 small onion diced
5. 2-3 cans of Luck's Northern Beans (my mom said it must be Lucks) do not drain
6. 1 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes
7. bacon grease (approximately 2 tbsps)
8. pepper

Directions:
* If you don't keep bacon grease on hand (I realize a lot of people don't!) then make some bacon for breakfast and reserve the drippings. A pound of bacon should do the trick.

1. In a stockpot, heat the bacon grease on medium heat and add the onion in. Let cook until the onion begins to carmelize.
2. Add the ham and cook for another 10 minutes.
3. Add celery, carrots and beans
4. Add tomatoes (you mostly just want the juice and only a few chunks of tomatoes) I put in a about 1/3 of a can .
5. Add enough water to cover the entire mixture. I usually fill up one of the bean cans halfway with water and that is all I need.
6. Add LOTS of pepper. The soup is supposed to be spicy and my mom always achieved this by just adding copious amounts of black pepper. I've heard some people add tabasco sauce instead.

Cook the soup on medium high heat for about 30-45 minutes.

I hope you all will love this soup! The best thing is it really is better the day after you make it so leftovers will go quickly!