shishnit.org

Low and behold not much survived the marriage of 1991.  However, the recipe below is my former mother-in-laws.  My grandmother asked me today if I ever talk to my former in-laws and I sadly told her “No, I don’t.”  She asked me how I get along with my current in-laws and I told her wonderfully.  They are sadly deceased. 

I often wish I could talk to Rick’s parents just once.  Even more often than that I wish that he could talk to my Dad over a smoke…just one night.  I would chop off my left arm to see that happen.  The merging of the two pivotal Rick’s in my life would have been amazing.  Oddly my brother-in-law Doug reminds me of my father a lot.  A LOT!!!  He’s cantankerous with a side dose of smart ass.  Just the way I like my people to be. Yesterday Rick asked me to make chili.  I obliged today.  I really love my former mother in law’s recipe.  When I first saw it 17 years ago I thought, wow…sugar?  Yah sugar.  Yum. You can’t taste the sugar but I think it cuts the raw acid taste of the tomatoes and therefore it can’t be omitted.

The cast of characters.  I love Publix and I love to buy their store brand’s.  Cheaper and awesome!!

Vidalia onion = .55
Kidney beans = .89 x 2 (15.5 oz cans) = 1.78
1 lb lean ground beef = 3.73
Chili powder = $2.99 for the can = 1 TB worth = .30
Shredded jack/cheddar cheese mix  (4 oz small bag) = 1.89
Green bell pepper = .90
Can crushed tomatoes = 1.35
Salt/pepper (nearly free!)
= $10.50

Chili is a pretty cheap meal.  I would have been at a mere $8.61 minus the unnecessary cheese but try telling Rick that cheese is unnecessary.  I’m sure we won’t use the 4 oz bag all at once.  I’m positive he’ll be throwing it into an omelet or on an egg too.  However, I consider $8.61 to be a fantastic cost for a meal for 4.

I brown my hamburger first.  Then I remove it and put it in a strainer in the sink.  Then I brown my onion in the hamburger drippings.

Then you add the pepper and let it cook with the onion. (I’m sure you don’t need a photo for this step), then I just dump everything else in.  I do not fry my garlic…garlic gets weird when you overcook it on direct heat.  I crush it in a garlic press and add in two cloves with the beans and tomatoes, sugar and chili powder.  I also add in some black pepper and salt but really not enough for it to even be measured. 

Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped

Brown the hamburger.  Remove from pan temporarily.  Brown remaining ingredients, add ground beef back into pot.

Then add in any order

1 regular size cans of red kidney beans
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
½ cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of chili powder

Cook all ingredients together about ½ hours on low heat.

Keith….if you’re reading this is your grandma’s chili and its the best!!  She’s not the best cook….but dang if she didn’t make the best chili ever.  I prefer hers over my Italian grandmother’s even.  Yummy!!!!  oOPS I forgot I bought crackers…so that pushes me over the budget edge with an additional $1.29 for saltines!!!  Uh…but we won’t use that entire box for this….hmmm so it doesn’t count!!! 

mmm look, I know you want some now.