We are now well into fall.  No doubt about it, winter is coming.  Somehow cold weather cooking is far different than hot weather cooking.   When outdoor temperatures reach the 50’s, I think in terms of soups, stews, casseroles and roasts.  Since I try to turn over my freezer wares every 6 months or so, it’s time to stock up my freezer with individual portions of soups, stews, sauces, casseroles and cookies (I make batches of cookie dough and shape them into logs, wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in a zip bag.  It’s then easy to slice off a few disks of dough and bake only as many as I need…the result is always fresh, warm cookies ready in 12 minutes anytime you desire….delish!)

I’m starting out today with my fav chili recipe, it’s easy, fast and freezable.  I could list all the separate ingredients, and have you run around buying various spices, but I’ve found that Wick Fowlers 2 Alarm Chili Mix is perfect for my tastes, can be found in most grocery stores, and the spices don’t sit stale on my shelf for a year.  This only takes a half hour to put together, and if you tweak it to your own tastes, it’s a grand foundation….

MOM’S SPICY BUT NOT OBNOXIOUS CHILI

Ingredients:

• 1 pkg Wick Fowlers 2 Alarm Chili Mix
• 2 lb lean ground beef or turkey
• 1 large onion chopped (or you can use the dried version in the mix)
• 2 cloves garlic chopped (or you can use the dried version in the mix)
• 1  16 oz jar of medium salsa
• 8 oz water
• 1 can dark kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1 can black beans (drained and rinsed)
• 1  14 oz can of Rotel tomatoes w/jalapenos
• 1  4 oz can chopped medium jalapenos (optional)

Heat an 8 qt soup pot with a tablespoon peanut oil (or canola, corn etc), then just before the oil smokes, toss in the ground meat and brown, breaking it up into chunks.

After 5 minutes of this, toss in the chopped onions and garlic as the meat finishes browning.

Now add the spices from the chili mix, being careful to only use as much cayenne as you wish.  I leave this packet out, as my chili is hot enough with the Rotel tomatoes.  Stir the spices (omit the dried onion/garlic if you’ve used fresh) into the meat/onion mixture to warm them up and allow them to ‘bloom’ their flavors.  This takes about 5-10 minutes.  I love the cumin flavor, so I generally add more at this point.

Add the Rotel tomatoes, chopped jalapenos if you desire, salsa and water and bring to a boil.  Immediately turn down to a simmer and continue to simmer for another 30 minutes partially covered.

Add the beans at the end and heat through.  Adjust salt to taste.   At this point, if you desire thick chili, you can use the mesa flour packet provided…but I leave it out as my version is thick enough.

Serve over rice, corn chips, over cooked spaghetti, with crackers or cornbread.  Without the beans, this recipe is great over grilled hot dogs for a yummy chili dog.  Or for a chili salad, mound fresh greens on a dinner plate, place a generous handful of corn chips on top, and scoop hot chili over all, sprinkling with grated cheddar.  Try layering baked/fried  hot french fries on a cookie sheet, top with hot chili and sprinkle with grated cheddar then broil for 1-2 minutes until cheese melts. for chili fries.

See…there are many reasons to keep some chili in your freezer this winter!