Chili To Die For - Easy & Economical With Tons Of Variations On The Basic Recipe

The great thing about chili is that you do not need to make it the same way every time . You can change it up for a little variation. The first thing you need to know is how many people you are feeding and if you are serving this as a main course or if you are serving it as a side dish or potluck. The picture to the right is the most common chili starter; ground beef. Variations are listed near bottom of this hub.

I usually shop at Kroger near my home. I also usually use the store brand since it is generally less expensive. You may use any brand you wish and purchase them with the idea in mind that the more items you purchase as "chili ready" will have spices added to them.

If you are on a low sodium diet some of the items have similar versions in low sodium, lower sodium or no sodium. I highly recommend the 30% less sodium mix when preparing for any group that will have senior citizens or people with high blood pressure in the group. Alternatively you can substitute picante sauce or green chili salsa for the seasoning mix to eliminate even more salt.

If you prefer your chili mild there are usually mild versions of most chili seasoning mixes and you should only use tomatoes without chili seasoning or chiles included. Kroger has a mild version of their picante sauce if you prefer to try that instead of the seasoning mix.

First you will need to cook the ground beef. It can be coarse or fine crumble. Cook it in the same pan you will be preparing the chili in to avoid extra cleaning (unless you will be using a crock pot ). Once you have cooked the meat you should pour off the fat.(I use old laundry soap bottles with a little water added to the bottom and a funnel to get it in there, but I usually turn the meat off and gather the other ingredients to let it cool a couple of minutes ) Once your grease container is filled you can freeze it till garbage day to avoid spoilage.

You may either use a crock pot or on the stove top - any pot large enough for the amount you will be preparing.

SLOW METHOD; CROCK POT: smaller crocks will only be able to accommodate the the smaller amounts listed.

• put season packet mix in first
• use only 1/4 of the water recommended & stir till mixed
• add the beans, drained , and tomatoes, with juice , or salsa (if you suffer from gas you should rinse the beans in a colander to reduce that effect )
• if the mixture is very dry after adding the tomatoes or salsa you may add 1/4 more of the water. Remember that with a crock pot none of the added moisture will evaporate and you added moisture with the tomatoes so you do not need as much as for the stove top method.
• stir lightly then add the meat & stir again
• put top on crock pot
• cook on high for 4 hours; or low for 8 hours (older children can turn the crock pot on high when they get home from school or turn to warm if you left it on low during the day)

QUICK METHOD; STOVE TOP:

• put the season packet mix and 3/4 of the water recommended in with the prepared meat
• turn on stove to medium heat and stir the pot till incorporated.
• add the beans, drained , and tomatoes, with juice , or salsa
• cover and let mixture come to a simmer, simmering for about 5-10 minutes
• check the chili to see if it is the consistency you like. If it seems too thick to you then add the rest of the water recommended. (usually the tomatoes will render some juice making up the difference)
• turn down the stove to medium-low, cover the pot and let simmer for 15-20 minutes more.
• it can remain on lowest setting on the stove top till you are ready to serve.

**When adding carrots you should finely dice them, or if trying to add them to disguise for children to eat then use canned or cooked carrots and mash them before adding to the pot.

Same for the zucchini or yellow squash, but use fresh, peel them and steam or boil if planning to mash them. Additionally, left over veggies can be pureed and added as well.

If you are having the children help prepare the meal have them grate the veggies you are adding so they will easily fall apart in the cooking process.