It's been too long since I've been here and I'm terribly overdue for a post. Sorry about that. But in light of the Fall season, I've been cooking up a comfort food storm in my kitchen. All those typical warm, cozy cookin' foods that you crave right aboouuutttt NOW! Chili, homemade chicken and noodle and my first batch of homemade spaghetti sauce-which thankfully, was a success. I battled my first batch of chili about two years ago and found that like most things, I wondered about going traditional or not. I went the untraditional route and I've been making the same chili recipe since. I have some 'secret' ingredients that some might balk at, turn up their nose to, or stare at me wide eyed, while others wonder in amazement that it actual tastes decent. In my tastebuds' view, it's fabulous! Smokey in flavor, bold in taste and very rich to the palette. Very NOT typical chili. It's now a staple come fall and winter time and I like to relish in its nonconformist-ness. I adapted this recipe from a recipe found on allrecipes but I've made it all my own by adding a few things that I feel has made it great.
Chelle's Chili
3- 28 oz cans peeled and diced tomatoes
2- 29 oz cans tomato sauce
2 c diced onion
1 T italian seasoning
1 lb sausage, browned
2 lbs lean ground beef, browned
1 lb, bacon, cooked, drained and crumbled
1- bottle bold n spicy bbq sauce
2 pkts McCormick's chili seasoning
3 T semi sweet chocolate chips
2-4 cans kidney/chili beans
1 T Sheila's Spice
In large stock pot, combine all ingredients. Simmer 2-3 hours on low. Long and slow is the secret and like most comfort foods, the leftovers and next day-ers and even more yummy! Spoons up!
My favorite room in my home is my kitchen. It's where the socialization of the home and family happens. The mainstay of this room is food which I happen to love. I love to explore it, taste it, conjure it and create meals that my family will surround. This is about life, food and all the in-betweens.
