Everyday Chili

I was pladdig to get a lot of bloggig dud dis weeked, but I hab a head code. So, dot so much. I used lots ub kleenex, idstead.


Generally, we are pharmaceutical minimalists around our house. I'm not anti-pharmaceutical (Lord knows, the amount of sudafed I've ingested over the last 72 hours has been anything but minimal), but if there's another way to help us feel better, we tend to go that route. So when the whole family gets blasted with the head cold from Hades, one of my go-to remedies is homemade chili. There's nothing that packs a phlegm-busting wallop like a good bowl of steamy, spicy chili, and it's nice to be able to smell again for a little while. Especially when you are smelling chili. And just about the time that you start thinking, "you know, now that I can smell again, I notice that no one in the house has changed out of their jammies or showered for the last 48 hours...", well, the mucus monster blessedly sets in again. But the relief feels good while it lasts.

This chili achieves The Recipe Trifecta: it is easy, good and cheap. It's the kind of recipe that you can make even in the midst of feeling like death in a paper cup. You do, of course, have pre-browned hamburger sitting in ziploc bags in your freezer, right? (Yes, of course you do.) This clocks your need-to-be-vertical time at about 10 minutes for the whole batch, because you can just thaw the meat for one minute in the microwave and dump it into the recipe. Brilliant! But the recipe is also good enough that you might end up wanting to make it any old weeknight that you happen to be jonesing for chili. And cheap? Yeah, well that just leaves you more money for kleenex now, doesn't it?

Everyday Chili
serves 6

2 pounds of hamburger
1 onion, diced
2 -15 oz. cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 -14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1- 6 oz. can tomato paste
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T. chili powder
1/4-1 t. cumin (or more), depending on taste or nasal congestion
1 t. ground black pepper
1 t. salt

Brown hamburger and onion in a large skillet; drain. In a large pot, combine hamburger mixture, beans, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic and spices. Stir to combine, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

If you are thinking ahead, you can also brown the hamburger and onion and combine everything in a slow cooker. Set it on low for 6-8 hours while you nap and blow your nose, then serve.