"Chili on a cold, rainy night..."

I laid out fish Wednesday night to fix, but after such a cold and rainy day, I wanted SOUP. I knew Sam loved chili, so I headed to the grocery store when I got out of school and got everything I needed for it. I use my Mom's recipe, because it is SO good and SO easy. It's pretty healthy, too. Sam loves to put fritos, cheese, and sour cream in his chili, so of course all of those items make it un-healthy, but if you eat the chili alone, you're good. :) I also suggest using deer meat, which is a lot leaner that ground beef. If you do not have access to deer meat, I suggest ground turkey. You can season it with a little olive oil and chili seasoning and you'll never know you're eating ground turkey. Before Sam started eating turkey, I use to brown it with a little olive oil, chili seasoning, and soy sauce... It changed the color of the meat to brown, so he never knew! ;) ha! Anyway, when I am making soup, I always make enough to freeze. A lot of evenings when I come home in the fall/winter, I don't want to cook. It's nice when I can just pull a container out of the freezer and dinner is ready in 25 minutes!  

Chili Recipe:

2 lbs of ground turkey/deer/beef (whatever you prefer)

three cans of low sodium chili kidney beans

three cans of chili rotel

three cans of low sugar, diced tomatoes in chili sauce

1 can of tomato paste/sauce

3 tablespoons of chili seasoning

1 cup of water

red onion

garlic salt

salt and pepper for taste

olive oil

Before I pour everything into a pot, I brown the meat with my chopped onions. Make sure to drain the meat really well. Next, I pour the meat into a pot with all of the canned tomatoes, beans, sauce, etc. I mix everything really well before pouring the water in. I also will mix in my garlic, salt, and pepper at this time. I let it simmer for about 30 minutes before serving. It seems so simple, but it's so delicious! This recipe is a little spicy because my family likes spicy, so if you want to substitute the spicy items with regular tomatoes and beans, you can totally do that! Enjoy!!! :) Remember: If you like to put cheese, fritos, and sour cream in your chili, keep it to a minimum!!! 



Yummy chili is almost ready!!! :)

After the rain stopped, it turned out to be a gorgeous night.

This view from the couch....It never gets old.