Prize Winner!

Well, this was unexpected. I volunteered to make chili for a chili cook-off at church just to make sure there would be enough to feed everyone. It was a fund raiser for our youth group. Made the same recipe I've used for the last 30 years. I figured I'd bring home whatever was left and get a photo then. But yesterday instead of bringing home leftovers, I brought home the First Place medal!

We've always said this recipe is the best. It's not an original recipe. It came from the Presto pressure cooker people. You can see the original recipe from a 1977 ad here. I found it in the recipe book that came with the pressure cooker--but I have never actually made the chili in a pressure cooker. 

Since this is not some secret family recipe, I'm happy to share it with you. Hope you like it as much as the folks at church.

D*#% Good Chili

2 lbs. extra lean ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

1 large green pepper, chopped

1 8-oz. can tomato sauce

1 8-oz. can water

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I used the refrigerated jarred kind)

1 teaspoon salt

1 16-oz. can light red kidney beans, drained & rinsed

**1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes

Brown meat, onion and green pepper in large skillet. Put into large Dutch oven or stockpot. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer for 2-3 hours.

**I add a single 15-oz. can of diced tomatoes to the recipe whether I'm making a single, double or triple batch. The original recipe didn't call for this but I thought it needed to look "redder." Other than that, I never stray from the original recipe.

I always make a double or triple batch of this. It freezes well. Yesterday I did a double recipe and it just filled a 5-qt. Crockpot. I did not cook it in the crockpot but used the crockpot to keep the chili warm for serving at lunch.

I find this recipe easier to make when I measure all the spices into a small cup before I get started.



Just for the record...this is blog post #200. Who would have thought it?