Day 57: Mom's Chili

Today, I called my mom in a panic.

Me: "It's my night to make dinner and I don't know what to do."
Mom: "What do you have in your pantry?"
Me: "Absolutely nothing."
Mom: "Have you had spaghetti recently?"
Me: "Just cleaned some out of the fridge."
Mom: "What about chili?"
Me: "PERFECT, tell me how to make it"

Now, I feel like my mom's chili has been misunderstood in the past, so I'm here to clear up some rumors and break some sterotypes.

1. Her chili is not meant for topping hot dogs, but to be eaten in a bowl with a light topping of cheese and crackers. 
2. It's not a great contender for chili cook-offs because it isn't super spicy, despite the fact that it's full of flavor. 
3. It's not a single consistency of like chili meat sauce, but has a variety of textures between the meat, beans, onions and green peppers. 

I love this chili and am pretty sure it's the best chili in the world, and I'm not just saying this because it's my mom's. I like it for all of it's differences from meat mush chili (which I have tried in abundance, for the record) and think that people would be more accepting of it if they thought of it like chili soup.

So, today, as I'm sure you can see where this is headed, Mom taught me how to make her chili and I cooked it for dinner.

In short, it was awesome. Not only did I make it to taste just like I remember it, Mark loved it too. Sweet validation.

Now, I'm posing a challenge to you guys. You should try this chili recipe out, too. I think it will change your opinion on the matter.

Mom's Chili (Soup)

• One pound of hamburger meat
• One onion, diced
• One green pepper, diced
• Two cans of diced tomatoes (I used a brand that had jalapenos in with the tomatoes, which was a nice addition!)
• One can of tomato paste
• One can of kidney beans, drained
• One can of beer (I used Tap Room No. 21 Amber Ale, but anything will do)
• Two cups of water
• Chili powder
• Chili seasoning packet
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Brown the meat and onions in the bottom of a sauce pot. Add diced peppers, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, beans, beer, two cups of water and all seasonings. Let cook over medium heat for 45 minutes. Serve hot with shredded cheddar and Saltine crackers.

Let me know how it goes!