Just Because the Chili Turned Out Sooo Good!
I woke up Friday morning knowing the lentil soup I’d made earlier in the week was about gone; almost out of leftovers, dagnabit!
I like to eat about as much as I like to sing. Pizza is okay once in a while; TV dinners, never. Whenever possible, real home-cooked food.
But what could I make for dinner with what I already had on hand? (With one exception – the fresh cilantro, which George kindly picked up.) Chili!
It turned out so well, I wanted to share the recipe with you. I’m a toss, dump, stir and taste as you go kind of cook, but here’s the recipe as best as I can approximate.
Laura’s Friday Throw-it-Together Chili
-Brown one small package ground beef, turkey, or leave the meat out for a veggie version. Drain if needed.
-Finely chop (food processor works great) half or more bell pepper, preferably red, and 1/3 large onion and stir into meat in soup pot. (Add garlic and/or fresh jalapeno or other hot peppers of your preference here, too.)
-Coarsely chop with scissors a bunch of fresh (the most fragrant one you can find) cilantro leaves – discard the stems. Stir into pot.
Add:
-1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
-1 15 oz. can kidney beans, partially drained
-1 15 oz. can white northern beans, partially drained
-1 15 oz. can chili beans, not drained
-1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
-1 packet chili seasoning
-1 C water
-Small handful semi-sweet chocolate chips (a couple squares of dark chocolate, even better)
-2 generous TBSP oregano
-1 generous TBSP cumin
-2 TBSP cayenne pepper sauce (like Franks Red Hot)
-Few dashes Tabasco sauce
-Freshly ground pink Himalayan sea salt and ground pepper to taste
Stir together well, bring to a boil, and simmer for 45 minutes. Sing while occasionally stirring.
Serve with grated sharp cheddar cheese or Mexican sour cream on top and saltine crackers, cornbread muffins, bread of choice, or corn tortillas.
Enjoy!
Please spread the love and pass this along to a friend!
Every time I have a lesson with Laura, I come out having learned something new about my voice, and my breathing. I try to use these techniques on a daily basis for acting, singing, and general speech. I recommend Laura to anyone hoping to improve their voice. –Noah G. (13 yrs.)
Lake Oswego’s Transformational Voice® Teacher (Transformational Voice® is a registered trademark of Transformational Voice® Training Institute, LLC, and Linda Brice.)
Laura