Chili Chili Chili

OR Not the Prettiest Recipe But Still Worth Eating... Everyday For a Week and Then Two Months Later When You Find Even More Leftovers in the Freezer

With superbowl around the corner (when I made this chili anyway, I realize this post is going to come up after the superbowl), I was in the mood for chili. Also, Boston has been seeing some really cold nights and what better way to warm up than with a nice steamy bowl of chili, topped with cheese, sour cream, and guacamole, and served with tortilla chips.

Chili is simple to make and perfection when you live alone. This recipe definitely makes a ton of chili, don't get me wrong. But if you live by yourself you are constantly inviting yourself to others houses. What better way to secure an invitation to a Superbowl party (or Real Housewives of NYC premiere party, whatever floats your boat) than by saying: "I'll bring the chili dip and chips." Usually that statement is followed by an "Mmmm... come over at 6." And for me, chili dip is simply the chili you made two nights ago mixed with cheese, melted, and topped with sour cream. Of course, you could always add a layer of cream cheese to the bottom of a baking dish, top it with chili and a layer of cheese, and do a 3 layer dip. Whatever. Chili plus anything equals delicious when it comes to party fare.

To make my chili, I use ground turkey. I brown that in a large saucepan (the biggest one you have, a dutch oven sized monstrosity with two handles most likely, because you want to cook your entire dish in this pot) with chopped up onions. I cried a lot when I cut these ovens and it was kind of embarrassing, but fortunately I was alone. Once the turkey was cooked through and crumbly, I added in a packet of chili seasonings. If you are a purist and don't believe in those packets a combo of chili powder, red pepper flakes, cumin, and whatever else you want will do the trick. I just do the packets because I haven't stocked up my spice cab yet.

Then, add in the following ingredients: 1 can of mixed chili beans (or multiple cans of the beans of your choice), 1 can of your favorite bean (I used a red bean), 1 can of diced tomatoes (if you get ones that have chilis or jalapenos then you can add some kick in this way), a squirt or 1 small can of tomato paste, 1 small can of mild green chilis, 1 can of corn (drained). Mix all of these together with the seasonings and let it simmer for as long as you can stand it. Scoop some into a bowl over rice, or top it with guacamole and sour cream. Or, make an avocado/ corn/ lime/ red onion/ cilantro salsa and top your chili with that.

Some of you may wonder what you will do with the remaining chili after you've eaten your dinner and gone to your superbowl party. Well, I always like to freeze a container or two. There is nothing better than finding a serving of chili in your freezer. I also like to make chili scrambled eggs topped with fresh avocado and sour cream for breakfast. Sometimes, I make about 1 muffins worth of corn muffin batter, top a glass dish of chili, bake, and have a chili bake. Really, there are so many things you can do with chili, I can't even list them all here. If I do any of the above, I will be sure to post more recipes.