Friday, January 09, 2009

The skies are gray...

but it's 55F outside, the freezer and the fridge seem OK, so things are looking better! Despite the snow in the forecast for the evening, despite the plunge back to 20 degrees by midnight!

My back wasn't very happy after wrestling the fridge out of it's assigned space and crawling around to vacuum under and through the back of it before it went back, but a few of the muscle relaxers and hydrocodone I had weaned myself from in the few days before it smoked it's circuit board and I'm feeling better again.

So it's off to make the shopping loop in time to be here when Dillon comes for the weekend. Chili for dinner, Dottie's off this weekend...I won't be around much 'til Monday.

I hope that each of you finds some brightspot in their Friday and their weeekend to particularly enjoy!

May the days be kind!

alan

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I put it here a long time ago, but for those who didn't see it:

Chili...

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound Jimmy Dean Sage sausage (no substitute I've found will do)
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans tomato sauce
1/4 cup (or one envelope) Williams chili seasoning
1 tsp. mesquite liquid smoke (sometimes a bit more depending on my mood)
Salt to taste

Pour your tomato sauce in a 5 quart pot along with one can of water. Rinse the beans and add them. Add the seasoning and the liquid smoke and turn on medium heat, stirring occasionally until it starts to simmer then reduce heat to keep it there.

While it's heating, knead the sausage and ground beef together. I make a huge patty out of it and start cooking it like a giant burger, turning it several times and pouring the grease off as it cooks before I crumble it. It's usually pretty well cooked through by the time I do crumble it.

To reduce the grease in the chili I place a strainer in the sink with about 8 layers of paper towel in it, covering the whole strainer. I work the crumbled burger out of the skillet into the strainer, then fold about 6 more layers of paper towel to protect my hand and "mash" the burger between the layers. It will pull 95% of the grease that's left in the meat out. I work it over the top of all of it, changing the towels under my hand as they soak through. Usually by the 3rd time there's no grease left.

Take the strainer to your pot and you can pour the meat into it by pulling on the upper edge of the towel...stir it in and let it come back to a simmer. If you like your chili thin, it's ready. I usually let it simmer down for 20 minutes or so.

This isn't a tongue roasting "hot" chili, but very flavorful. If I haven't eaten it for a while it won't make me "sweat" but just bring me to the verge of it...

alan

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love Chilli but mine is a bit different..

2ibs Ground beef
6 whole peppers of varying colours
2 tins Kidney beans
2 tins of Italian chopped tomatoes
1 packet of Schwartz hot chilli mix
9-12 fresh super hot chilli peppers
1/2 bar of Plain chocolate

Serve on bed of Basmati rice and a side order of cold toilet paper:-)

Kranki said...

I love chili too but since I'm veggie I won't bore y'all with soy flakes etc.

Have a great weekend, Alan!

ryssee said...

I myself have never made chili, or even opened a can of it. Your recipe sounds delicious! >PRINT<

Jennifer said...

Jeez, I can't leave you for four days without your appliances breaking AND your medical coverage seeming to go to hell?

I'm sorry!

I'm back!

Bad things can stop happening now!

PLEASE!!!

:-D Missed you, Alan! (And tell von Krinkipantzen up there that we meat-eaters aren't against soy flakes and look forward to learning new ways to use them...)

Calamity Jen said...

Mmmm, thanks for the recipe. It's very timely for me, as I'll be heading to a skate party/chili cook-off in a few weeks.

Take care of your back!

JLee said...

It was almost 80 here yesterday, now today a high of 49! Crazy, I tell ya. So chili sounds good right about now :)
Have a good weekend!

Anji said...

I hope your back is okay now.

I make meatless chilliless concarni sometimes. lots of diced vegetables instead of meat. Chilliless because Rob does not like it or curry (I have been threatened with divorce)Usually I make it with ground beef though. Yours sounds great.

Lucie G said...

Hope your back recovers and you enjoy your weekend.

HAR said...

Hope that back is feeling groovy and you enjoy your time with Dylan and Dottie.

CrackerLilo said...

I'm sorry you were having problems with your appliances! I hate that feeling of the house going to shit, I really do. Hope everything's doing much better now, especially your back.

I'm vegetarian, and I don't really have a chili recipe. It's in my head, and I toss in what I have and cook to our taste. L'Ailee has a super-strong sense of taste and smell and can't abide too much heat. But it almost always involves a bit of Mexene chili powder (my mom's standby that became mine), a couple cans of Ro-Tel tomatoes, and a small bag of black beans sorted and soaked. I season my own bowl with Tabasco or Cholula afterward. I love the idea of the liquid smoke! That sounds genius, and I'll be trying it very soon!

Hope your week is kind.

Green tea said...

Just a quick hint about removing grease from your ground beef.
Put it in the strainer and hold it over a pan as you pour boiling water over it.
Works great..
Our favorite recipe is from my Mom.
maybe I'll post it sometime on my blog..

Unknown said...

Thou needeth a Blue Sky...

:-)

Carolyn Ann

PS I love chilli; especially they way my Mrs makes it. Although I have no clue about her recipe. :-)

Nancy said...

It will be 85 here today Alan. I would gladly take your weather! It's winter and I like it cold.

Your chili recipe sounds very interesting. I have never heard of sausage in chili and will have to give it a try.

My chili usually consists of ham or ham hock to begin with. I get a ham, we eat it for three days in various forms, then I use the pressure cooker to make pinto beans and we eat those for two days. Then it's chili making time. Lots of use from one ham butt.

I use chili mix from a little brown bag, comes with salt and masa to thicken. I do use burger, tomato sauce, salsa (red and green) dill pickle juice, a bit of stk sauce, a beer and cook it all together with the beans...YUM..Not today though!

Hope your back is better today!