Lauren's Chili

 

There are a couple things that man can cook - Chili is his piec d'resistance. It's better than Mama's. It's better than mine. It's better than any chili I have ever eaten in my life. Try it.

 

1 lbs. lean, ground beef (chili grind, if available)

1 lb hot breakfast sausage

4 strips bacon, cut in pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 roasted, peeled, chopped poblano pepper

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can tomatoes, crushed

1 can William's Tomatoes and Green Chiles OR 2 cans RoTel Tomatoes and Green Chiles

1 1/2 cups water

1 dried Cayenne pepper, broken up

1 tsp ground cumin

Lots of chili powder 

Salt and black pepper to taste

3 cans Ranch Style Beans OR 3 cans chili beans

1-2 bottles or cans of Beer

 

Cut bacon into bits and brown. Fish bacon out, drain on paper towel. Sauté onions, green pepper and garlic in bacon grease. Do not drain. Fish out veggies and add to fried bacon. Brown ground beef and sausage, covering them with plenty of chili powder.

 

Start dumping each ingredient into a big pot. Stir in un-drained tomatoes, and remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours or so, stirring occasionally. You might have to add another beer or some water, if you're not using beer. This is one of those dishes that's better the next day. Makes excellent Frito Chili Pies by layering Fritos, then chili, then chopped onion in a bowl. Also makes really good 'Chili Mac' - serve the chili ladled over cooked elbow macaroni or spaghetti.

 

Frito's, by the way, must be sprinkled with something addictive. They were Dad's favorite munchy... mine, too.

 

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"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili."

 

~The dying words of Kit Carson

 

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Jenny's Goulash

 

This dish, like most of the others, was taught to me by Mama Mable and has gone through at least a million permutations since then. Donna does it one way, one time and another time, another. Same here. So... this is today's goulash recipe. Tomorrow, it'll be different.

 

˝ to 1 lb Hamburger Meat

˝ medium Onion, chopped

Chili powder

Bacon Grease

1 Can Peeled Whole Tomatoes, crushed

1-2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 C Elbow Macaroni

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

 

Brown hamburger in bacon grease. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add enough chili powder to turn the mixture a nice reddish-brown - about 1 tbsp to start. Drain. Add crushed tomatoes. Leave on very low heat.

 

Cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Instead of draining it when it's done, ladle the macaroni and some of the cooking water into the meat mixture - 'til it's as dry or as soupy as you like it. Add some more bacon grease - in my house, this dish is like Macaroni and Tomatoes with 'burger and chili powder. Yum!

 

Mable's Easiest-Ever Pot Roast

 

Mom's pot roast is the best - not to mention the easiest - I've ever made. She served it with potatoes and carrots cooked right along with the roast in the crock pot.

 

One beef roast - 7 Bone is Excellent, but any cut will work

One envelope Lipton's Onion Soup Mix

Carrots

Potatoes

2 Cups Water

 

You can brown the roast first if you like, but it's not necessary. Cook on 'High' for two hours, shift to 'Low' and cook 'til tender - it's an all-day affair. I think this recipe is in here twice... it's that good!