Great Chili Recipe!

Rick's Tasty Chili Recipe

Well, it's not actually a step-by-step recipe as much as it is my shopping list for my annual pot of Chili!

I'm sharing my list, and only a few instructions.

Cold Weather + Visitor

Two factors combined to prompt this meal: the temperatures here in Florida dropped to 40 degrees and my son Joel came to visit!

I also returned to another free college course, taking video course at St. Pete College.  Today was my third class, and Joel tagged along. That prompted me to make the following video with Windows Movie Maker to show Joel how easy it is to create video - even with only photographs:

Actually, I'm showing off our homemade Chili, too!

My son arrived late in the afternoon on Monday. I printed my list of Chili ingredients, inventoried my pantry and we went grocery shopping. We spent an hour putting the Chili together: opening cans and chopping the produce. Then we waited another 90 minutes for the Chili to cook & simmer.

Chili Directions

The directions are easy: while browning the meat in a frying pan, combine and thoroughly stir all the other ingredients in the pot. Finally, add the meat, cover and simmer for at least an hour. Stir frequently to mix the fixin's and keep the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

The following list contains everything I think could go into a pot of Chili. But nothing is required. For example, this week's pot did not include carrots or cauliflower.

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Take Inventory before leaving house.
Not every ingredient goes into every chili.
Shop according to impulse and taste.

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• __Meat__ 
• Minimum 2 lbs
• Beef 
• Turkey
• Pork
• Spicy Sausage?
• __Canned goods__
• Beans - kidney,black (washed) or Spicy Chili 
• Whole Corn - small can, drained
• Mushrooms - small can, drained
• Pumpkin Puree (in season)
• Tomato Sauce [~2x8oz can/lb~]
• Tomatoes, diced (w Green Chilis?) [~1x14.5oz/lb~]
• Tomatoes, Rotel [~1 can per pound of meat~]
• Chipotles (La Costena brand?) 1/2 7-oz can, sliced
• NOTE: Chipotles are very VERY hot...
• __Produce Section__
• Bell Pepper(s)
• Poblano Pepper
• Jalapeno: Diced? Jar?
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Garlic Cloves
• Onion - sweet 
• Matchstick Carrots
• Cilantro (fresh chopped)
• Chopped Green Onion for toppings 
• __Spices__
• 2-3 Packets of Chili Mix
• Additional Chili Powder
• Cayenne Pepper
• Salt & Pepper (lemon pepper?)
• Oregano
• Cumin
• __Toppings__
• Corn Chips
• Saltine Crackers/Club crackers
• Shredded Cheese
• Guacamole
• Sour Cream
• Cornbread (mix?)
• Rice (White, Brown, or "Dirty")
• (Chili is sometimes served over rice)
• __After thoughts__
• Salsa

After eating our fill, there was still 75% of the Chili left! I simply put the pot outside (in the lanai) to cool and left it overnight because the temperature outside was refrigerator-cold!
The next evening we reheated the pot on the stove; the flavors were even more infused.

Suggestions for Chili

If you have a suggestion for my shopping list, please tell me below!