SOUPS, STEWS AND CHILI PART 3

Chili can be made so many different ways and with so many different kinds of meats or no meat at all. Again, I prefer to use the dried beans and just let them soak overnight then rinse in the morning canned beans have more salt then you probably want in your diet anyway and again they are also cheaper on the budget.

For vegetarian or just a meatless meal, try adding a bag of frozen Italian vegetables instead. I do use canned chillies and I do use the mild variety. Old El Paso is my favorite brand. Chili powder is one of those spices that can bite you in the butt if you add too much too soon. The heat and other ingredients help it to release it's power so watch out. My mother always made chili with hamburger and for years I did too. Then I got to thinking about the men on the cattle drives, did they really grind the meat first???? Doubtful so I sometimes make what I call Chuck Wagon Chili and it is a favorite with my friends. Again you don't have to use stew beef which is usually higher in price than say a large round steak or a roast that you can get on sale. I put about a teaspoon of olive oil is a fry pan and then throw the beef in and stir it around until the meat changes color then add it to the chili. Turkey has a tendency to pick up the taste of what ever spices it is cooked with so you might just pick up a turkey breast on sale (it goes on sale and you can just cut off what you need for the chili and bake the rest. And then again, we can go back to those boiled chicken thighs and tap into them again. Mexico does have a lot of chickens, don't you think they thought about this first?? If you don't have the time or talent that it takes to open a box of Jiffy corn meal and muffin mix or you just want to try something different, why not try serving your chili with tostitos and make everyone think that you are treating them to a real treat. Gather up the points while you can.

If you live alone and/or have no friends that you can share meals with, most of what I talk about can be frozen and then thawed for a quick meal in the microwave. So, what new excuses are you going to give me? Get cooking with the old broad here who used to have a catering business back in Washington, D.C. about 20 years ago, when I was 9, LOL.

Eat and enjoy,
Auntie Stella