A Perfect Day For Chili

East Tennessee is a wonderful place to live for many reasons. A lot of folks relocate to East Tennessee because of our weather. We have relatively mild winters, beautiful springs, mild to warm summers with a few hot days thrown in and breathtaking fall colors.  I am a real estate agent.   A few years ago I  sold a home to a wonderful couple from Florida. They were drawn to East Tennessee because of our weather and our beautiful mountains. They were so excited because we generally have 4 good seasons with mild winters. That year and the next 2-3 after that we had the coldest winters with more snow than we had had in years and the hottest summers I can remember. Real scorchers. They kidded me and said I thought you said the weather was mild. They would say I told them that just to sell them a house. I would always tell them that they brought the weather with them. That being said, the one thing about our weather is you never know from one day or week to the next what it will bring. This month we had beautiful sunny days with temperatures in the 70's and frigid blustery days in the 20's. That's a pretty diverse range of weather for the month of December. Today is one of those cold rainy days. Just the kind of day you want to snuggle under a quilt by a warm fire reading a good book or watching a movie.  The kind of day perfect for fixing a big pot of chili for supper. We love chili and I usually fix it 2-3 times a year. We don't like it real spicy or hot. That is what's so great about chili you can make it mild or any degree of hot and spicy to suit your taste. My son-in-law always adds hot sauce to his bowl at the table.  Today I will share my chili recipe with you. Very simple and easy to make.  I didn't have any of Bush's Chili Hot Beans in Mild Sauce or Luck's Pinto Beans which is what I usually use so I used what I had in my pantry. I used 1 can each of black beans, light red kidney beans in mild chili sauce and 1 can of dark red kidney beans all Bush Best brand. My mom used to make pinto beans every Sunday and if she made chili during the week she would use her leftover pinto beans in her chili recipe. My husband likes petite diced tomatoes in his chili so sometimes I use those although I prefer the crushed tomatoes because I like a hearty chili.

         Chili

• Ingredients list
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 1/2 small onion chopped
• 1 - 28oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 - 15.5 - 16 oz cans of Bush Best Chili Hot beans in mild sauce
• 1 - can Bush Best light red kidney beans 
• 1 - can Bush Best black beans
• 1-2 pkgs any brand of Chili seasoning spices
• 2- tablespoons brewed coffee (optional)

Directions: Brown ground beef and chopped onions over medium heat. Crumble as you cook. Drain grease. Add chili seasoning and stir to blend. Add tomatoes and beans and bring to boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking and scorching. Turn down to low and simmer 30-45 minutes to allow flavors to blend well.

Great with hot tamales, crackers, peanut butter sandwiches and a cold glass of milk.     

 

                                                                Homemade Chili