Christmas Chili

Christmas Chili

~This is one of our favorite winter meals. All of the boys like it (even baby Memes - he picks up the bowl and tries to drink the leftovers). 

~We serve it over rice with cheese, sour cream, and chips. I usually make it one day ahead and reheat it the next day.  The flavors are better after then meld. 

~Sometimes I will freeze half of the chili (before I add the beans). Then it is a quick meal for later (take out of freezer, put in slow cooker, add two cans of beans). 

Ingredients:

1-2 lbs ground beef or turkey or pork (brown/drain/rinse)

2 medium onions, finely chopped

5-6 cloves garlic, crushed

1 15oz can of tomato sauce + 2 cups water

2 Tbsp cider vinegar

1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce

10 peppercorns ground

8 whole allspice (1/8 tsp)

8 whole cloves ground (1/8 tsp)

1 large bay leaf

1-1/2 tsp of salt

2 tsp of ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (decrease this if you want less spicy)

1 tsp of ground cumin

1/2 oz of unsweetened chocolate grated

3-4 cans Black beans

1. Brown meat with onions. Drain meat and rinse. 

2. Grind the whole spices (if you don't have a mortar and pestle, put them in a baggie and use a hammer or crush them up with the edge of your knife and chop with blade - this is what I do)

3. Return meat to pan. Mix all the spices and garlic into the meat and allow them to bloom. About 30-90 sec. Until you can smell them. 

4. Dump the meat and spice into the slow cooker. 

5. Add in chocolate, cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, water, and bay leaf. 

6. Cook in a crockpot on low 4-6 hours. 

7. Refrigerate overnight and then reheat. Add the black beans when you reheat. We start with 3 cans and add more if you need to feed more people. 

8. Eat over rice. We like brown. 

Here is how I made brown rice really fast (22 minutes).