In our family cooking (and eating) is much more a past time than it ever should be. Those who know us, understand that completely. Our tradition of cooking goes back generations...we will get into that another time. We sit at one meal and plan what we will fix for the next meal. My dad will say, "This is one of the top ten best meals I've ever had". We have heard that many times...way more than 10. We love to find something good to cook and we then love consuming it. It also brings us great joy to share our efforts with others.  Which is why there are not many weekends that there is not a house full of people eating and socializing. It is what we enjoy.
So, now that I have the blog set up, I would love to share our wonderful meals with all.
Tonight's meal was from the "Penzeys Spices" Fall 2009 catalog. If you are not familiar with Penzeys, I urge you to google it (or see if they have a store near you). The spices are outstanding. There are a few I would feel "naked" without in the kitchen.

Penzeys Chili

2 lb ground meat (I used 1 lb lean ground beef & 1 lb ground turkey)
2-3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 large Onion ( I omitted this bc I HATE onions. They coat my mouth with yuckiness)
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tsp Chili Powder
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
2 tsp Oregano
2 tomatoes, chopped, seeds removed (I did not remove the seeds)
1 (29 oz) can tomato puree
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped, seeds removed
2 cups chicken stock, divided
1-2 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2-1 tsp fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 (15 oz) cans red beans
2 (15 oz) cans black beans
I added about 6 oz of tomato paste because it was real "watery". This solved the problem and made it yummy!

Toppings: Sour Cream, fresh chopped cilantro, shredded cheddar cheese, Fritos Corn Chips


This is how I like mine...fritos, chili, cheese and sour cream. It was delicious!