Nov 24 2015
Our daughter is coming home for Thanksgiving so I made a batch of chili to have on hand and our supper tonight. Last week I got a bowl of chili from Wendy’s but it was not their usual; instead of being thin and soupy it was thick and had more beans than meat. I found this recipe for a copy of their chili; with a few minor changes it turned out good. It also reminded me of the way my Mom used to make it. I would say her chili was just browned ground beef, onions, a quart of home canned tomatoes, chili powder and water.
If you use ground beef for your chili and like it thin instead of thick this is a pretty good recipe. It’s not hot at all so if you like heat; add some hot peppers and or hot sauce. For me it is very close to what I was used to getting from Wendy’s.
For my supper tonight I had a bowl topped with some shredded sharp cheddar cheese and sour cream. I had some buttered saltines on the side and some good Ballantine’s IPA to wash it down.
Smokin Don
Recipe:
Wendys chili
* 2 lbs ground beef I had about 2.5 lbs.
* 1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce, only used half that
* 1 (29 ounce) can kidney beans (with liquid), I used chili beans w/sauce
* 1 (29 ounce) can pinto beans (with liquid)
* 1 cup diced onion (, 1 medium onion)
* 1/2 cup diced green chili pepper, I used canned chilies
* 1/4 cup diced celery (, 1 stalk)
* 3 medium tomatoes, chopped, I used canned petite dice
* 2 -3 teaspoons cumin powder, I used 1 teaspoon
* 3 tablespoons chili powder
* 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
* 2 teaspoons salt
* 2 cups water, I used 4 cups
1 Tbs. yellow mustard
1 bay leaf
My chili with changes noted. I browned up the ground beef in two batches adding half the onions, celery and dry ingredients. I drained the first batch in a colander and just spooned off some of the grease from the second batch. I used ground chuck and wanted to leave some of the fat in.
Put the browned ground beef mix in a larger pot and add in the rest of the ingredients. Bring it to a boil and then simmer 2 to 3 hours. Serve with some shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for topping.
