So my sister Rachel is not the cook in the family. I remember one time when we were kids she was trying to make cinnamon toast and asked my my what the ingredients were and how to make it. Toast! We all laughed and then I showed her where the pre-made cinnamon/sugar was kept and then how to make TOAST. This was even more funny because it is not like we were young kids she was probably 8 and I 11 at the time.
So from that moment on Rachel’s claim to fame was her lack of cooking skills. Honestly, maybe had it not been for the cinnamon toast incident she may not have been terrified of the kitchen and may have attempted to cook. But that incident sacred her for life.
Well when it was getting closer to the time for Rachel to ‘leave the nest’ my mom was extremely worried that all she was going to eat off at college was cereal and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. So my mom asked me to come up with some easy recipes that Rachel could make on her own.
One of the recipes I came up with was this chili recipe. Now there are probably several different recipes out there like this one- but this is my version created just for Rachel in mind. In fact this is what Rachel cooked for dinner when she introduced her future in-laws to my parents right after so got engaged AND she even made a vegetarian version for her vegetarian father-in-law. I am so proud- Rachel is no longer terrified of the kitchen!!!
Texas Chili
1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 (15 oz)can corn
1 (15 oz) can yellow homonay
2 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) can chili beans (in your desired ‘hotness/spiciness’)
1 (15 oz)can pinto beans
1 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 pkg. taco seasoning (or 2 Tablespoons)
1 pkg. ranch dressing seasoning
1 tablespoon chili powder
Toppings or sides:
cheese, chips, cornbread
Brown meat and drain. Drain juices from all of the beans, corn and homony- rense (don’t drain tomatoes). Mix all ingredients and heat thoroughly- for at least 20 minutes or you could through it in the crockpot and let it simmer all day. This is a rough recipe. I usually just wing it- sometimes I add more beans or tomatoes just depending on how much I am going to make. You can also use different beans or all of the same bean if you would like. It freezes and reheats well (which is good since this makes enough to feed an army).