Cold Weather Foods

LinnieGayl’s  comfort food blog and the recent colder weather started to remind me of dishes I typically eat during the winter.  One of the first dishes I turn to is beans.  With my parent’s southern roots, even living in the west, I grew up on a lot of pots of beans.  Pinto beans, and great northern beans with a ham bone were big favorites of my mother and I don’t really remember those dishes being seasonal.  However when it turned cold my mother turned to a big pot of chili or stew.

I don’t do the stew but always turn to chili.  In fact, I am probably going to make chili today.  I don’t have any special recipe and to be honest sometimes my dish is good and sometime it is average.  So I thought maybe I need a more definite recipe instead of a little bit of this and that.

The Today Show had a chili cook-off and I am just not sure about the three top contenders? Here are the ingredients:

Recipe: Hog Call Chili

Kyle Barton. Des Moines, Iowa

Ingredients

• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled
• 4 tablespoons Vermont maple syrup
• 3 pounds 93-percent lean ground beef
• 8 ounces of Graziano’s sausage
• 1 tablespoon bacon grease
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 14.5-ounce cans of Del Monte’s Petite Cut Diced Tomatoes with Zesty Jalapenos
• 2 15-ounce cans of Hunts Tomato Sauce
• 15.4-ounce can of Campbell’s Creamy Tomato Soup
• 1 tablespoon of Superior Touch’s Better Than Bouillon chili base
• 11 ounces of V8 Juice Hot ‘n Spicy
• 7.75 ounces of El Pato Mexican Salsa
• 2 16-ounce cans of Bush’s Chili Beans – Medium Sauce
• 2 16-ounce cans of Bush’s Dark Red Kidney Beans
• 4.5 ounces of green chilies, chopped
• 3 tablespoons of salted butter
• 2 onions
• 2 green peppers
• 2 jalapenos
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon of Olde Westport Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon of ancho chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1 package of Sazon Goya seasoning

Recipe: Bayou City Chili

Rhonda Morrison, Richmond, Texas.

Ingredients

• 3 to 4 pounds Texas Angus boneless rib roast, trimmed and cut into bite-sized cubes
• 2 tablespoons vegetable shortening
• 1/3 cup chili powder
• 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 5 medium jalapenos, seeded and diced
• 1.5 teaspoons cayenne
• 1/3 cup cornstarch, separated
• 1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 2 cups beer, preferably Bud Light Golden Wheat
• 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
• 3 to 4 cups hot water
• 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 large poblano peppers, seeded and diced

Recipe: Michael’s Chili

Michael Creswell, Philadelphia, Pa.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds ground meat, beef, turkey or chicken
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 16-ounce can diced tomatoes
• 1 26-ounce jar tomato sauce
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 2 16-ounce cans kidney beans
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 4 teaspoons onion powder
• 1/4 cup barbeque sauce
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
• 5 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• Black pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes
• 4 teaspoons garlic powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 1 cup fresh or frozen corn (optional)

I not sold on trying any of them. I just have a difficult time thinking of apples  or oyster sauce in Chili and I want beans.

Do you have a great Chili recipe to share?

– – Leigh AAR