Jan. 29, 2006
Mom's Chili and a Note About "Kitchen Treasures"

This recipe comes from my mom.  I doctor the chili up a bit from her original, but I still keep it on the index card she wrote it on.  I also do the same when other people take the time to write down one of their recipes for me.  I love seeing their handwriting – it is such a treasure to open the recipe box and see a recipe written by my Grandmother in her wonderful old-fashioned handwriting.  Even though she is gone, it brings back such warm and sweet memories of her. 

When I pull out her famous pie crust that tops all others, I can just see her baking away at big batch of pies with flour on her hands and apron as she rolled out the dough, and telling me, “The secret is using REAL lard.  Pity so many of this young ladies are using Crisco now a days.” 

Can you tell she was an old-fashioned farm wife who grew up poor and started having her family in the 30’s?  That lady was the queen of literally making things from scratch!  It was so healing and precious to have her daughter-in-laws and grand-daughters go through her VERY full recipe drawer as we gathered together after she had passed away, and remember all of her famous foods and the memories surrounding them.

Take the time to do the same, and to write down your favorite recipes in your handwriting, and catalog them in your recipe box, along with all of the favorite recipes that your family & friends make.  Someday when your daughter &/or son, and hopefully grandchildren, make a recipe, you’ll be blessing them with a “walk down memory lane” too.

Mom’s Chili:

1 ½ pounds hamburger

1 onion, chopped

salt & pepper

Brown above together.  Drain.

Add:

1 lg. can/bottle of tomato juice

1 sm. or med. can tomato sauce

1 med. can chili beans

Big heaping tablespoon brown sugar

Add chili powder to your taste.

Also sprinkle in a little garlic powder

Rinse cans with water and add to chili. 

My changes:

When cooking meat mixture, I sprinkle "Montreal Steak Seasoning" on it for extra seasoning

I use 2 cans of chili beans

I add:

  2 cans of kidney or other type of beans

  2 cans of diced tomatoes

  1-2 T. tomato paste (depending on if it needs more "tomato" flavor)

  And of course, I use minced garlic as we LOVE garlic in this house.

I let it cook all afternoon on low and we can have several meals out of it.  A special "side" that I did last time was store-bought crescents dough (VERY special to have store-bought breads in our house), cooked and topped with powdered sugar icing.  If I think ahead next time I make it, I'll try to make homemade sweet rolls to go along with it.

PS:  No, I don't use Crisco -- or lard in my pie crust!  I put real butter in mine.  I have to think that perhaps my Grandma would be okay with that compromise.