With most ingredients assembled

Recently we had two families over for dinner with their young children. Because I did not want to spend a lot of time at the table, we had a one-bowl supper. I made chili with a special technique that I claim is because our kids do not like beans when in truth it is because I do not like beans but LOVE a savoury chili.

Bean Frappe

I took an entire can of red kidney beans juice and all and plopped them into my Magic Bullet. This made a kind of bean frappe that I added to the rest of the ingredients.

I think that this chili version is my favourite because it calls for a glass of Merlot. Now I must admit I’m a bit stingy with my Merlot and did not want to have it evaporate into my chili so I used half a glass of Medoc and half a glass of Shiraz. I think that flavour of the wine is enhanced by the addition of a generous amount of brown sugar.

Ingredients: 6 oz. hot Italian sausage, 2 cups chopped onion (1 red & 1 white), 1 cup chopped green pepper, 4 garlic cloves, minced, 1 lb. hamburger, 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (I ommited for the kids), 2 T chili powder, 2 T brown sugar, 1 T ground cumin, 3 T tomato paste
1 t dried oregano, salt and pepper to taste, 2 bay leaves, 1 1/4 cups Merlot or other red wine, 2 – 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes with juice, chopped, 1-14 oz. cans kidney beans  optional toppings-sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and chopped green onions

Saute the onions and peppers with the sausage and hamburger. Crumbling with a wooden spoon. Drain off fat. Add spices and tomatoes, wine and frapped beans. Simmer until all veggies are tender: approx. 45 mins.

I also mixed up a batch of cheddar/ cornmeal buns. Using the bread machine recipe but bumping up the cornmeal amounts. Once the dough is mixed, I shape the buns and bake them in a muffin pan.

Before the oatmeal topping

For desert I made a blueberry/apple crisp with a rolled oat toping-just like Mom used to make.

PS I hope that this is the best darn chili that you have ever tasted because it took me a week to get this entry posted! I was out of town with limited resources and could not get my pictures to upload and what is a blog without pictures? Apologies to my regular readers-I promise to make it up to you.

Kath’s quote: “It doesn’t take much to see that the problems of three little people doesn’t add up to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you’ll understand that. Now, now… Here’s looking at you kid.” Humphrey Bogart

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