You know it’s been getting colder and I have the song “Baby It’s Cold Outside” stuck in my head, I went ahead and made some darn good chili. Chili warms the heart; well it warms my heart. Now, mind you, I love my daddy, but his chili is nasty. He puts in too many jalapeno peppers, and some other kind of peppers that make it really spicy.

Now I found this awesome recipe from the Pioneer Woman, a.k.a Ree Drummond. Her blog and show on the Food Network are both awesome and ya’ll should check it out. She really has perfected the classic chili dish with just the right amount of spice. All I can say is yummy in my tummy.

Ingredients:

2 pounds ground chuck or ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced (optional)

1 can (12-14-ounce) tomato sauce

1 can (10-ounce) Ro-tel (diced tomatoes and chilies)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 tbsp chili powder (more to taste)

1 can (14-ounce) kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14-ounce) pinto beans, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup masa (corn flour) or regular corn meal

1/2 cup warm water

grated sharp cheddar cheese

2 bags of Frito chips

Sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Brown ground chuck or ground beef; ground beef has a lot more grease when cooks. Brown it with garlic in a pot over medium-high heat. When brown, if using ground beef, drain the grease in a colander or strainer. Put it back in the pot and add tomato sauce, Rotel, salt, cumin and chili powder. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 30 minutes.

Add drained and rinsed beans. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer for another 20 minutes.

Mix masa or corn meal with water, and then add to the chili. She recommends tasting it before you put the corn meal or masa in to get the before and after affect. Stir to combine and simmer for a final 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside.

Serve in bowls and put two big dollops of sour cream and then top with a whole lotta Fritos and enjoy. That’s what’s cookin’ this week. Check back next week for a whole new recipe.