chili

Yay! for a new pot so that I can cook some of my favorite recipes, including Wendy's chili! We've been using my giant stock pot to catch water when the roof leaks, and the thought of cooking in it after that just grosses me out. I was trying to hold out for a Le Creuset dutch oven, but saw this at the grocery store on the cheap and picked it up. It was only $20 bucks, so if I make it to the Le Creuset outlet anytime soon, I won't feel bad about buying one of those too.

It amazes me that this:

(plus a little chopped celery, onion, and meat) can turn into this:

It's so satisfying to let it simmer away for hours. I've decided to try at least one new recipe a week. Last week, I made Parmigiano and Herb Chicken Breast Tenders from Rachel Ray (the boys loved them), and next week I plan to try Molten Chocolate Cake (from my new Martha Stewart cookbook) in honor of Father's Day.

I'm shocked I've not posted the recipe for Wendy's Chili before, it's maybe my favorite recipe ever because it's so easy, and so good, and because you can have all the ingredients on hand at all time since they are either cans or frozen:

2 lbs. ground beef

1 (29 oz.) can tomato sauce

1 (29 oz.) can kidney beans, with liquid

1 (29 oz.) can pinto beans, with liquid

1 c. diced onion (1 medium onion)

1/4 c. diced celery (1 stalk)

1 (29 oz.) can diced tomatos with green chilis

2-3 tsp. cumin powder

3 tbsp. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. salt

2 c. water

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.
2. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.
3. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 to 3 hours.

That's it! It makes a huge pot, so I usually freeze the leftovers when we are tired of eating it.