Welcome Fall (and therefore chili)

I love Fall. Even when I'm not getting married. And while we won't officially welcome the season until later this month, Labor Day weekend usually marks the end of summer as the days get (just a little bit) cooler.

So I found it very apropos that the temperature dropped 30 degrees in the past three days, and that I spent the latter half of my Labor Day weekend holed up in our comfy house doing house stuff.

Which included making chili, and as it turns out the best damn chili I've ever made. My wifey skills are mad. As I sit here enjoying it for a second time, taking a break from the millions of monotonous tasks this day presents me with, I figured why not share it? So here goes, please enjoy responsibly.

What You'll Need: 

1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 lb ground mild italian sausage
1 tablespoon olive oil 
1 medium white onion
4 cloves garlic
1 jalapeno
1 can each of black beans, pinto beans (drained and rinsed) and red kidney beans (drained and rinsed)
2 cans plain diced tomatoes
1 bottle of lager (that's beer)
splash of Worchestire
splash of soy sauce
2 tablespoons coffee  (the liquid, not the grounds)
Courtney's Chili Seasoning
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 1/2 tablespoon chipotle chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1-2 teaspoon salt
  • Pinch or three of ground ginger
How to Make It: 
  1.  Brown the ground beef and sausage, set aside. 
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large, heavy pot and saute onions, garlic and jalapeno until soft, about 5 minutes. 
  3. Reduce heat to low and wdd in the ground meats, cans of beans and tomatoes -- stir to combine
  4. Add the lager through the coffee -- stir to combine
  5. Add Courtney's Chili Seasoning -- stir to combine
  6. Cover the pot and simmer on low heat for 1-1 1/2 hours 
  7. Taste chili -- season with salt and pepper as needed. 
  8. If desired, to thicken let stand with no heat 15 minutes, or add a tablespoon of cornstarch.
Disclaimer: I made it up as I went, all measurements approximate.

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