This morning I woke Nicholas up by whispering in his ear, “You’re going to be happy when you look outside.” Finally, we have had our first dose of “real” snow. Not the kind that disappears as soon as it hits the ground. Not the kind that turns to rain or sleet and makes a giant, dirty, slushy mess. But the kind that snow angels and snowmen are made of. Now unfortunately, there were only a few inches in total accumulation (maybe 4-5 or so), so perhaps not enough to make snowmen, but enough to make our little five-year-old positively beam as he scampered over to the window, nodding his head slowly as he saw it. A great way to start the day. Of course, his day continued by him and The Girlfriend jetting off to a 9:15 am birthday party, so he has no complaining to do.And what better way to end it than with a bowl of some tummy-warming food? Trying to decide between soup or chili, I went for the latter, thinking The Husband would prefer it after working all weekend. We first had this Rachael Ray recipe back in March 2004 (yup, I’m a geek like that, recording when we have things and how the recipe fared against the critics) and it probably hits our table a good two or three times a year. It’s from one of her earlier cookbooks, 30-Minute Meals
Delivering a warm bowl of smoky goodness at the end of a blustery 26 degree day, it was the perfect thing.
Manly Manny’s Chili
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray, 30-Minute Meals
Makes 2 quarts, up to 6 bowlfuls
2 tablespoons corn or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 lbs ground sirloin
Montreal Steak Seasoning or coarse salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 bottle beer (6 oz)
1 can (14 oz) beef broth
1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
1-1/2 tablespoons dark chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 oz smoky BBQ sauce
2 oz Frank’s Red Hot or other cayenne pepper sauce (about 3 tablespoons)
6 oz shredded smoked cheddar cheese for topping (optional)
chopped raw onions, for garnish (optional)
Corn tortilla chips, for dipping
Heat oil in a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and saute 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, till onions are soft. Add ground beef and brown, another 3-5 minutes. Season meat and onions lightly with Montreal seasoning or salt and pepper. Add beer and let it reduce by half. Stir in broth, paste, chili powder, cumin, smoky BBQ sauce and cayenne pepper sauce. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with shredded smoked cheddar cheese and chopped raw onions and corn chips.
Cate’s Notes: I top mine with a dollop of sour cream and a handful of shredded Cheddar.
I am going to try to whip this up tomorrow! Thanks for the recipe!
Maybe you can help me out with something…? I want to order all of my food online from now on because of various reasons, but I don’t know where to go for quality food. I have tried 2 companies so far, Fresh Dining, and and Celebrity Foods, but I wanna get others I can try out. Do you know of any? The main thing I’ve ordered so far is steak. I guess you can say, I’m a steak junkie. LOL!!! From what I have found out (from what I have ordered so far) I think I am able to regulate the quality of beef I buy. I hate going to a store and getting that crappy slab of beef that I have to cut down until there is like nothing left. Hahaha!!!! (its so true though) Anyhow, sorry that I made this comment so long. If you can help me out or point me in a direction where I might find more quality foods online, I would greatly appreciate it. Have a good day or night! (depending on when you read this) LOL!!!!
A 9:15am birthday party????
Nothing geeky about keeping track of what was a hit and what was a miss. You avoid a lot of strife that way. We have a rating system (1-5) to avoid mishaps (like the time I was told “it’s good” and made it again three weeks later only to be told “it wasn’t THAT good”–ARGH!) If it’s under a 3, it gets tossed, 4s could make it into a regular rotation. There have only been two 5s so far (in 11 years). If you’re a geek, well, so am I! :)
Sounds pretty good, similar to my chili recipe, except beans are a must when eating chili in our house. The addition of bbq sauce sounds like it might add an interesting flavor.
We’ve had that chili several times and it always goes over well. Thanks for reminding me about it.
Years ago I used to write down every dinner we made and give it stars (gold, silver and red) on the calendar as to how it was. It was a great to be able to tell at a glance what was a hit and what wasn’t.
Hmmm… that maybe be my New Year’s resolution to start up again. LOL
Leosatter – not knowing where you are or exactly what you’re looking for, not sure who services your area. You might try schwans.com, peapod.com, freshdirect.com, or homebistro.com. A lot of grocery store chains now offer home delivery too (Shop Rite, Stop & Shop, for example). Hope this helps!
The Cookbook Junkie – lol, yeah, definitely a little on the early side; only time slot she could get.
TD and Alisha – a proud geek. :) I don’t save any that didn’t get a thumbs up all around, so only keep “very good” on up. I think it’s fun to look back and see the notes I made, the occasion it was for, etc. Like a trip down memory lane. ;)
Culinarily – I have a very dog-eared one from Woman’s Day that is delish, has beans and is a 10 Minute Chili. Might have to dust that one off this week. Easily been making that one for 8+ years – good stuff, and perfect weather for it.
I wish we had snow! Yesterday I think our high was around 80 and then today in the 50’s. MS weather is C.R.A.Z.Y!!!