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11:04 p.m. - February 04, 2006
Chili and Football...Yum!
Well, the Super Bowl is upon us, and it�s time to embarrass myself in making a Super Bowl prediction.

But first, it�s time to make the chili for the super bowl party.

Katie�s reaction??


(OK, that�s an old picture, but still�)

Well, here�s what they thought this morning about the chili.


Ok, that�s what they thought about daddy taking a picture when Kristin was trying to eat cereal, with help from big sister.

Anyway, it was chili time this afternoon, and it may be my best batch yet.

My chili is thick and meaty, and has a nice flavor with a little bit of a zam! quality to it at the end. It�s edible, but you will notice it. It has chunks of meat, and since I�m not the best veggie chopper in the world (though I am getting better thanks to my Pampered Chef chopper) sometimes there are big chunks of veggies too. I have some hunks o� onion in this year�s batch that are pretty large. Oh, well.

And I�m going to give you the general idea on how I make it. I don�t have a specific recipe, I change it each time on what I feel, and you may have different ideas on how hot or mild you want your chili.

Stew Meat (4 to 6 pounds)
Ground Beef (2 pounds)
3 cans Tomato Sauce
3 cans Tomato Paste
3 cans Beef Broth
2 bottles of A-1 Steak Sauce (one Bold and Spicy)
1 Red Onion (Why Red? Why not! I used a red onion in my first chili and I haven�t changed)
2 Bell Peppers (I prefer Red and Orange)
3 Jalapenos
3 Chili Peppers
2 Habaneros (didn�t get them this year, though)
Fresh Garlic
1 Bottle of Beer (Cheap stuff � this year I used PBR lite)

Spices used: Oregano, Basil, Thyme, Rosemary, Marjoram, Paprika, Cayenne Pepper, Tarragon, Sage, Cumin, Cilantro, Chili Powder, Mint Flakes, Savory, Parsley, Bay Leaves. Basically, anything green in the spice rack, then anything else you can think of.

Sauces used: Frank�s Hot Sauce, Frank�s Red Hot Sauce, Watkins Inferno Sauce, Louisiana Hot Sauce, Cajun Sunshine, Tabasco, Chipotle Tabasco, Garlic Tabasco, Jalapeno Tabasco, Worcestershire. Basically, anything I have that seems chili like.

Grab a big ol� stock pot. Chop the stew meat into bite size chunks and brown. Brown the ground beef as well. Chop up the veggies. Put the meat and veggies in the pot. Add the tomato sauce, and spoon in the tomato paste. Stir. Add the steak sauces (yes, the whole bottle � trust me). Add the beer. Use a garlic press and squeeze as much garlic as you can stand in there, and then squeeze one more time. Add the spices to taste, and finish with the sauces. Don�t just pour the sauces in there � sprinkle sparingly but with love. You want your guests to savor the flavor, not burn their mouths. Heat to boiling and keep stirring. Let it boil for a while to burn off the alcohol, but be careful and not let the chili splatter everywhere. Oops, too late.

And viola:

This stuff will sit for about 28 hours before anyone seriously ingests it, though I may have it for lunch as a test tomorrow.

If you care to notice, there are no beans. Yep, to me chili is meat and spices. If you have enough meat, you don�t need the beans.

So that�s my chili � it�s yummy.

As to the game:

Well, if your coming for insightful football commentary, well, I�m not going to give you any more knowledge than you already have heard.

Personally, I think Pittsburgh�s a better team, but Seattle is playing well. I say Pittsburgh 27 � 24, possibly in OT.

I just hope I hit the squares. Stay away from 5, please!

 

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