As the name of my blog indicates, I spend a lot of time thinking about home. Of course, my Heavenly Home is the one that is eternal, so that’s where I need to lay up my treasures, and that’s the one I’m striving for. But in the meantime, I have been given this tiny piece of the here-and-now—this home on the edge of town, this family, this neighborhood—in which to serve Him. And, though this is in the earthly realm, I want the things that happen here to be investments in the Heavenly realm.




Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Slow Cooker Tuesday ~ Week 7 {Crock Pot Chili}


It is still winter out there, which means it's still time for comfort food in the slow cooker!



I love my crock pot for days when I am out and about. It is reassuring to come home to a hot meal that's almost ready to serve. 

But I also love my crock pot on a chilly winter day when I am going to be right here at home. 

Yesterday, was one of those days. I had cooked my ground beef and onion over the weekend, so just before lunchtime, I assembled all of the ingredients in my slow cooker. After lunch, we spent a chunk of time on a school project, then some household chores. As the hours went on, the kitchen began to smell better and better, and as soon as Ron arrived home after work, we were ready to dig in!

This recipe nearly filled my crock pot to the top. It would likely serve 8-10 people. Last night, we ate it over baked potatoes topped with shredded cheese and/or sour cream. But there was plenty left over to make into another meal later this week. 




Ingredients:
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large onion, chopped

2 large (28-oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes

2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 1-lb. can dark red kidney beans
1 1-lb. can light red kidney beans  

1 tablespoon chili powder *(see my ramble about spiciness below)

2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
 
Directions:
  1. In a skillet, cook ground beef and onion until meat is lightly browned and onions are tender. Place in large slow cooker.
  2. Add tomatoes, sauce, beans, chili powder, salt, and bay leaf. 
  3. Cover. Cook on High 4-5 hours.
  4. Remove bay leaf. Serve with choice of toppings.  


* I consider this a mild chili, but then I eat it with a liberal sprinkling of cayenne pepper, so you may not trust my opinion. Ron can eat it without complaining. 

In days gone by, he could not tolerate any spice. At all. He could be eating something that the rest of us thought was quite mild, and he'd grab for his water saying, "I feel like my mouth is on fire!" Once, my mom (who loves things hot) gave him a pickle with his sandwich, forgetting that she had bought Tabasco-flavored pickles. He thought he was going to perish. (He still gives pickles a distrustful look.) Over time, though, either his tastes have changed or his tongue has grown numb, because he can now enjoy food with a (mild) kick.

Ron says that there are two things that people say that he does not trust. 
  1. "That movie is good."
  2. "It's not that spicy."


I said all that to say this: Adjust the spice to your own taste!


How do you feel about spicy food? And do you trust the evaluations of others? :)




Looking for a recipe from another week?
Week 2: Mexican Chicken
Week 3: Beef Ragu
Week 5: Cashew Chicken

8 comments:

  1. I love spicy and I love chili. Yours really looks good. We had chili for lunch Sunday but my husband could eat it every day.
    I am enjoying your Crock-Pot recipe series. Blessings, Sharon D.

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  2. Your recipe is similar to my husband's, except he puts a whole jar of salsa in his:) We love spicy around here, as evidenced by the variety of hot sauces in my spice cabinet.

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  3. We like it hot here! We grew up in southern California with spicy Mexican food. I even throw in a chopped jalapeno in our borsch. Loved your commentary on spiciness and I think those are 2 comments to not trust, too!!

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  4. Looks delicious! I love CrockPot recipes. I have my CrockPot going even as we speak, so to speak, with tonight's dinner! I was a homeschooler for 21 years. Loved it. :-)

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  5. I can tolerate olnly a mildly spiced dish. I do not trust people with spiciness or pickles! A friend raved about Wickles, and they are noy so easy to find. I could not tolerate the heat! I will stick with my bread-and -butter pickles! Note: No Wickles for Ron! xo

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  6. Oh the chili looks so yummy! It is always first on my list of comfort food...I will be having the last bowl of leftovers tonight for my dinner from some I made over the weekend. I love putting it over a bed of tortilla chips, adding shredded cheese, sour cream and sometimes chopped tomatoes and lettuce shreds! I like mine a little on the spicey side as well...not too hot though :)

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  7. It looks delicious. I like a mild chili. John is not so much a fan. He had a challenging time with the taco soup that I made last week. I loved it! (It seemed mild to me.)

    I agree with Ron...people's opinions about movies are so subjective and I often do not agree. Not only that, I often enjoy portions of movies a great deal, but not the entire movie. Probably his other concern is a point well taken.
    =D

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  8. A perfect crockpot meal on these snowy wintry days. I made a crockpot dinner last week but it didn't come out as good as I anticipated.

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