Chili a la Amy

It's that time of the year again... cold nights, tired mommies, and hungry kiddos. In our house, the latter seems to be all the time! Being a home school family you might think that we have SO much time to cook and prepare large elaborate meals; that is, however, not the case at all. I actually feel that now that we are home, we have less time to cook. Between lessons, and refereeing arguments between siblings, and transporting kids places, I am so thankful for a few of my tried and true recipes I keep up my sleeve. And shall I add, recipes that don't take me all day to make either. One of my family's favorites is chili. Now, I have made chili for a number of years, but only lately have I been including a secret ingredient...MASA... mmm, goodness!

Chili a la Amy:

Many recipes combined to make this one...

2 tsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 pound ground meat (beef, chicken, turkey)
3 (or more) crushed cloves garlic
salt and pepper

1 tsp oregano
1 Tbls cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne (I omit for the kiddos)
2 Tbls chili powder

1 large can of tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup masa (corn flour)
1/2 cup water

serve with choice of:
cheese
chopped onion
FRITOS.... YUM!


Directions:
Get yourself a big pot, no need to do a lot of dishes with this meal! Who has time for that anyways!?

Cook onions on high heat in olive oil until then appear transparent. Then add the meat and garlic. Cook until meat is no longer pink. Drain off any excess fat you might see.

Now dump all your spices in with the meat. Give it a good stir and let everyone meet up with each other in the pot! Now is the time to open and dump...

Add all your canned ingredients and give it another stir around. Turn the stove down to simmer and let it cook for about an hour, or if you don't have time, just until it gets all bubbly and good tasting! I have made this and let is sit for a few hours and I have made it and served right away.

Right before you are going to serve, mix the masa and water in a little bowl until blended and add that to the pot of goodies. Stir together, taste and adjust seasoning as needed. If the chili is to thick, you can add some water to reach the desired consistency.

Just as an added note... this freezes and reheats wonderfully. I have plopped this right in my slow cooker frozen with some water and turned it on low... stirring every now and again.

Now who's ready for some chili!?! I know I am....

~ Amy