Chilly, Chili & Chili

It's been a bit chilly outside here the last few mornings and evenings (beautiful in the middle of the day though), which makes me crave some warm-you-up dinners from the crockpot. This is Cowboy Chili in the works, and how I came to have this recipe is actually sewing-related.

When I first became obsessed with sewing about 5-1/2 years ago, I bought a used Viking Rose. It was a great machine and certainly a huge step up from my very basic Kenmore mechanical. I loved that machine, but soon started coveting a Designer 1. (My dealer is very good at holding classes that make you want to spend money!) Soon after, I lucked into a side web design job that paid Big Bucks. Since it was bonus income, I spent the money on a luxury item — a new Designer 1. But that meant I needed to sell my Rose because, as some of you may remember, I was sewing in a closet at that time and had no room for another machine. (Yes, I did somehow manage to squeeze my coverstitch machine in later!)

I listed the Rose on Ebay and sold it to a very nice woman about my age. We had some email correspondence before, during and after the sale and at some point the conversation went in the direction of cooking for a house full of "men." She shared a recipe that has since become one of my guys' absolute favorite meals. Yep, the Cowboy Chili shown above. I've changed the ingredients around a bit, but the basics are pretty much the same. The original recipe (and how I've changed it) is below. I guarantee this will be a hit with any meat-eating male in the house. This current batch has been in the crockpot since 8 AM and the house is already smelling delicious. Later I'll be making some bread in the bread machine to go with it.

And, what's one Chili without the other? ;-) The poochies are still getting along great, although we need to make sure that Pepper gets her share of hugs and loves, since Chili wiggles his way to the front-and-center of any petting session! I'm taking them both to the vet this afternoon. Chili for a basic checkup and Pepper for a follow-up after her surgery. She's not looking so much like FrankenPuppy anymore as the shaved area on her forehead is filling back in. Her stitches are still intact though, so she does have a little more healing to go before she's 100% back to her usual cuteness.


Here they are, both eagerly waiting for … what else, but a Treat! (I had to bribe them so they'd both be looking at me for the photo.) Chili has made huge progress with his commands. He now knows Sit, Down, Shake, and Come. Next on the list is Roll Over. He'll be a natural for that one. Pepper used to Roll Over, but now she's so plump she gets stuck. ;-) I'm curious to see what she weighs at the vet today since her diet and exercise have improved a thousand-fold now that "Mr. Spoiling Dad" (a/k/a DH) isn't in charge anymore.

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Cowboy Chili (original)

Brown 2 lb. ground beef. Add 1 chopped onion, 4 chopped green onions, 1/4 c. celery, 1/2 clove garlic, 1/4 bell pepper. Saute until soft.

Add salt and pepper to taste, 1 T chili powder, 1/4 tsp. sugar. Stir well. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 16 oz can tomato juice, 2 cans drained whole kernel corn, 1 can Rotel Ranch Style chili beans, and 6 medium potatoes peeled and cubed. Add water if necessary to prevent scorching. Cook until potatoes are done (approx 30-40 minutes).

Cowboy Chili (my changes and for the crockpot)

Stir all of the following together in a large crockpot and cook on High all day (about 6-8 hours) or Auto Alternating (high/low) if you have that option on your crockpot. Makes 8-10 servings (good for lunch the next day!)

3-4 lbs. cubed stew beef (extra lean meat will end up too dry)
2 cans Rotel Ranch Style Beans
2 cans diced chili style tomatos
2 cans whole kernel corn (not drained)
1 can tomato paste
5-6 medium potatoes (not peeled), cubed
1-1/2 T chili powder
1/4 c. sugar
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped garlic or 1 fresh clove, diced
1 whole green bell pepper, diced
1 large onion, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, diced (optional)
4-6 green onions, chopped (optional)

I stopped using the tomato juice because it's only available here in very large cans and we ended up tossing the rest. The extra can of diced tomatoes and tomato paste work just as well.

We also prefer stew beef over ground beef. Chicken is a good meat alternative for a different flavor.