CHILI--7 WAY

We consider ourselves to be Chili Connoisseurs.  I won the Continuum Of Care's CHILI COOK-OFF for two years and also won another Chili Cook-Off Competition in Chillicothe.  All credit goes to my brother Les who prepares it from our mother's recipe.

During this campaign season, we are conducting Phone Banks each Tuesday and Thursday at our Headquarters.  We provide a meal for the volunteers. One of our volunteers suggested we announce the menu ahead of time.

For September 8, the main course will be 7-WAY CHILI.  The famous Cincinnati Chili is 5-Way, but we like to accommodate various appetites, thus we have CHILI WITH BEANS--7 WAYS:

CRACKERS:  (Nabisco saltines, Town House rather than Ritz, Lance's Captain's Wafers, Frito-Lay corn chips, and oyster crackers)
GLUTEN-FREE PASTA (we prefer rotini as it doesn't GLOB like spaghetti)
ONIONS (we prefer green onions)
PEPPERS (Gerald prefers green peppers)
CHEESE (we prefer Monterey Jack)
HOT SAUCE (Gerald prefers Frank's Red Hot Original)
SOUR CREAM

Only after competing in contests, did I learn that other people serve  PEANUT BUTTER SANDWICHES with chili and one very strange family serves MASHED POTATOES with their chili. I'll have the peanut butter sandwiches Thursday, but NOT the mashed potatoes.

              GLADYS SHIRKEY'S  BIG POT OF CHILI RECIPE (as DICTATED to me from Les)

4 yellow onions
olive oil
6 cloves garlic
4 # ground chuck
McCormick's Chili Powder
4 8-ounce cans of Hunt's Tomato Sauce
2 cans Rotel diced tomatoes

4 cans Joan Of Arc Kidney Beans
1 can Hunt's tomato paste
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin

In a large pan, dice 4 onions and saute in oil. Add 6 cloves garlic and a little bit of chili powder.

Start adding hamburger (we use ground chuck for competitions) a pound at a time, because it makes it easier to break up and cook.

Add some chili powder to the hamburger as it's cooking. Drain grease from hamburger. I set it at an angle on the counter to drain off all the grease possible (unlike Mom who put all the grease in the chili).

In a big pot combine:

4 cans tomato sauce
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
4 cans kidney beans

[NOTE: rinse all cans and put the RINSE WATER in the pot; there's a lot of flavor and sediment in the cans]

Bring to a boil; add drained hamburger; add more chili powder to taste; add 1 teaspoon cumin and 1 tablespoon sugar (cuts the acidic taste).

Simmer 2 or three hours, stirring frequently. We like THICK chili!

Salt and chili powder to taste.