Homemade chili is a great meal to have during the cold winter months. Hamburger and beans and everything else that goes into chili sure does sound delicious!! Nice comfort food, throw in a biscuit and you have your dinner made.
Now chili is pretty good and simple meal to make. Lots of people make their chili different. As years went by, I never can make my chili like I used to when I first made it. I really don’t understand why. Maybe because I now, do not follow a recipe. I wing it, just add all that I need, and add spices after I add main ingredients.
I have found that this does work for me sometimes. But right now, for some reason. My chili is a little too strong, if that does make sense. I believe it is the tomato that is making it taste strong. It has a bit of a kick to it, not the chili powder either.
So I have found that I would look up other chili recipes on line. Just to see if I am missing something. Or maybe just not adding enough of something.
What Could Your Chili Be Missing??
- not enough meat?
- or too much stew tomato or diced tomatoes
- no tomato paste
- not enough spices, or chili powder
- did you add green peppers or celery
- or even forgot the main ingredient of beans
This is what I was thinking when I had to figure out what I was missing. I didn’t use tomato paste, and I used diced tomatoes. So I was missing the paste, but really did I need it?? I never used it before. Because it just cost too much just to have a tablespoon of paste, and the rest would go to waste. So I never bought any.
Hmmm, so I think I didn’t add enough other liquid. Such as beef broth, because my chili was a little thick. So I will be trying that next time I make some for dinner next week.
When Using Dehydrated Vegetables
For this, I did use my dehydrated vegetables, that I made during the summer. When I needed to figure out what was better, canning vs. dehydrating.
When I used my dehydrated celery and green peppers, I didn’t remember to add some kind of liquid into what I was making. Because it no longer has the liquid in them anymore. So that is why my chili turned out abit off. So it made the chili stronger tasting, because it took out all the liquid in the pot. Just to rehydrate the vegetables I had added.
So when you do use your dehydrated vegetables, do add more liquid to compensate for no water content in your vegetables. I have to remember this each and every time I use my dehydrated vegetables.
This was a easy simple dinner meal, I put together this morning. Letting it simmer all day. Which I thought would of turned out great, but lacked the liquid. So next time I will remember to add some more liquid into the chili. Hope it will turn out better next time.
When I Used To Make Homemade Chili
I always made this, from scratch. When I first was on my own, and had my son. A lady came over to help me with housework and help me with my son. She was a great help, she is the one who showed me how to first make chili.
She wrote it down for me, so I could eventually do it on my own. As I didn’t know too much about how to cook food. As I was still learning, she taught me alot about cooking all different things. Of course all the basics, no need to get all fancy. Since I didn’t know much already, easier the better.
Chili is pretty easy, once you see it all written down. It is pretty straightforward, on what is needed. No special order on how and when to add to the pot. Just add it all, making sure the hamburger is the first one to get cooked. Cause it is meat, and you want to make sure that is cooked. Before adding anything else to the pot.
So find a simple recipe in any cookbook or online even. Each recipe is different.
My Chili Recipe
- one pound ground hamburger, broken up
- can of diced tomatoes
- one green pepper, diced
- 3-4 stalks of celery, diced
- one onion, diced
- can of mushrooms (sliced)
- 1-2 cans of baked beans, drained
- one can of kidney beans
- 2 teaspoons of chili powder( add more if you like)
- one teaspoon of onion powder(add more if you like)
- one teaspoon of garlic powder(use fresh if you like)
Cook the hamburger first, then add the onion. Then you can add the rest of the ingredients in any order you would like. This can also be cooked in a slow cooker too. Have it slow cooking in the slow cooker while you are away at work.
Or be like me, and work from home. But I still use my slow cooker, if I know I am really busy working. Just don’t have the time to make anything else for supper. Then I will either make chili or a stew for my supper. If I do manage to finish all my things for work early. Then I may also whip up some baking powder biscuits to go with the meal.
