I Lied about It Being Spring
Apparently, St. Louis is not finished with the winter weather. Case in point: it snowed this morning. I’m from Mississippi; April is meant for sundresses and (if you’re a redhead like me) a thick slathering of self-tanner. However, the unexpected return of the cold weather provided an opportunity for me to continue my search for the perfect chili. Have I found it? Still not sure.
We’ve tried everything from chicory to chocolate in our chilis, so this time I wanted a more traditional take. I turned to my collection of cookbooks and noticed that Bill and I had yet to make anything from one of our wedding presents, Bride & Groom First and Forever Cookbook. I won’t lie, the name turns me off a little bit. The recipes looked promising though, so we took the plunge and made Texas Chili with All the Fixin’s.
The consensus was a solid “make again.” We both felt that it was a decent go-to chili, especially with the addition of Italian sausage and chipotles. It was a tad sweeter than I like my chili, but a nice effort all around. And it gave me an opportunity to drink some Mexican beer (my beer of choice - in fact, pretty much all I drink) so I’m not complaining.
Am I ready for skimpy summer clothes? Yes. But was I thrilled to have the opportunity to continue the never-ending quest for the perfect chili? Absolutely.
(Note: this recipe makes a ton of leftovers, and chili is always better when it has had time to sit. Make the whole recipe and freeze what’s left.)
