Halloween Chili

Chili's a Halloween tradition at our house. I don't care if we ARE still running the A/C and it's 96 degrees outside -- we can still eat chili! My mom did almost all the cooking when we were kids, but my dad made a mean pot of chili! And it's a really easy recipe.

Kirwin's Chili

1 to 1 1/2 pounds hamburger
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green pepper
1/2 chili seasoning packet -- to taste
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
4 cans of chili beans
Grated sharp cheddar cheese

Brown the hamburger in a large pot. After de-greasing, add the chopped onions and green peppers and saute. Add half the chili seasoning packet or less (until you figure out the level of HEAT). After mixing the seasoning into the meat, add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce, and 4 cans of chili beans. You may need to add a little water to thin the consistency. Simmer for 45 minutes to an hour.

Spoon chili into bowls and top with sharp grated cheddar. A friend of ours also uses chopped onions and yellow mustard as a topper. That's way too gourmet for us. Ha! Corn bread makes an excellent addition to the meal, but we usually just add crackers.

Ready to simmer!

While you're waiting for the chili to cook, take a look at this little sightseeing tour with Luis Miguel. Love this song!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I thought I'd give everyone a little mood music to go with the tortilla soup, but I'm afraid Luis Miguel is a little more exciting than the soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

I've had a chicken tortilla soup recipe that I've used for years, but recently I decided it needed to be modified. We were tired of the same old soup. My favorite Mexican joint in this area, Casa Blanca, has a chicken tortilla soup to die for. I didn't think I'd succeed in talking them out of their secret recipe, so I decided to take my recipe and modify it to be more like theirs. I tried it last week and we both loved it, so I thought I'd post the recipe. It's easy and quick.

1 chopped onion
2 minced garlic cloves
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 to 1/2 c. dry white wine
1 1/2 t. ground cumin (to taste)
1 t. Worcestershire sauce
3 14 oz. cans chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (any Mexican variety with added peppers)
1 can tomato soup
3 sliced carrots
2 potatoes cut into chunks
2 stalks celery sliced
1 zucchini, squash, or anything similar chopped
Crushed tortilla chips or tortilla strips
Chopped avocado chunks
Shredded cheese (three cheese Mexican blend)

Saute onion and garlic in Dutch oven that's been sprayed with olive oil. Add cans of soup, tomatoes, wine, cumin, and Worcestershire to pot. Once the soup base comes to a boil, add the chopped vegetables and shredded chicken. Allow soup to simmer about an hour. Ladle soup into bowls, topping with tortilla chips, cheese, and avocado chunks. (I sometimes pop the soup into the microwave to melt the cheese, then add chips and avocado!)