I knew I had a lot of busy days ahead of me this week, and we had a very small grocery budget for 2 weeks worth of meals. So, when I found some great deals on those HUGE cans of diced tomatoes, I decided to grab them and just make HUGE pots of chili to freeze. That way I'd have a meal one night and then at least 2 more to freeze.
Thankfully some of the things I got from my Mom's house (when my brother and sister went to empty it without telling me) were her huge stock pots that she made soup and spaghetti sauce in. They are really HUGE. So, perfect for my chili!
That pot in the back left is my original stock pot, which is dwarfed by this new big one.
I got that great wooden spoon from Mom too. The camera flash made the surface of the chili look weird. It didn't look like that in person.
I use big cans of baked beans in my chili. They're sweet, but the family loves it. I think it helps tone down the spicy since I use 1 ground turkey, then 1 lb turkey sausage and 1 pack pork sausage. The sausage has a lot of spice in addition to the 3 packs of chili seasoning I use.
This is the smaller pot from Mom. It's still much bigger than the one I had originally. This is the one I made beef stew in. Well, it really became beef and vegetable soup.
I started with a cheap markdown pack of breakfast steaks which I put in a crock pot with potatoes and onions, water, and a packet of beef stew seasoning which was in the clearance bin.I cooked all that on high 4 hours, then transferred the potatoes and onions to the stock pot and added more water and onions to the meat since it still wasn't tender enough for my taste. That all cooked on low another couple hours til it made the house smell SO GOOD. Then I added that to the stock pot as well as tons of cans of veggies. I used 2 each of peas, green beans and corn, plus tomatoes. Then I added some spicy seasoning to tone down the tomato since Christopher said he didn't like it to be too "tomatoey". When it was finally done simmering another few hours, it was oh so good! Everyone loved it and got at least 2 helpings. We had a big load of French bread with it. It didn't make it to two dinners, but it was lunch for 2 days for everyone plus dinner one night, so that was great!
I just love Fall. Perfect weather for these meals. :) They're like a warm hug.
I've been listening to a great mix on 8Tracks of songs perfect for Fall. http://8tracks.com/cafewednesday/autumn-leaves So check it out. I love 8tracks!
Hope you're having a great Fall!
Patty
Thankfully some of the things I got from my Mom's house (when my brother and sister went to empty it without telling me) were her huge stock pots that she made soup and spaghetti sauce in. They are really HUGE. So, perfect for my chili!
I use big cans of baked beans in my chili. They're sweet, but the family loves it. I think it helps tone down the spicy since I use 1 ground turkey, then 1 lb turkey sausage and 1 pack pork sausage. The sausage has a lot of spice in addition to the 3 packs of chili seasoning I use.
I just love Fall. Perfect weather for these meals. :) They're like a warm hug.
I've been listening to a great mix on 8Tracks of songs perfect for Fall. http://8tracks.com/cafewednesday/autumn-leaves So check it out. I love 8tracks!
Hope you're having a great Fall!
Patty