My Recipe for Feeding a Male Teenager on Our Budget :)

First I have to say that I was blessed with a teenager that loves my chili and it's just as well because before I discovered that he loved it, there wasn't very much of my cooking he liked. I was trained by a mother that liked to put something together and either boil it to death or put it in the oven and go sit back down. Being the hardworking ICU head nurse that she was, I just ate it...whatever it was. Now along comes my son and guess what? He doesn't like his food to touch...been that way since the highchair :) Oh, and no onions or mushrooms. I swear I did not know how to cook without onions, garlic and mushrooms :) So for years we lived on a hamburger patty, a box of macaroni and cheese or rice and a can of peas or green beans for supper.

A couple of years ago one Saturday when he was engrossed in football and I was bored I decided to cook up a batch of chili. From that moment on he has declared that it is my chili that led his beloved Georgia Bulldogs to their Sugar Bowl victory and their future pre-season number 1 ranking (his words) :) He swears that if I don't make chili when Georgia plays they will lose and gets irate with me if I don't do it. So it's become a habit...chili on Saturdays. So I've decided to share it with you...mainly because this batch turned out particularly well and I need a place to store it for future reference. I even figured out how to hide the smell of the onions in it :) Then I'll tell you what I decided to do with it when I was sick of it.

Georgia Bulldog Chili :)

3lbs fresh ground beef
6 cans red beans
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can chopped green chili peppers
1 small can tomato paste
2 small cans tomato sauce
1 15oz can petite diced tomatoes with garlic celery and onions
I use Hunts tomato products because there is no sugar in it.
2 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
2 pkgs of McCormicks Chili Seasoning
3-4 cups water
Handful or two of dry onion flakes

Brown hamburger completely, chopping up any big chunks. Drain and rinse with hot water. While the hamburger is browning, in your largest pot combine first the tomatoes, paste, sauce, chili's, salt, black pepper, red pepper and chili seasoning until well blended. Then drain and rinse the beans and corn and add to tomato mixture. Add hamburger and water. If the pot won't hold all the water at first let the mixture simmer until it cooks out then add more and keep simmering. Once you have the chili smell going good all through the house, throw in the onions and stir well. Keep simmering and stirring until it is the consistency you like. I just usually put it on med low and let it cook all day, or until it is discovered.

Now here's what I did with it tonight:

Georgia Bulldog Cornbread Chili Bake--Not for the faint of heart :)

3 cups Martha White buttermilk cornmeal mix
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
3 cups (apprx) chili heat and strain the sauce out
1 1/3 cup milk
1 large egg
1 can jalapeno peppers chopped
1 can cream style corn

Preheat oven to 450. Combine cornmeal mix, egg and milk. It's kind of thick. Add peppers and cream style corn. This will thin it to the right consistency. In at least a 13 x 9 (spray generously with cooking spray) pan spread 2/3's of mixture evenly to cover bottom of pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 cup cheese. Spread chili out evenly over cheese mixture then add the remaining cheese over the chili. Top with the remaining cornbread mixture. Place on lower rack on top of a double walled cookie sheet for about 20-35 minutes. Allow to cool or wire rack for about 10 minutes. Serve with sour cream and fresh green onions or celery. When this has completely cooled it can be cut into squares, wrapped in foil and frozen for later when you don't want to cook :)

Oops...sorry if you are on a diet...we're just trying to make the food go very far around here, we'll diet later when I get a job :)