Jan. 20 - Chili & Corn Muffins

I made one of my *favorite* cold-weather meals - chili & corn muffins! I was thinking about going all out and doing my sweet potato cornbread from scratch, but alas, the Jiffy box called and I took the easy route. The boy absolutely loves this chili recipe - in fact, he's said it's the best kind he's ever had. Compliments will get you anywhere with me ;-)

I can't remember where I got the chili recipe, but it's a snap to make and can be done on the stove or with a crockpot. I did mine on the stove since I was home the whole day, but I've cooked it both ways and don't have a preference. The corn muffins are a no-brainer...although I did follow a suggestion on the box: mix the batter, let it sit for about 3 or 4 minutes, remix and pour into the liners. Not sure if it's psychosomatic, but the muffins were much  moister and tastier than when I mix and pour immediately.

Here's the chili recipe - enjoy!

Chili
Ingredients
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
8 oz. jar of salsa
4 tablespoons of chili seasoning
15 oz. light red kidney beans
15 oz. dark red kidney beans

Directions

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the ground beef and the onion and sauté for 10 minutes, or until meat is browned and onion is tender.
2. Drain grease if desired (I always do).
3. Add the ground black pepper, garlic salt, tomato sauce, salsa, chili seasoning and beans.
4. Mix well, reduce heat to low, and simmer for at least an hour.

If you choose to use a crockpot, the recipe suggests adding a can of beef broth. When I did that, it turned out way too soupy, so perhaps try 1/2 a can? This one takes about 15 or 20 minutes of preparation and then about an hour of cook time (stove top recipe). I did a rough estimate of the calories in this dish before, and if split into 6 servings, it's about 500 calories per serving.