Tonight's Version of Chili is...

I must thank my friend Liza for opening my eyes to chili when we lived together in college. Chili wasn't something that was made much in my home growing up and I was not what you'd call an "adventurous" eater as a child or young adult (but I'm getting there!). Since Liza's tutelage, chili has been a staple in my cooking repertoire and I've come to love it.
I decided to do a bit of research on what "chili" actually is and found a good summary on wikipedia. "Chili con carne (literally "Chili with meat", often known simply as chili) is a spicy stew made from chili peppers, meat, garlic, onions, and cumin. Traditional chili is made with chopped or ground beef. Variations, either geographic or by personal preference, may substitute different types of meat and may also include tomatoes, beans, or other ingredients." There was a lot more on the different regional adaptations of chili in the article, including a great quote "If you know beans about chili, you know chili ain't got no beans." I realize this is a bone of contention between chili-lovers, but I think the phrase "to each his own" when I think about chili. It's a great one-pot meal that can be a bit of a "catch-all" for what you have in the pantry or fridge that night. I think of chili as a concept of a dish, rather than a specific regimen. But then again, I don't live in Texas.
With this philosophy for making chili, my concoctions are never the same twice. Originally, when I relied heavily on McCormick's Chili seasoning packet, many of my pots were similar. These days, I've thrown away reliance on the packet and head to my spice shelves looking for inspiration. I couldn't tell you all the additions and measurements of what went into this particular pot, but I know it included chili powder, smoked paprika, Old Bay, cinnamon and some Ms. Dash blend (ok, maybe I still buy some seasoning mixes). I was horrified to find my cumin empty- apparently my mental note about using that up didn't compute. But that just makes it more fun and why I went with the Old Bay for something different. I also had chives and oregano sprouting in my herb pots, so threw some of those in as well. Of course salt and pepper are in the mix, as well as just a bit of sugar to help with the acidity of the canned tomatoes- which brings me to what else is in there.
Ground turkey was on sale this week, so that is my meat instead of ground beef. I know, I know, another cardinal sin from Texas, but it is healthier and was cheaper than beef. The rest of what's in there may be considered "fillers" by some, and will definitely get you disqualified from a chili cook-off, but I think of them not as filler but textural, nutritional and down right tasty enhancements. I chopped some onions and red bell pepper to start with, and added some halved grape tomatoes (because I had them and they needed to be eaten) and some canned stewed tomatoes. Then I used dark red kidney beans and small red beans and also threw in some frozen corn because I like the bit of sweetness and color it adds to the party. There needed to be more sauciness so I added an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Often I will also add about half a beer for the sauce (another Liza hand-me-down), but didn't have any in the fridge. (See, it's not about planning it's just about spontaneous chili cooking!)
I like to let things simmer together for at least an hour to marry all the flavors and get a good, rich feel. To finish things off, I'm a fan of some sour cream, cheese and usually scallions, but I didn't have them, so it was more chives from my herb pot.
Maybe this won't win any Texas chili competitions (because it couldn't even be entered) but I still think it makes a dang good dinner, ya'll.