I am a teacher by training and I try to teach my students easy ways to remember important pieces of information using mnemonics or songs or silly patterns. Sometimes this also comes in handy while cooking! There are millions of chili recipes floating around and most are very good -however, if you want a tried and true chili recipe without much thought or research, just remember 3 – 2 – 1.
3 – 2 – 1 Chili Recipe
3 cans beans (any type you like)
2 cans tomatoes (I usually used seasoned diced)
1 lb. meat (any kind)
After following this basic recipe, I season the chili using the same 3 – 2 – 1 pattern:
3 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Cumin
1 Teaspoon Cayenne and Salt
This weekend I met a great local farmer who urged me to try his Whole Hog Sausage. Hmmm… I was skeptical at first but I peered at the ingredients – Pork, Sage, Black Pepper, Salt, Cayenne – and decided to give it a try in my chili. It was perfect! He also had some delicious banana peppers begging to be bought up so I added some banana peppers, a green pepper, some garlic and onion to the chili for some extra flavor. Unfortunately, there were no leftovers. None. Three preschoolers and three adults devoured the entire pot. It really was that good.
After sauteing the fresh sausage until it was crumbly and combining all the ingredients in the crockpot, I cooked the chili for about 4 hours on high. That’s it! So easy.
Serve with cornbread! Enjoy!
Our favorite cornbread recipe …
Sweet Cornbread Muffins (Gluten-free)
