KATHY'S CHILI

I found this recipe in a cook book I got for my wedding and I used it so much when I was raising my family.  Some Monday mornings I would start the pinto beans, mix up a batch of granola and then start a batch of bread.  All the while I was doing the laundry.  My oh my, where did all that energy go?

Anyway, this is a simple but delicious recipe

2 cups pinto beans

2 cups of tomato juice (or 1 quart bottled tomatoes)

1/2 pound of hamburger, browned

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 tablespoon salt (or less)

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon paprika

Put the beans in a large pot and cover them with at least 2 quarts of water, the beans will double in size.  

If you want to, you can add onions at this time, either diced fresh or dehydrated. I use about 2 TBS dehydrated onions. 

Bring the water to boil and boil for 2 minutes. Cover the beans and turn off the heat, let the beans sit for 2 hours. 

After two hours turn the heat on and boil softly for 1 more hour. I you keep the lid off, make sure the beans are covered with water.

After that hour add all the rest of the ingredients and simmer again for 1 hour.  It could take longer for the beans to get soft.  I like to make sure they are soft.

Fresh beans cook up nice and soft in this four hours, older beans take longer to get fully cooked. I often just rotate out my old beans each year because they are so cheap and fresh one are so good. They food bank will take them.

Kathy's Original Chili

1 pound or 4 cups pinto beans (New beans cook much faster than old beans)
1/4 cup dried onions
Cover with water and bring to a boil, boil for 2 minutes.
Turn heat off and let stand for 2 hours.

Drain and cover with water, bring to a boil.
Cook over medium hear for 1 hour.

Then Add:
1 quart jar of canned tomatoes or 4 cups of tomato juice or the equivalent
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp paprika
2 tbsp chili powder

Simmer for 1 more hour or until beans are soft.
I usually start this recipe in the morning and it can be ready for lunch and will most defiantly be ready for dinner.

I use this recipe for haystacks,  or serve it with fresh home made bread, or soda crackers, or corn bread.

Chicken and White Bean Chili

This chili took home the prize for Best Overall at my ward's Chili Cook-off this weekend, so I thought I would share. I got the recipe from my aunt and it is my favorite thing to make when it is blustery and cold outside.

(The original recipe suggests you buy dry Great White beans and soak 4 cups of them in 4 cups of water and 3 cups of chicken broth, but I never have a day to spend boiling beans so I just buy canned beans.)

4 16oz cans Great White or White Northern beans (I like to mix them up for variety)
2 chicken breasts (or 4 tenderloins)
2 tsp White Chicken Worschestershire Sauce or Lea&Perrins Chicken Marinade (this is impossible to find, so I usually just leave it out)
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp cumin
pepper and salt to taste
1 small clove of garlic
1 cup chopped onion
3 cans mild green chiles (I usually just do 2, as 3 cans can get spicy)

Chopped cilantro to taste (you can leave it out if you don't like cilantro)

(The recipe says to cut chicken in 1 inch cubes, but I hate working with raw meat, so I usually just boil the chicken and then shred it into pieces w/ forks)

Take chopped garlic clove and onions and saute in 3 tbsp of olive oil until transluscent. Add chicken and spices and brown. At the same time put beans in a stock pot over medium heat. Once chicken is browned add the entire mixture to the stock pot along with the green chiles and a can and a half of water or chicken broth. Boil over medium high heat for an hour, then turn down to medium for at least another hour, stirring occasionally. You can really let it simmer for as long as you want, depending on how soupy you want it. Serve w/ pepper jack or mozzarella cheese sprinkled on top. Also, if you boil and shred the chicken, you can throw everything into a slow cooker and just not worry about it for about 4 hours.