I am not necessarily fond of cold weather and Winter snow, but there are two things I do love – sweaters and cold-weather food. One thing in particular that I enjoy making and eating when the temperature starts to dip low is chili. There are so many different ways to make it, and some day I’d like to try some Cincinnati chili, but the one I make now is pretty simple. I used to make a Cajun style chili but since running out of the proper seasoning, I went back to the very basic recipe.

Although I like a little kick to my chili, neither of the kids would eat it (Breanna would try but she can only take so much heat and Hayley would balk at the first bite). Instead I make it mild for the sake of family eating. First I cook up some ground beef with garlic and onion powder, then drain any fat (today I had medium ground beef so there was a fair amount; if it’s extra lean I don’t usually need to bother). Then I take two cans of beans and rinse and drain them. Sometimes I use one can of red kidney beans and one of white, but I prefer what I used tonight, which was two cans of mixed beans. It’s more interesting that way. I toss those in, and then dump in a large can of diced tomatoes with the juice. I usually put more garlic powder in, along with a generous amount of chili powder (it’s not hot at all) and a little pince of cayenne.

While it simmers, I cook up a pot of rice. I never ate chili with rice at home but George did and after I tried it once I was hooked. It adds to the meal. By the time the rice is ready, the chili is usually nice and thick; if it’s still not thick enough I throw in a spoonful or two of flour to speed it along.

The kids eat theirs as is, and tonight George and I boosted the heat factor by adding some Calypso Hot Sauce from Trinidad & Tobago to ours.

It’s fast to make, it’s easy, and it tastes great. And it helps make the colder weather just a little more bearable.

Care to share some of your favorite Winter recipes?