Yesterday was so cold outside. The temperature was only about 20 degrees but it was a blustery day. The wind was so cold it made your bones shiver! It was the perfect day for a nice pot of homemade chili with cornbread!
I thawed some ground beef and browned it up in a pot and added some onions. Then I mixed in some oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Then I cut up some yellow and green peppers and added a splash of soy sauce. I let it all cook together a bit then I added a can of stewed tomatoes and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies.
I added a pinch of sugar for sweetness and then grated some chocolate into the pot. Yes, I said chocolate! I remember my grandfather (Poppy) always used to put a hershey's kiss in his chili. I like the very subtle falvor it adds. You wouldn't be able to take a bite of the finished chili and say you taste chocolate but the cocoa adds a nice flavor. I'm sure you could leave it out and it would taste just fine but I like to add it! I then added a handful of mushrooms and a can of black beans and then poured in a splash of tomato sauce. Then I cut up a handful of velveeta into cubes and added it. Once it melted into the chili I then mixed up some corn bread and got that into the oven. I let the chili simmer till the corn bread was done & then dinner was ready! We topped our bowls with a little extra shredded velveeta, which I thinks goes really well with chili, but any cheese would do.
It was rather delicious, if I may say so myself! It had a nice subtle spice kick to it... just enough to start to make your nose run but not enough to make it too spicy. I hate when things are so spicy hot that you can't even taste the flavor of what you're eating. It was the perfect meal for a Cold Day!
