My Recipe Box...sort of....

Over at the Mason-Dixon blog Kay and Ann are having a recipe box challenge. I just couldn't resist, even though I don't actually have a recipe box. So I took a quick picture of the shelf that houses all my cooking stuff (note the ancient Betty Crocker cook book! It's missing a few pages but I can't bring myself to throw it out). Anyway...I keep most of the family recipes in the small recipe keeper. The recipe I've decided to share is my grandmother's chili recipe.

The story goes something like this: When my parents were first married...back in the fifties, my mom offered to make my dad some chili because he loved it so much. That night my mom served up her own version of chili and my dad ate several helpings,... and,.... well,.... let's just say my mom has never been the greatest cook. My poor papa spent the next 24 hours 'indisposed'.

After that my poor mom decided to call dad's mom for her chili recipe. (Never did understand why she didn't do that in the first place. But then it wouldn't have been an often told family story, poor mom.) Anyway, grandma's recipe was a favorite of my dad, me, and now my family.

So here it is, my grandmother's chili:

3 cans kidney beans or piquito beans, use liquid from 2 of the cans.
1 lb hamburger
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can italian stewed tomatoes
2 cans tomato paste
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
2-3 teaspoons chili powder (to taste)

In a large pot, brown hamburger and onions. Add beans, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Stir over medium heat until well blended. Add garlic, cumin, red pepper, and chili powder. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Add onions and grated cheese on top to serve..it's also great for chili dogs!

Ornaments = Memories

The simple knitted bells were made by my Aunt Esther many, many years ago. She died of breast cancer when I was 15. They still grace my tree every year and remind me of walking on the beach with my Auntie, looking for shells, agates, and polished sea glass....the time when you could easily find such things :)