Yup, the yummy comfort food that you want to eat curled up under a fleece blanket with your kitty at your feet while watching hockey.
Normally I'm one of those people that need some kind of recipe to follow when making something I don't usually make, but soup/stew is one of those things where you can be really flexible and throw whatever you have on hand into the pot and it'll still turn out awesome.
I also needed to make enough so that there was just enough for the two of us and not the usual leftover portion to feed another army. You'd be surprised how much finished product you get after you throw in everything even though it doesn't look like it!
Here's what I used (a rough estimate, since I was just guestimating at the grocery store):
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Chili (ali edition) - 3ish servings
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1 large can diced tomatoes (28 ounces I think)
1 medium can of mixed beans
1 small (read:DINKY) can of tomato paste
Ground beef. Whatever kind you have on hand. 300g should be enough
Seasoning spices - black pepper, paprika, chili powder
1/2 cup diced carrots
1/2 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced onions
2 tablespoons oil
3 large round buns
Just a whee bit of cornstarch
Why do we need round buns? Because I went the extra mile and made an edible serving bowl! YEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAA. More on that later.
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Putting it all together
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Heat the oil in a pan, and add the diced onions. Cook until translucent, and add the beef. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat, and add whatever seasonings you like. I usually throw in black pepper, paprika and chili powder. When the beef is almost done, add in the diced tomatoes, beans, tomato paste and diced veggies.
Turn the heat down to somewhere in between low and medium and simmer for about 30-45 min. Meanwhile, go enjoy the hockey game
*during intermission*
Come back and check on your chili. If it is a bit watery (I added the entire can of tomatoes including the water), then add some cornstarch dissolved in cold water. It should thicken up.
With the round buns, about 1 inch from the top, cut off the top. Scoop out the inside bread guts - I like to use this as filler with extra meat I bought from the store to make meatballs! But that's for another day. Like I was saying, scoop out the bread guts so that the inside of the bun is hollow.
The chili should be done now, and give a hearty scoop of it into your newly created bread bowl. Oh, we went back for refills a few times using the same bowl but there was enough leftovers for one REALLY hearty lunch.
Enjoy!
