At the risk of losing any credibility I might have earned with previous posts, yes, that is The Friends Cookbook in the photo. I told you, I have a cookbook addiction, this proves it. In my defense I did peruse the book before buying, first I noticed the cast of Friends did not write this cookbook, lol (not even Monica), it was actually written by a senior writer for Cooks Illustrated, the bastion of obsessive recipe testing. Second, it was on sale…so what the heck, I took a chance and bought a copy.
I kid you not, it has been my go to source for a variety of recipes, pancakes, brownies, coffeecake and yes, chili. The recipes are fairly simple, delicious and KID FRIENDLY, a prerequisite for the last 20 years of my life. Here are 2 favorites from the book, Flirting with Firemen Chili and the link to Absolutely Best Brownies, Kid tested and approved.
Adapted from Cooking with Friends
Firehouse Chili
Ingredients
- 3 T vegetable oil
- 3 medium yellow onions chopped
- 1 green bell pepper chopped
- 3 medium cloves of garlic minced
- 1.5 pounds ground beef I use a mix of beef and ground turkey or chicken 2:1
- 2 cups canned crushed tomatoes I use a 15 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
- 1 15 ounce can of beef broth
- 3 T chili powder
- 1.5 t cumin
- 1/2 t oregano
- 1 t salt
- 1 15 ounce can of kidney beans or pinto beans or black beans drained and rinsed
Instructions
- Heat oil in large pot. Add the onions and saute over med heat until soft and transparent looking about 8 minutes. Add garlic and bell pepper and saute for additional 2-3 minutes. Stir in ground beef and cook until it loses pink color. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, breaking up the beef with a fork or spoon. Add tomatoes, broth, spices and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 2 hours until chili thickens a little. Add beans. Ladle into bowls, garnish with shredded cheese and green onions.
- I add corn (frozen is fine) 1-2 cups because what kid doesn't like corn and to spice it up I will add hot sauce like Cholula which is a little sweeter than Tabasco.