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

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Firehouse Chili

Kid friendly chili!

Prep Time 1 hour hour

Cook Time 2 hours hours

Servings 8 -10 servings

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.