Eenie Meenie Chili with Beanies

I'm a chili head.

I started making chili years ago. I was pretty proud of it, and while I was living in Birmingham, Alabama, someone suggested that I enter a cook off. I had no clue how to participate but I'm into the competition thingy, so I whipped up a batch and entered. Damned if I didn't win. I got a weird little clear beer stein engraved with 'Chili Champ" and for some weeks I ruled the known universe.

Over the years I entered several more, in Alabama, Tennessee and Washington, and won much more often than I lost. I never did get the opportunity to enter any of the "biggies" - the International Chili Competition events - although I've always wanted to. One of my goals in life is to win a 'real' or 'big' chili cook-off and get a giant obnoxious trophy. That and a barbecue cook-off...mmmmmm.....

My champion chili is quite involved. It takes about two days. I make all my own chili powders and blends, hunt down the perfect tomatoes, hand pick my pintos (for the beans allowed events - don't get me going on that controversy - no this ain't Texas Bowl o' Red), and have even grown my own peppers, canning, drying or pickling the appropriate ones. I make it spicy - with a toasty even burn that lingers through two or three beers. My best trick is that it's not just hot - but it's hot that's yummy too. Heat for the sake of torture is not my thing. It has to be delicious too.

But.

I can't feed that to my kids. My oldest son and daughter love it, but the little guys can't handle it. And frankly it takes too daggone long for a family meal. Granted I make it in a five gallon stock pot so it lasts a while, but still.

This is my compromise chili. This is the one I whip out for family meals. This one goes in a two gallon pot - and is often better the second day. But throw this one together early in the day and it's delicious and ready by supper time. It looks like a lot of ingredients - but it really is easy - just dump it all in a big ol' pot. I do this one in the morning and the family horde helps themselves all day long. Add in the the Tennessee Caviar and Ricky's Salsa, and you've got some serious nutrition happening as well. High in protein, fiber, vitamin C, beta carotene and calcium,  low in fat, satisfying and filling. Doesn't get better than that!