Man, I feel like chili tonight!

Monday, the start of the week. It's never easy to cook on this first night of the week, as the rush of the day often results in an exhausted return home and lack of energy to dream up a dinner menu . Alas, tonight, there was a slight chill in the air, and since football season has already started without my celebratory chili cooking all afternoon, I figured today is as good a day as any to get started. So without further adieu...

My Beloved Chili
Now, Hubby claims that my chili has saved his life once, filled his stomach at least a handful of times when I wasn't home to cook, and most definitely filled our kitchen and abode with great smells on countless occasions in the last 6 years we've been together. It was also the dish that got my office salivating one cold day a year and a half ago. My chili, I don't do any beans (you know, someone during my week at the CIA said I really have a southern streak in me - and my all-meat chli could very well be another testiment to the truth in that statement, though I would never admit it!), just ground beef. I typically use one 28 ounce can of UNSALTED crushed tomatoes, but tonight I found myself in lack of said can - I instead used 2 smaller cans of diced tomatoes tonight. Spices, I vary the quantities, but the basic spices I use are cumin, coriander, and cayenne pepper (the southern flavor again). Basic salt, pepper, finely chopped onions, scallions, cilantro, and minced garlic also go into the mix. Tonight, I did things backwards, and the mixture didn't cook as long. My chili usually cooks for the length of a football game, just to gauge time frame.

Anyway, the usual procedure is:

1. Place a bit of the ground beef you're going to use in your pot of choice (preferably not a wide-mouthed pot, so that the liquid doesn't evaporate too quickly), and heat to release some oil from the meat.
2. Add finely chopped onions, and saute until translucent.
3. Add garlic, saute until fragrant. Be careful not to burn, lest the garlic goes bitter in the pot.
   
4. Add the remainder of the ground beef, and, stirring frequently to break the beef into small pieces, saute this mixture until well-browned.
5. Add crushed tomatoes, and mix well.
6. Simmer, covered, for the, ahem, length of a football game. If it goes overtime, even better.
7. Add herbs and spices of your choice at the very end - I add cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cilantro, and scallions. Stir well and simmer for another 5-10 minutes, covered.
   
8. Taste, and adjust spices to your liking.

So there you have it folks, my wonderful chili. We enjoyed it tonight with some cheese on top, sliced day-old French baguette, with grapes on the side to finish the meal. I told Hubby not to eat too much of it, as tomorrow, after all the flavors have had a chance to meld together tonight, will show a much better-tasting chili, but hey, what can you do when Hubby requests seconds?