Butternut and Turkey Sausage Soup

 This is a big pot of soup. Reduce by at least half, maybe three fourths.  

 
From the Carney Clan in Florida. 

Meat Stew

Ingredients:

2 TBSP olive oil 

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced. 

1/4 red onion, thinly sliced. 

1/2 cup carrots, sliced thinly. 

1/2 cup celery, sliced thinly. 

1 cup turkey broth. 

1/4 lb lean hamburger, cubed.

1 ea Italian sausage link, cubed. 

4 slices bacon, cubed. 

1/2 roasted chicken breaks, cubed. 

1/2 cup roasted tomatoes. 

2 tsp dried sage. 

1 TBSP Herbs de Provence. 

Salt, to taste.

Lemon drop pepper, to taste

Instructions

Fry hamburger, sausage and bacon until thoroughly cooked. 

At the same time, saute garlic and onions in olive oil in a separate pan until tender. Add carrots and celery to saute.

Blend tomatoes with 1/2 cup broth to create a tomato paste. Add to saute mix. 

When the carrots and celery begin soften, add the rest of the turkey broth and bring to a simmer. Add all the meat. Add the spices and simmer until flavors are well combined and the stew has thickened. 

Serves 2 or 3.

McBert Chili

(Prep time 20 minutes cook time 6+ hours)

Ingredients 

-veggie stock box or equal Better-than-Boullion 

-1 can embasa chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 

-dried peppers (Anaheim, jalepeno, pasilla, habenero)

-1 white onion

-2 cans of black beans

-2 cans of kidney beans

-2 small cans of green hatch chilis 

-½ T anchovy paste

-steak chunks 

-soy chorizo

In a large sauce pan start heating the stock, add dried chilies. Our preference is 2 pasilla, 3 jalapeno, 1 habanero. 

Open the tin of adobo sauce and chipotle remove stems, and blend the contents. Add to stock.

Let simmer down until you are happy with the density of flavour. Remove the hotter peppers when happy with heat level. Remember it will get a little hotter. 

While it is simmering, coarsely chop the onion. In a large pot or crock pot, put the beans, the green chilis and the onion in the pot. Stir in anchovy paste. Turn on low.  

Remove the last of the dried peppers, and pour stock into the pot. Let cook on low for at least 6 hours.

When satisfied with flavour and thickness, chop steak into 1" cubes, and sear in a hot pan. Remove chorizo from casing, stir in with steak and add to chili. Let cook on low for an hour or until steak is cooked and very tender. 

I love this chili. Really flavorful. Really dense flavors. 

We served it for dinner with a small dollop of sour cream, and I had it for leftovers with a slice of sharp cheddar cheese. 

Polenta & Sausage

Ingredients: 
per serving:

3 slices polenta, cut into ⅜” cubes.

1 sausage or bratwurst, cut into ⅜” cubes.

    (Substitute cubes of firm, marinated tempeh or tofu for vegetarian)

1 large San Marzano (or medium Roma) cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup broccoli cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup kale cut into pieces.

¼ cup bell pepper cut into ⅜” cubes.

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese

½ tsp garlic powder

Salt & pepper to taste.

1 TBSP olive oil for frying

Heat oil, and cook polenta and sausage, until sausage is done. Season with garlic powder, salt & pepper.

Reduce heat and add vegetables. Cook until they’re only beginning to get soft: two or three minutes. Stir well.

Transfer to plate / plates. Top with Parmesan cheese & broil 6 – 8 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown.

Warn guests that the plates are real hot!

Review: This is quite good. Consider other cheeses (cheddars? goat cheese for cow-dairy free), other meat (pork? chicken?). I'll bet this would make interesting nachos. 

Per person:

Ugly Rice

The Gulf Coast states have their Dirty Rice. This is my Ugly Rice.

Ingredients:
1 tsp coconut oil

¼ pound Jimmy Dean sausage, cut to ¼” cubes.

¼ cup dried mushrooms

¼ cup dried vegetables.

2 TBSP red onion, chopped,

1 TBSP tomato paste

Heat coconut oil in cast iron frying pan. Cook sausage to “mostly done” stage. 

Add remaining ingredients, and mix well. 

Place mixture in rice cooker. Add:

3 slices bacon, cooked, cut into ¼” slices.

¾ cup rice blend mix

½ tsp roasted garlic powder.

¼ tsp red pepper powder

¼ tsp roasted paprika powdered

⅛ tsp curry powder

A little pepper may be nice. I used white pepper.

2 – 2½ cups water.

Yeah, it's really ugly. But it's really good. But this is not a "lite" or a diet meal. This is Guy Food.

Creamy Potato, Kale, And Leek Soup

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4. Consider doubling it.

Prep: 5min Cook: 17min; Total: 23min

• 1 lb red potatoes, unpeeled

• 1 TBSP canola oil

• 1 pound or so of Italian chicken sausage

• 3 cups or so (6 oz) kale, chopped and tightly packed

• 3 cups leek, white and pale green parts, chopped (2 medium leeks)

• 1/2 tsp salt

• 3 cups rice milk

• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

• ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Cut potatoes into golf ball size pieces and place on a microwavable plate. Cover with waxed paper. Cook on high, rotating occasionally, until tender, about 6 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in pot, cook the sausage until done. Drain. Add the oil, and heat oil over medium heat. Add kale, leek, and salt. Stir. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add milk, potatoes, and nutmeg. Reduce heat to medium low. With potato masher or back of a large spoon, smash potatoes into small chunks. Simmer until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle each serving with pepper to taste.

Spaghetti for Company

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 1 lb bacon, cubed.
• 1 lb sage sausage. I used Jimmy Dean.
• 2 heads garlic, peeled and sliced
• ½ white onion, peeled & chopped.
• 2-3 TBSP dried Italian Seasoning
• 1½ tsp ground black pepper, maybe more.
• 2 TBSP dried Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp beef bouillon concentrate (low sodium variety)
• zero salt (this doesn’t need it)
• 1 large can (29 oz) cooked and diced tomatoes.
• 2 jars or cans, prepared tomato sauce; I used “Garlic & Herb.”

Preparations: preheat the cast iron Dutch oven on a stovetop burner. Chop the bacon up & fry it. Set aside on paper towels to drain. Pour off most of the grease, but save it for later.

Toss the sausage in the hot Dutch oven. While the bottom is cooking, use the spatula to cut into modest-sized meatballs. When these are about half done, add the garlic and cook together with the sausage. Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid; add to sausage. Add bacon and stir well while frying. When they're hot and spicy, add tomato sauce and reserved tomato juice. Bring to a boil, stirring.

I cooked the onions separately, in bacon grease. When they’re mostly done, add the beef bouillon concentrate. Cook together for a few more minutes and add to the sauce.

Adjust spices, which mostly means add more of this or that. Reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours. Yes, I said 4 hours.

Serve over whole wheat pasta. Enjoy!

Manly Meat Rolls

I like to have something quick to grab when I have just a moment for a meal. This is the perfect thing to make if your freezer goes out and the meat you had in there thaws.

Crust (sufficient for two meat rolls):
4 cups Bisquick
1 cup milk (adjust as needed)
3 TBSP garlic powder
2 TBSP onion powder
3 TBSP Italian seasoning
1 TBSP chili powder
(I use a double recipe and make 4 meat rolls at a time.)

Sauce, per meat roll:
¼ cup Alfredo sauce (more or less to taste) or
¼ cup bleu cheese salad dressing

Filling: Select as you like:
1½ pound sage sausage, browned
½ cup sliced carrots, pre-cooked
¼ cup sweet onion, sliced, microwaved until soft
½ cup fresh whole spinach leaves
¼ cup frozen corn
¼ cup chopped, frozen, broccoli
4 ounces sliced pepperoni
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese

¼ cup shredded or diced mozzarella cheese
¼ cup shredded or diced cheddar cheese

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly ground lemon spice mix
(I tend to make each one differently; my favorite includes sausage, any two kinds of cheese, carrot, onion, a frozen veggie or two, and a lot of spices.)

Use 4 or 5 of the above for each meat roll.

Roll out the dough, spread the sauce, add ingredients, roll up the meat roll, transfer to a large cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Top with butter and cheese, or other interesting things from the ingredients list.

Cook at 375 or 400 for 20 - 25 minutes, or until browned on top and 140 degrees inside. Set aside to cool. When completely cool, slice into 2" slices, and put each in a separate freezer bag.

When you're hungry, take one out of the freezer, microwave it for a minute or two, grab a bottle of iced tea, and eat on the run.

Sausage Cheese Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:
1½ tsp active dry yeast
2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups white flour
2 TBSP white sugar
2 TBSP dry milk powder
2 TBSP butter
1¼ tsp salt
1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting.

While the bread machine is producing dough for you, sauté and set aside:
4 pieces of bacon chopped into pieces
6-10 breakfast sausages, cut into 1/4" chunks.

also shred 1½ cups cheese. I like sharp cheddar, but medium cheddar will do.

Most bread machines will mix the ingredients, let the bread raise for a while, then mix some more, and let it raise again. Four minutes before the end of the last real mixing time, add the bacon, sausage and cheese. Let the bread finish mixing and let it raise a little.

Remove the bread from the machine before it's finished raising. Cut it into small pieces and shape as desired. There's room for a great deal of creativity here. I use some very small loaf pans, and some tiny pie pans from small chicken pot pies, shaping and sizing the bread for those. I also cover a cookie sheet in parchment paper and shape some basic roll shapes - suitable for hamburger buns later - for cooking there. I made some long strips of dough and braided it together for a fun long & narrow bun.

Place the rolls in a warm place to raise again; it will probably need to be noticeably warmer than room temperature.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake at 350 for 20 or 25 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack.

I love these fresh and hot out of the oven and slathered in butter. But I also like using them for hamburger buns, with bacon and cheese and fried onions.

This produces a hearty bread, slightly savory. It's more filling than I expected.

Savory Chicken Meat Roll

In a large frypan, sauté until brown:
5-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced thin,
1 white onion, peeled and sliced thin.
When they’re brown and beginning to soften, remove to a bowl and set aside.

Deglaze the frypan with:
1 pound of chicken thighs, de-boned, sliced thin,
season with pepper, and
1 tsp vegetable bouillon base.
When the chicken is both done and well coated in the bouillon base, remove to a bowl and set aside.

Add:
½ pound pork sausage, herb flavored if you like. Break it into small pieces as it’s cooking.
When it’s both done remove to a bowl and set aside.

Assembly:

Make bread dough. (See here for a yummy example.) Use either a one-pound loaf recipe, or half of a 2-pound loaf recipe. Roll out on a well-floured board into a sheet 15” x 20”. Mark a line 3” or so from the far end: don’t add any fillings to the last 3” of the bread: that will be used to close the roll and hold it closed.

Cover the dough (except a 1” border and the last 3” noted above) with the onion/garlic mix. Be sure to reserve any liquid from that bowl for later.
Then layer the chicken over the top of the onion/garlic mix.
Then layer the small pieces of pork sausage evenly over the top.

Cover with:
1 cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese. (Do not use the powdered stuff in a can from Kraft. Eww.)
Seasoning to taste: rosemary is nice.

Roll the loaded dough up from the full side towards the empty 3” end. Seal the ends as you’re rolling so that the stuffing doesn’t roll out. Wrap the 3” over the top, using the liquid reserved from the onions as glue to seal the roll shut. You should have a roll about 4” in diameter and about 16” long.

Lay the roll, sealed side down, on parchment paper on a large baking sheet.
Sprinkle on the top:
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese. Press it into the surface of the roll.

Let it raise in a warm place for 20 minutes.

Bake at 350 until done (expect 40 minutes: I cook it until a thermometer in the center has hit 135 - 140 degrees).

Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Then slice into single servings (I cut it into about eight 2” slices). Put each slice in a freezer bag or heavy duty sandwich bag, and freeze until needed. Microwave on a small plate and serve, or eat it while you’re running off to do something exciting.

Serious Meat Rolls

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting. When it's done, cut it in half, and roll each half out on a flowered surface, until it's less than 1/4" thick. Coat with:

Sliced steak (season and grille a 12 oz steak; refrigerate, slice thinly; half for each roll)
one chicken breast, seasoned and grilled, refrigerated and sliced.
3 oz thinly sliced pepperoni
4 slices of bacon, soft cooked
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup frozen veggies (I like French cut beans)
4 ounces (1/4 pound) of crumbled cooked pork sausage.
Season with a fair bit of freshly ground pepper (the bacon provides enough salt).

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or slice it into appropriate size pieces and freeze separately for re-heating later.

Sausage & Onion Roll

Into the bread machine, in this order:

1½ tsp active dry yeast

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 cups white flour

2 TBSP white sugar

2 TBSP dry milk powder

2 TBSP butter

1¼ tsp salt

1⅓ cups water, lukewarm.

Set the bread machine on “dough” setting.

While the bread machine is producing dough for you, sauté and set aside:

1 pound of pork sausage

Then in the same pan, sauté in
1 TBSP of olive oil plus
1 TBSP butter:

2½ large onions, sliced

When they're medium brown, add

the previously cooked pork sausage,

2 tsp beef soup base or bouillion

1 small can tomato sauce

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp chili powder

¼ tsp cumin

and sauté until they're dark brown. Set aside to cool.

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

When the dough is done, roll it out on a floured board, until it's about 12" x 20". Spread with:
2 TBSP butter, melted
all of the sausage/onion mixture, and
½ cup grated cheese (Cheddar works; Jack is better.)

Roll up the dough like a cinnamon roll, resulting in a roll that's 12" x maybe 4" diameter. I like to slice the top artistically and brush with:
1 egg, beaten (you'll probably not use more than half of that).

Let it raise for 20 minutes, then bake at 350 for 35 or 40 minutes until the inside is completely cooked. Cool on a cooling rack. Serve warm, sliced thick as a main dish (I like it with fresh corn on the cob), or sliced thin as a side dish or re-heated for a snack.

Overwhelming Spaghetti Sauce

Serves 6 or 8

Ingredients

• 6-12 heads garlic, peeled and smashed: make it a lot.
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• butter and olive oil (equal parts) to fry them in. Don't be shy.
• 2 lbs lean hamburger, cubed
• 1 lb sage sausage, cubed
• 2-3 TBSP dried oregano
• 1/2 - 1 tsp ground clove
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground black pepper, maybe more.
• 1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp powdered cumin
• 2 tsp (or 2 TBSP) Tabasco chipotle sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 2 cans cooked and diced tomatoes.
• 1 jar, bottle or can, prepared tomato sauce, any flavor

Preparations: heat large (preferably cast iron) skillet. Heat oil and melt butter. Fry garlic and onion until transparent. Add cubed hamburger and sausage. Cover and cook until meat is cooked all the way through. Add the dried oregano. Yeah, I know it's a lot. Add the other spices too. Stir well.

Drain tomatoes, reserving liquid; add to meat and stir well while frying. When they're hot and spicy, add tomato sauce and reserved tomato juice. Bring to a boil, stirring. Adjust spices, which mostly means add more of this or that. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve over hot pasta. Enjoy! Don't count calories!

Review: This is not wimpy diet food. Ya gotta eat this meal with a fair bit of gusto! And it's so rich and flavorful that gusto is not hard to come by. Some garlic bread, Caesar salad, and a bold hand-made brew(Alaskan Amber is an excellent choice!) make a good meal for a bunch of good friends.

White Chicken Spaghetti

Serves 4 or 5

Ingredients

• 6-12 heads garlic, peeled and smashed: make it a lot.
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• butter and olive oil (equal parts) to fry them in. Don't be shy.
• 2 lbs chicken breasts, thinly sliced
  
• 1 lb sage sausage, in small pieces
  
• 2-3 TBSP dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 tsp ground white pepper, maybe more.
• 1 TBSP dried Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt (to taste)
• 1 jar, bottle or can, white spaghetti sauce, any flavor
• 1 can chicken broth
  

Preparations: heat large (preferably cast iron) skillet. Heat oil and melt butter. Fry garlic and onion until transparent. Add chicken and sausage. Cover and cook until meat is cooked all the way through. Add the dried oregano. Add the other spices too. Stir well.

Add meat and stir well while frying. When they're hot and spicy, add spaghetti sauce and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, stirring. If you like, thicken with flour.

Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Review: This is very good, and quite rich. I prefer to toss this with spiral spaghetti, and top with shredded Parmesan cheese.

Stuffed Pepper Pockets

Serves: eight large pockets (8 servings, or enough for 2 to 4 hungry teenagers)

Prepare the dough. I use a bread machine. Add in sequence:

2 tsp active dry yeast
3 ½ cups white flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 TBSP butter
¼ cup sugar
¾ cup milk (maybe a little more if your bread machine needs it to make the dough soft)

Set the machine for Yeast Dough, and start it off. While that’s mixing, work on the stuffing:

In a large frying pan, fry until tender:

2 cloves garlic, mashed & chopped
½ cup chopped red onion
¾ cup chopped yellow onion
1 TBSP butter

When it begins to get tender, add:

4 strips of bacon, chopped into small pieces.
1 tsp red pepper flakes (pizza peppers)

Cook until bacon is done. Set aside in a large bowl to cool. While that is cooking, mix together:

1 whole red, yellow or orange pepper, chopped fairly small
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 ½ cups of shredded parmesan cheese
1 ½ tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried oregano

When the onion and bacon mix is cool, mix it in with these vegetables in a large bowl.

Deglaze the frying pan with:

1 pound of chicken thighs, chopped into ½” chunks.
1 pound pork sausage
1 TBSP chicken bouillon paste

Set aside to cool (use the bowl that you cooled the bacon & onion mix in). In the frying pan, fry until tender:

2 cloves of garlic, very finely chopped, minced or pressed, in
4 TBSP butter.

Assembling the pockets:

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Just before assembling, mix into the filling:

4 eggs

Cut the dough into eight equal parts. (Halve it, halve the pieces, and halve those one more time.) On a well-floured board or counter, roll out one piece at a time into a 9” or 10” circle. Place 1/8 of the mix (a generous scoop) off center in the circle, and spread to cover ½ of the dough, leaving ¾” inch around the perimeter uncovered. Moisten the perimeter with water or, if you’re feeling fancy, with egg wash. Seal the edge with those fun little folds that make an apple pie look so cool! Coat the entire top with the garlic butter mix, and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until the top is well browned. Let them cool for a couple of minutes, but serve hot.

These freeze and re-heat (microwave or toaster oven) quite well.

Review: This recipe is good; spicy but good. The pockets did fine in the freezer, and came out slightly less spicy, though the texture was a little less solid - the effect of the mushrooms, we think. Next time, I think I'm going to aim for a greater percentage of meat, and more stuffing altogether.

Sausage Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Per Person:
1 large Chicken Breast, thawed, butterfly filleted
2 strips bacon
3 oz sausage, sliced lengthwise
1 oz Irish cheddar cheese, sliced thin
2 TBSP shredded Parmesan cheese
1 tsp fresh garlic: I like a couple of cloves of fresh roasted garlic, but thin slices of raw garlic is fine.
dried parsley flakes
salt & pepper

Fillet the chicken breast. Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Layer bacon & sausage on one side. Spread Parmesan generously over meat.

Close the chicken breast and place on an oiled sheet. Top with more parmesan cheese and parsley. Bake 18 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Review: The success of this recipe depends on the quality of the sausage. Thin sliced anduille from the deli makes this perfect: don't get carried away with it.

Meat Lovers Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Per Person:
1 large Chicken Breast, thawed, butterfly filleted
3 large shrimp: I use the pre-cooked frozen type. Do NOT thaw.
2-3 strips bacon
2 oz sausage, in slices
1 oz Irish cheddar cheese, sliced thin
1 tsp fresh garlic: I like a couple of cloves of fresh roasted garlic, but thin slices of raw garlic is fine.
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
salt & pepper

Fillet the chicken breast. Season inside and out with salt & pepper. Layer cheese shrimp, bacon & sausage on one side. Season the opposite side with Cajun seasoning and garlic.

Close the chicken breast and place on an oiled sheet. Cook 18 – 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Review: I like how the flavors came out on this. I might add a teaspoon or two of mango or apricot jam, and this is one time it might be good for the chicken to be tied closed: it can get a little messy if you're not careful.

Stockpot Chili

Basic Ingredients. Serves 4 hungry beasts or a good family meal with leftovers.

This is a smaller batch than this recipe is for.
The recipe's quantities will fill this pot FULL!

• 2 lb fairly lean hamburger
• 2 lb sage sausage
• 2 large white onion, chopped
• 4-10 cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
• 1-2 large bell pepper, chopped (1/4” or so)
• 1-2 can beef broth, 15 oz (or water and concentrate)
• 2-3 can beans, 15 oz, drained, black, or pinto. Spiced is nice.
• 2 can diced tomatoes, 15 oz, undrained. Spiced is nice.
• 1 can tomato sauce, 8 oz
• 1-2 TBSP chili powder (or more)
• 1 can of chilies
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp to 1 TBSP cumin
• 1 – 4 TBSP chili powder
• Olive Oil if needed for frying

Maybe add some of these options. You do not want to add all of these in the same batch. Pick a couple.

• Corn, frozen or canned: a can or a small bag
• Some crumbled bacon: 3 slices to a pound
• Fried mushrooms: whatever you like. More is better.
• Coarsely chopped olives: some.
• Dark beer instead of beef broth
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2-4 tablespoons paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• Some Tabasco sauce: chipotle flavored is good. Less than a cup! Maybe a few teaspoons. How adventurous are you?

Serve with:

• Shredded cheddar and/or Monterrey Jack cheese
• Sour Cream
• Homemade sourdough bread

Dutch oven or stockpot. Big is good.

Directions:

Cook the hamburger and sausage and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the onions, peppers, garlic, spices and cook, stirring often, until onions are soft, about 4 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the broth (or beer) and cook until the foam subsides, about 1 minute. 

Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, broth, and kidney beans to the pot. Stir well and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent the chili from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add crumbled bacon, corn, olives if you like. Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and adjust spices as necessary (roughly translated: add more of some of the spices if you like: boldness is good, but don’t get stupid). 

Simmer until vegetables are hot (and if using frozen corn, until it’s cooked).

Serve family style with bowls of shredded cheese, sour cream and maybe some more chopped onions. You might save the olives, fried mushrooms, and/or crumbled bacon for condiments, especially if you have finicky eaters.

Works best with a good amber ale or strong ale. Maybe an oatmeal stout.

Review: This is not so much a recipe as a launch point. Gather round your ingredients, and while the meat is simmering, make some executive decisions. Involve the family. There are a thousand excellent variations of this. 

This does really well if it's cooked all day, but it begins to all look the same. Recommended: save the corn, some beans, some of the peppers, olives if you use them, and add them half an hour before serving, to keep their shape and color, to make it look interesting. 

It's far better than anything I've ever had from a can or even from a restaurant!