3 Bean Chili

My whole family likes chili, some like it spicy, some don't. My 16 yo son won't normally eat veggies so this is one way to get them into him This recipe I came up with while I was looking in our pantry to see what we had. I generally make a big pot and take out enough for my daughter before I add too much of the "hot stuff". A big pot like this makes enough for 3 or 4 meals for a family of 4 so we split the leftover into portions to freeze

I Used

When I cook, I never make things the same way twice. For this batch I used ~3 lbs ground beef, 1 can romano beans,1 can black beans, 1 can kidney beans, costco size jar pasta sauce, 1 carton veggie broth, 1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic, ~1 1/2 tsp italian seasoning mix, ~1 tsp cayenne pepper, ~4 Tbsp red pepper sauce (mason jar), ~1 cup mushrooms, 1 kg bag frozen veggies, salt and pepper to taste. At this ratio, it isn't too spicy so everyone can eat it.

Cook It

Brown the ground beef and drain. Add everything but veggies and simmer for 1/2 hour. Add veggies and simmer for another 45 min or until people start eating it anyway then remove from heat.

Italian Bread

For this meal I decided to try and make Italian bread as well. I have a bread maker, so this recipe is geared with that in mind. Always follow manufacturer's directions but normally add liquid first, then dry. Into machine bowl, add 1 1/3 c warm water, 1 1/2 tsp olive oil, 4 c flour, 1 Tbsp brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp salt, 1 pkg active dry yeast(2 1/4 tsp) and set the machine to dough cycle. When it is done, cut the dough into 2 loaves and roll in corn meal. I don't have any so just rolled in flour. Place loaves on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, set in a warm place to rise for about 40 min. Beat 1 egg and add 1 tsp water to it. When they have risen, brush with egg mixture and, with a sharp knife, slice along the top of the loaves. After they were cooked, I realized I should have cut them deeper, maybe 1" deep or so. Preheat oven to 375 and bake for about 30 min. Loaves are done when they sound hollow with a light tap