Chili & Cornbread

For dinner tonight, I made chili and cornbread. My chili recipe is very simple and uses lots of stuff from food storage with the exception of ground beef. You could even make it with canned beef chunks, if desired.

This cornbread is the best recipe I have ever tasted, and that includes restaurants! I got the recipe from a church cookbook from our BYU days. It was submitted by Heidi Johnson, and once I tried it, I never looked back. It is nice and moist and everyone who eats it asks for the recipe. I always double this recipe and cook it in a 9" x 13" pan.

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup oil (I use olive oil)

Mix together egg, sugar, buttermilk, and oil. Add dry ingredients and stir well. Pour into greased 8" x 8" pan and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Mine usually cooks for longer, make sure to test for doneness with a toothpick in the center.


Here's the chili, still steaming from the pot. I was tempted to throw in a can of green chilis for a twist on the original.....maybe next time. Growing up, I learned to cook with dried pinto beans from my Mom. She always brought her beans to a boil, turned off the heat, then soaked for an hour, rinsed the beans, then proceeded to cook until soft.

As a teenager, I worked at Taco Time. They combine beans, salt, onions, and garlic in a bucket and cover with water, then refrigerate overnight. I like this method as well, but it also means I have to think of it the night before.

I got a tip at my bridal shower and ran across it a few years ago to soften beans in the following manner: Sort and rinse beans, then cover with water and bring to boil in a pot. Remove pot completely from heat and add 1 1/2 Tbsp. baking soda to water and let sit for 15 minutes. I learned the hard way that it is very important to have the pot off of the heat, even on a gas stove, move it to a cool burner. I also learned that less is more in the baking soda department, just use 1 1/2 Tbsp., even if using a larger amount of beans, unless you a using a gigantic pot and an industrial quantity of beans!! After 15 minutes, drain and rinse the beans, cover with water and simmer until soft.

One important note when working with pinto beans. Do not add tomato products or salt until the beans are completely soft. These ingredients slow the softening process and it will take forever to cook them to an edible state.

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups dry pinto beans
• 2 lb. ground beef
  
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 29-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp. mild chili powder (hotter if you like spicy chili)
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

Soften beans according to one of the methods listed above in a large stockpot. Once soft, continue simmering and add all ingredients except beef, garlic, and onion. Brown ground beef with onion and garlic in skillet and drain if necessary, then add to bean mixture. I like to simmer mine at least 2 hours more to combine flavors, we also like our chili on the soupy side, so I add water as needed during the cooking time.

You can top with cheese, onions, or sour cream. My kids love to dip in chunks of the cornbread and scoop up a big spoonful of cornbread and chili. Yum!!