Backyard Bounty

  The snow last week gave me a great excuse to make a batch of my favorite chili. A friend gave me the recipe years ago, and I routinely have it during the cold months (even for breakfast!). It’s definitely a carnivore’s delight with a pound of round steak, Italian sausage and bacon heading up the ingredients. The nice part about making it this time of the year is using the fresh tomatoes instead of canned, and walking out to the garden to pick the peppers and onions. I recommend making a big batch and freezing it in portions to enjoy for weeks.

  I make it on the mild side, but usually spice up my bowl with additional Tabasco sauce, then cool it down with plain yogurt or sour cream. Very yummy.

Winter Chili

1 lbs. round steak, cut into cubes

1 lbs. Italian sausage (mild or hot), sliced into bite sized pieces

1 lbs. bacon

8 oz tomato sauce

2 lbs whole tomatoes

2 lbs canned kidney beans

2 lbs. canned chili beans

1 green pepper, chopped

2 onions, chopped

1 can green chilis, chopped

2 Tbs. worcestershire sauce

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. cumin

8-10 drops of Tabasco sauce

 - Cook the bacon until crisp. Drain and crumble. Cook Italian sausage and round steak in the same pan. Scoop out and place on a paper towel covered plate to dab off additional fat. (As if it makes a difference.)

- Pour beans, tomatoes, chopped veggies and meat into large, heavy bottomed cooking pot. Add spices.

- Simmer for a couple of hours to tenderize the steak. Serve with grated cheese and sour cream. (Be sure to have the Tabasco sauce handy in case someone likes a little kick.)

Tags: fresh tomatoes, onions, peppers, snow, winter chili