I loves me some chili. Sadly, I don't get to eat it as often as I would like. You know, with my diet and all. However, when I do make chili, this is how I usually make it. It certainly won't win any chili cook-offs, but everyone who's had it, loves it.

I make my chili with ground sirloin. Chili snobs probably just clicked off to another site, but I don't have time to take a cut of meat, dice it, brown it, and let my pot of chili simmer for 87 hours for it to taste right. Again, I'm not making competition-ready chili here, just something I can whip up in less than 30 minutes and will be devoured in half that time. 

And with that, my recipe for tex-mex chili:

Ingredients

• 1 lb box elbow macaroni
• 1 lb ground sirloin (I tend to use 94/6 extra lean)
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (preferrably with green chiles...I like Red Gold brand)
• 1 14 oz can dark red kidney beans (I prefer Joan of Ark brand)
• 1 packet French's Original Chili-O mix (not the one with onions). You'll find this with all the packets for gravy, meatloaf mix, etc.
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion salt
• Choice of heat: red pepper flakes, diced jalapenos, cayenne pepper, etc.

Steps

1. Cook the elbow macaroni. Use the directions on the box if you are a noob.
2. Brown the ground sirloin and drain the excess fat. There won't be much since we're using lean meat in the first place.
3. Add tomatoes, kidney beans, French's packet, chili powder, cumin, sugar, garlic powder, onion salt, and your chosen heat.
4. Crank up the heat and stir often.
5. Once you begin to see some bubbling, reduce heat to low and simmer until it reaches your desired consistency. I like mine pretty thick. Some like it a bit more soupy.
6. Hopefully you drained the elbow macaroni by now.

To serve

1. Get a bowl. Preferably a big one.
2. Put a couple scoops of elbows in the bowl.
3. Put a couple scoops of chili on top of the elbows.
4. Top that with some shredded cheddar cheese.
5. Grab a bottle of your favorite hot sauce (I prefer Louisiana brand) and cold beverage.

Enjoy.

About a week ago, I stumbled across a blog written by a Chinese chef/instructor, Jaden Hair. Not only does she have a fantastic sense of humor, the recipes she posts are terrific.

Having a fascination with Asian cooking, I'm always looking for great recipes and uses for some of those more obscure vegetables you find at Jungle Jim's.

Well, try this recipe for Crab Fried Rice. I haven't made it yet, but I plan to this weekend. I'll update this post to let you know how it went.

Also, you might enjoy Jaden's secrets for the best chinese fried rice.