Nicole’s Famous Chili

 1lb ground beef

~3-4 strips of bacon (optional) 

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped finely

1 pepper, whatever color you like or have, diced

Mushrooms, however many you want, sliced

1-2 Jalapeños, finely diced (optional)

2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup broth - I usually make my own turkey stock but I usually have something on hand to use up

1 can brown beans in tomato sauce 

1 can black beans (not the gigantic one)

1 can diced tomatoes (not the gigantic one)

1 can Pineapple tidbits

2-4 tbsp Chili powder

1.5 tsp cumin

Pepper flakes to taste

Salt and pepper to taste

Jalapeño sugar/sugar (optional)

Brown your meat in a nice big pot, use a little oil if you need to but usually with ground beef/bacon you don’t need much. 

Add onion and cook until soft, add garlic till fragrant.

Throw in al those vegetables and cook for about 3-4 minutes till they’re slightly softened. Add all your cans of stuff and if you only have gogancitic beans and tomatoes, just don’t put them completely in. ❤️ U, little Tupperwares! Simmer uncovered for 1 hour

Add spices and simmer 30 mins with the lid on. Taste to see if the tomato base is too acidic and add a bit of sugar if it is. Adjust spice level to taste, then serve with nice fresh bread, tortilla chips, cornbread - whatever you like. It’s Chili! Use up anything in your fridge/pantry with abandon man. 

Slow Cooker Pork & Black Bean Chili

4 slices of bacon cut into strips
1 lb pork, cubed (I think I used tenderloin, but the recipe called for roast)
1 onions, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 green pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp each of dried oregano and ground cumin
1 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup bottled, strained tomatoes
salt & pepper, to taste
Looks like I threw some mushrooms in too, probably because I was trying to get rid of them. But I like mushrooms, so...

Salsa:
1/4 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 of a sweet yellow or orange pepper, diced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp lime juice

In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until golden. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Discard all but 1 tbsp of the fat in the pan; brown pork in batches. Transfer bacon and pork to a slow cooker.









In the same skillet, heat oil over medium heat; cook onions, carrot, green pepper, garlic, oregano, cumin, salt & pepper until golden, about 10 minutes. Add to slow cooker. Add beans, tomatoes, and about 1-1 1/2 cups of water to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low until pork is tender, about 6-8 hours.







Salsa: In bowl, combine tomatoes, yellow pepper, onion and lime juice. Serve with chili.













This recipe I found in Canadian Living while I was waiting for the dentist, and I found it good-ish, but a little bland. I also found a recipe on the CL website for Lemon Lentil soup that was REALLY bland, so I would probably recommend against their recipes from now on.

Overall, good but I wouldn't make it again without a bunch of adjustments.