Family Friendly Chili

If you are going to make chili for your family and you have kids and they don't like beans like most kids these days it seems, use refried beans - your own or canned( w/o lard). They will not identify them by sight, yet you get the wonderful depth and heartiness of flavor as well as the health benefits of beans. Good for both of you. A twofer.

Serve the chili over brown rice or angel hair pasta. If you serve it over pasta, add allspice to the chili , as well as the usual suspects of chili powder, garlic, red pepper, bayleaf and parsley. Garnish w/ grated or canned parmesan cheese.

As a special treat serve it over polenta - seasoned corn meal mush - recipe on the carton of Quaker cornmeal - but add garlic and parmesan cheese to it. Simple, family friendly, delicious.

Perfect w/ a cabernet or shiraz or zinfandel or your favorite beer.

Chili Today, Hot Tamale

If there was ever a time that you would like to know that you are eating when you are eating, it is when you are eating chili. Show me a truly good bowl of chili N of Mpls and I'll buy it for you.

Many in the restaurant business Up North apparently feel that it is taboo to offend anyone with spice and/or with depth and complexity of flavor. Or else, like a lot of restaurant owners Up Here, they simply know nothing of food and make the very tired and bland variety of chili that is unbelievably actually called chili. The origin of chili is the chili pepper. Nary a pepper will be found in most chilis Up North. Ground beef, onions, kidney beans, chili powder and canned tomato soup. Not a real pepper. No garlic. Not a tomato. Cooked too long and too thick. Bland, boring glop.

I had a cup at a local bar/restaurant on the south shore of Mille Lacs yesterday. I should have known better. I do know better. Even a Mn style chili can be good. Just not in a local restaurant or cafe or bar. Too bad.