Grandma's Excellent Chili

Last Thursday, it snowed in Baltimore. This meant one thing - chili - the ultimate comfort food. I had just finished my last exam, and Paul had one more to go, so I could only think of one thing that we both needed. I had been meaning to make it for a while, so I thought it would be a nice surprise for him. And I had just the recipe. Growing up, I remembered my grandma's cooking strongly. She specialized in everything from banana pudding to green beans and bacon (I also remember she had a funny knack for dipping her potato chips in mayonnaise). However one recipe always stuck out - her chili.

A few years after she died, my mom compiled all of her recipes into a cookbook called "Charlotte's Recipes." She included the chili recipe in it. Luckily, I'd brought a copy of it with me to Baltimore. Here's her recipe, titled "Mom's Excellent Chili:"

-Cover pan bottom with olive oil
-Chop fine 2 large onions, saute in oil
-Add 1 lb. of ground beef, saute until brown

Add to pan (in amounts that are logical):
-red pepper
-cumin
-black pepper
-salt
-chili powder

Then add:
-1 large can + 1 small can of peeled tomatoes (mash them up in the pot)
-1 large can of kidney beans and juice

Cook for a few hours on simmer. Taste - if not spicy enough, add chili powder or Tabasco sauce.

When I prepared it, I added a can of black beans to the kidney beans. This provided some variety. I left out the onions, which was probably a mistake. I also decided to add a few ingredients not on the recipe - oregano, basil, extra chili powder and a copious amount of Tabasco. Also, after cooking it for 45 minutes, I realized that it tasted horrible. My grandma would not be pleased with this. So, I decided to bring out the secret weapon - alcohol. I poured half of a German Marzen Oktoberfest beer into the pot and WHAM! instant fix. The beer gave the formerly bitter chili a sweeter, softer taste that flushed out the oregano and basil flavors. Thank god. However, I later found that I had been a bit too liberal with the hot sauce. The chili, although it tasted wonderful, had an incredible kick. Sweating profusely, I opened every window in my apartment to let the 25 degree air cool me down. Don't ever underestimate the Tabasco. Nevertheless, Paul loved it.

Later, I called my mom to tell her about the chili. Apparently, she planned on preparing the same recipe for me when I came home the next day for Christmas break. No matter, chili never gets old. In my mom's version, she stuck to Grandma's recipe. It was excellent without a doubt. While experimenting can be fun, there are some times when sticking to the book pays off.