Canning, A Lost Art: Man Pleasing Chili

I created this recipe specifically with my husband in mind. Not only is he a chili kind of man but he's also a spicy food lover. And the love of spicy foods definitely runs in the family. My 18 month old will eat jalapeno peppers AND LIKE THEM! I like spicy but not too spicy so this chili was just perfect for our family. It did get a little bit spicy at the end but I toughed it out!

(My) Man('s) Pleasing Chili

Ingredients

6 slices bacon

2 pounds ground spicy Italian sausage*

1 large onion, chopped

1 large red bell pepper, chopped

1 red jalapeno pepper, chopped (With seeds)

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

½ tsp kosher salt

4 T. chili powder

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 T. cumin

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp basil

2 12-ounce bottles of beer (I used dos equis amber beer because that’s what we had on hand)

1 cup red wine

1 32-ounce jar quartered tomatoes

1 cup vegetable broth

1 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed

1 15 oz can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 16 oz bag corn

Shredded cheddar cheese, sliced scallions, sour cream and bacon, for topping (optional)

*I have an awesome local grocery store that does gourmet sausages and their spicy Italian pork sausage is our utmost favorite! It was perfect in this recipe.

For a less spicy version of this recipe. Use mild Italian sausage, omit the red jalapeno pepper (Or you can use a green one or don't put in the seeds) and omit the cayenne pepper. That should mild it out.

Directions

1. Cook or bake bacon until crisp, reserving bacon grease.
2. Chop onion, red bell pepper, red jalapeno and garlic. Add to large pot.
3. Add 2 T reserved bacon grease to vegetables and sauté until tender.
4. Cook sausage in a frying pan with 2 T reserved bacon grease.
5. Add tomato sauce, kosher salt, chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, paprika, oregano and basil to the vegetable mixture. Cook until it’s a thick paste.
6. Add beer and wine to vegetable mixture stir and then simmer until the liquid is half it’s original volume.
7. Once beer and wine has simmered down add sausage with liquid. Simmer mixture for 8 minutes or until thick.
8. Add tomatoes, vegetable broth, black beans and kidney beans
9. Simmer on stove top for an hour or until chili is thick.
10. Add corn and simmer until corn is hot.
11. Serve hot and top with bacon, shredded cheese, sour cream and green onions.

When my hubby came home from work and I showed him what I was making, he was a bit skeptical. He thought that the combinations of flavors wouldn't work and wasn't sure about using sausage instead of beef. But when the moment of truth came and he took that first bite he lit up and raved about how delicious it was! His exact words were "The ingredients seemed strange but once they're combined it's like a burst of amazing flavor." Success! He even gave me a great honor and told me that he'd enter it in a chili cook off. He really likes competing in those! I hope I win something :D

Next up is canning tomato sauce! Which turned out AMAZING! Thanks for reading and Happy Canning!

Canning, A Lost Art: Spaghetti Classico

Welcome back! It's been a while since I posted, my camera broke :( So we had to wait for it to be fixed. Oh well I'm back and the camera's good as new!

I'm sure a lot of us had that classic comfort food that we loved as kids. Well mine was this spaghetti sauce. As soon as my mom started making this I wouldn't eat any other sauce, ever! It is my all time favorite and I'm really excited to be sharing the goodness!

So this is my mom's original recipe that she made from scratch. She's always really good at doing that. This might not be an authentic Italian tomato sauce recipe, but I sure like to think it is :). It's so good!

Spaghetti Classico

Sauce

1 lb Italian Sausage or Ground Beef (We like Spicy Italian Sausage)

1 Large Onion

4 Garlic Cloves, minced

1 32 oz jar Quartered Tomatoes

1 8 oz can Tomato Sauce

1 6 oz can Tomato Paste
1 large Bay Leaf

3/4 tsp Salt

1 tsp Oregano

1 tsp Basil

Dash of Pepper

For a "fresh" version of this sauce substitute 6 fresh tomatoes for the 32 oz jar of quartered tomatoes. Make a cup of fresh tomato sauce. 1 fresh bay leaf, 2 tsp fresh chopped Oregano and 2 tsp fresh chopped Basil. This sauce is amazing either way but I like making it fresh in the summer time.

1. Cook sausage in pan. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender.
2. Add quartered tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, bay leaf, salt, oregano, basil and pepper. 
3. Simmer on the stove top 5-6 hours.
4. Serve with pasta and parmesan cheese.

The secret to this recipe is time! This isn't something that you can throw together an hour before dinner. It needs to simmer and let all the amazing flavors blend together. Delizioso!

It's even, picky eater toddler approved!

He ate every last bite!

Come back soon! Enjoy your awesome spaghetti sauce and Happy Canning!