Chili Sunday

It was a chili Sunday, in more ways than one. I had already planned this meal for dinner that night, well before the snow and ice came down earlier in the day. It just seemed like a good family meal to warm up with. And because it included some chips and cheese, one that seemed hopeful the children would also eat. (Cause personally I get tired of spaghetti, even though no one else seems to!)

I saw this recipe watching Rachel Ray's new talk show one day. It was reasonable to make on a weeknight, had a reasonable balance of vegetables and lean meats, and was different from the usual chilli recipes that I see, the kinds that include beans, which my family, including me, won't eat. Those dark chunks you see in the sauce - they aren't kidney beans, they are pieces of sausage!

I did make a few changes. I have never seen Andouille sausage anywhere, so I used a spicy, smoked chirizo instead. I reduced the amount of tabasco from 4 tablespoons to more like 1/2 a teaspoon - I didn't really want my kids running off screaming of heat, but I had also used a spicy sausage, so the two had to balance. And since I have an extreme dislike of green peppers, but like every other kind, I swapped it out for half each of a red and yellow pepper. Beside's, they looked prettier!

I served this with lime flavored tortillas, and some blue corn tortillas, as well as shredded cheddar, the called for green onions, and some sour cream, for when it needed a little mellowing. And a few glasses of milk.

I was happy to sit down to dinner with my family that night. Both children ate the chili, not just the chips and cheese. And both of them enjoyed it. My oldest son, the harder to please child, started his meal with the comments of, "Cool! I get a whole bowl of sauce!" And knowing it was chili and not sauce, he still ate it! It was pretty good for left overs the next day as well.

So does anyone in Ottawa know where I can get some Andouille sausage?