My Little Girl's Chili

My older daughter is a food enthusiastic and she likes to experiment with flavors and tastes that are familiar to her. But usually she doesn’t want to try new foods. Most of the time, she wants to stay in her comfort zone. As she is growing older, her passion for food is increasing and I noticed that slowing she is adventuring herself into new flavors. A few months ago, she tried chili for the first time and she really liked it! Isn’t that exciting?

Today we tried to “recreate” the chili she ate at the cook-off! It was fun to come up with our own chili recipe. It was even better to work with my 8 year old daughter. For the first time we worked together developing a new recipe. I found a new way to spend quality time with Virginia.

Above all, Virginia is very happy with her chili creation. It was very comforting to eat such a tasty dish in a cold night.

Virginia’s Chili


Ingredients:
1lb of ground beef
5oz of pork breakfast sausage
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
2  cups of chicken stock
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ¼ cups of onion, chopped
15oz (1 can) pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ teaspoon of ground cumin
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon of paprika
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
½ cup of tomatoes, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste


In a large skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Sauté onions and garlic for about 3 minutes. Stir in ground beef and sausage. Cook the meat mixture for about 5 minutes breaking up big chunks of meats with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the meat and its drippings to a 5-qt slow cooker. Add chicken stock, cumin, chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, tomato paste and diced tomato. Cover and cook for 2 to 3 hours in high or for 4 to 5 hours in low. Stir in pinto beans drained and cook for another 30 minutes or until fully heated. Test seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary.

Garnish with shredded cheese and jalapeno peppers if desired.