OK I am listening. I need suggestions.

I have 374 open tabs in 5 windows.  Some from about a month ago.   But more important than responding or reading them I need your suggestions, your ideas.   I make great spaghetti red sauces.   Ron and I love them.  I make my base with three 28 oz (1 pound 12 oz) 794g cans of normally Dei Fratelli cans of tomato sauce but sometimes use Hunts if I can not find those.  I find Hunts far sweeter, and we often don’t like our red sauce sweet.  I never measure the seasonings I put in which includes the onion / pepper / celery that Ron chops to the size he likes for me to put into the sauce.  Plus I use a lot of minced garlic. Often I start with three teaspoons of it to then after add another three as it cooks.   Yes, we love garlic.   We once used chopped garlic cloves that Ron chopped for me, but we found it was easier and more favorable to just get minced garlic from the store.   That also includes the amount of hamburg he gives me to use, which might be between one pound and two plus pounds.   Also I used to use ground sausage, which was a change from me peeling Italian Sausage links and slicing them.   I would rather just put sage into the sauce than the sausage, as sausage makes a red sauce greasy.  My red sauces often come out different each time due to all that not measuring but going on feel / smell / taste, which we both like to cook that way.  We make a large amount every couple weeks, normally about four days or so from when we finish the last of it.  Plus while we say each time this batch we will freeze some for later, we use it for other things and eat it too soon to do that.  As I said we enjoy it and it is something in our budget we can afford.  We use it to make many different things.   This batch along with the pasta I cooked (because when I cook I make far too much as you might notice.  Ron doesn’t complain because my former therapists say it is because of how often I went hungry, begged for something to eat, and once ended up in the hospital in critical care and then went into clinical death due to malnutrition.  Sorry but while my heart stopped and nothing worked I did not see any gods, but I did feel a great sense of relief and lack of pain as it was happening.  Which came back as I was being shocked and handled to return to life)  Anyway this batch is already slated to be used with a large baking container of baked Ziti.   Trust me, we will find something to do with the rest.  Oh did I mention the 40 to 60 homemade meat balls Ron makes.  He uses the small cookie scoop and they are about just larger than bite size and so grand.  He makes so many because often he will go into the fridge when I am not looking and eat a bunch as a quick snack, and we both love them in hoagie rolls as meatball subs with my sauce.   So all total it takes about 3 to 4 pounds of hamburger for each sauce I make. 

Now with all that over information and long intro (I keep getting reminded / chastised recently that I am too long “winded”, that I use too many words to say what others could do shorter.  Sorry that is me and I am not going to change, but if it bothers people they either shouldn’t read what I write or I shouldn’t comment to their blogs)

Anyway the reason for this post is I need your suggestions … for making a good chili.   Every time I make mine I start it like a red sauce but instead of the those seasonings I use for that, I use more beef ones, like fajita such seasonings.  I also add a lot of kidney beans, often three cans of them.  I have tried making them thick and liquid juicy.  And while they always taste good and we eat them, they lack what we get when we get a good chili when dining out.  

Please don’t send me to cooking videos.  I just can not get anything out of them.   One of my favorite podcasters has a second cooking channel, yet when I try to watch his videos even though he was school trained and is a great / was a professional chef I just lose interest.  I can not follow or remember and find my self more interested in his surroundings or cookware.  When I try to tell Ron about it later, I can not explain how to cook the dish itself.  

But I really want to make a good thick chili that is mild but able to be seasoned up with the individual hot sauce Ron and I use.  I like Crystals myself.  It is labeled as from Louisiana, but who knows?  I am willing to make small amounts to try them.  Ron and I have even resorted to eating a couple brands of canned chili, they are thick and brown rather than made with the tomato sauce base I use.    But while good enough if I could recreate them and add my seasonings to them it would be better, yet I can not seem to recreate them.  

So if you have a favorite chili recipe you like to make, please put it in the comments.  I will give it a try.  We love chili, and often went out to restaurants that we knew had great chili we enjoy, but since 2020 we have not been out to eat yet.  Yes we should but …  

Anyway this is my very long winded / typed request for all of you to send me your favorite homemade chili recipes.  I will let you know if we try them.  I am hungry just thinking of them.   Hugs.  Scottie

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Published by Scottie

I am an older gay guy in a long-term wonderful relationship. My spouse and I are in our 36th year together. I love politics and news. I enjoy civil discussions and have no taboo subjects. My pronouns are he / him / his and my email is Scottiestoybox@gmail.com

25 thoughts on “OK I am listening. I need suggestions.”

  1. I used to go to some trouble to make chili, but I had a roommate in the 80s who used to do this: 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 can red or red kidney beans, 1# ground beef, one envelope Williams brand chili seasoning (which actually seasons 2# ground beef, but the flavor is great with the above proportions. IMO.) Anyway, she used to dice onion, etc. to serve on the side because she didn’t care for those in her chili. I started making it her way; sometimes more, but I also cook the onions with the burger, and if one uses other fresh seasoning veggies, that’s when those would go in. These days, we like onion and some peppers DH grows. Also, sometimes I use veggie meat crumbles, though I rarely say that out loud.

    Roommate’s recipe is very economical.

    I mentioned the brand of the seasoning not because I work for them or am trying to promote them. They are local to KS, though I think they produce in more places. The primary thing I like is their consistency of flavor, and their seasoning blends are very low sodium when compared to other brands. It reads above that you do your own seasoning, so this may not work for you, but if you’re in a hurry, you can have chili in not much longer than it takes to cook your meat, yet it tastes as if you worked all day, then let it rest in the frig for the night to eat it the next day. For me, the ease and the low sodium make it the best. Others’s mileage may vary!

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    1. Hello Ali. That is an interesting idea, thank you. While I have gotten use to doing my own seasoning, we have in the past used packages of seasoning mix. The one we used most often was either no alarm or 2 alarm chili. But we found them lacking. I think because of the deep tomato base. But we will see if we can find the one you suggest. Hugs. Scottie

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      1. Williams carries a few versions of their chili seasoning. The original is good, though you might find it bland. DH and I prefer the TexMex version, which has considerably more heat.
        The thing with making your own seasoning is, you can use it if you go with what I wrote at the top. I think there are 2 T. in a packet, but we could check it online. Anyway, that way you wouldn’t have to spend more since you have all the ingredients. The Williams, and most chili seasoning packets, have a bit of masa in them that helps thicken your chili without having to boil it down. Just some stuff I’ve learned over time. Enjoy!
        I’ve always liked to put chili over macaroni and cheese in a bowl. Then one of the kiddoes told me his favorite birthday dinner is macaroni and cheese, hot dogs, and chili mixed together in a bowl (no bun, obv.) We do that here, too, now.

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        1. Hi Ali. Chli over noodles is called chili mac as I understand it, and a favorite here.

          The chili mixes we have tried come in boxes with different packets of seasonings, most of which we use. But the masa is something in each of them I have never tried. I keep telling Ron I will but then when I have him taste what I have made so far he likes it, so I stop. That is why I went to my own seasonings, we have all those that come in the packets, so why not use our own and save the costs. But still the issue is mine are tomato base and the stuff we get at restaurants that we like are not. I need to change my base more than I do the ingredients. Hugs. Scottie

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          1. I don’t know about another base without tomato except white chili. Many people like that, I don’t care for it. I don’t care for whole beans, actually, though I can eat them in chili. (And baked beans, another post.) Anyway, there are white chili recipes everywhere.
            I remember when I first moved in with DH, he said use brick chili. Many swear by that, but I’m certain it’s got tomato or some derivation of same; it’s also got tons of sodium and saturated fat, with no guarantee what the meat truly is. I was thinking most restaurants have moved away from that, more toward a Hormel canned chili-type. But I haven’t ever eaten chili in FL, and it’s been almost 60 years since I was even in FL. Things vary by region, I think.

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            1. Hello Ali. I don’t mind a tomato base, in fact some of the best chili I have had is tomato based. But I am looking to find how to make that thick brown somewhat beefy tasting chili. Right now here at home we are eating a can chili brand called wolf. We both like it. As for Hormel can chili from the store, we can not stomach it. It smells and I imagine tastes like Alpo dog food. We hate it. As for beans, Ron loves different kinds of beans and will eat them just as a meal. I eat beans basically only in chili or a Mexican style dish. Any way, thanks for the suggestions and help. It all helps. Hugs. Scottie

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      1. Thank you Scottie, but no I do not have an encyclopaedic knowledge, just a few subjects.
        And like most Welsh folk are then inclined to go on at great length about the said subject (The old joke was that’s why churches in Wales have clocks facing towards the priest or preacher or vicar, to remind them how long their sermon has been going on 😃).

        I will be interested to be updated on your chili journey; there is always something new to learn in this world.

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        1. Hello Roger. I agree, I learn something new most days if I am lucky. The problem I have these days is remembering it. As to the chili update, I will gladly do so but I fear it will have to be after Christmas. Our time has been pretty booked up and we just got informed yesterday we are having a wonderful surprise guest in a week for a few days, which we are really excited about. Hugs. Scottie

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            1. Hi Roger. It is great that the grandkids want to spend time with their elders. That shows well for you and Sheila. Also that your grandson is comfortable bringing his male partner also speaks highly of you both. Way to be a loving family. Best wishes to you and your family this Christmastime holiday season. Hugs. Scottie

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              1. Our grandson did have a male boyfriend, once, but of late he has formed a relationship with a person who was born a girl, but adopts ‘they’ as an identifier.
                The pair recently went through a marriage ceremony which from the video was very sweet and moving.
                Our daughter says they make a lovely couple, and we are so looking forward to meeting them as a couple.
                Wouldn’t matter to us, anyhow, anyway. Our grandson is happy and that’s all that counts.
                We try and keep up with Gender terms and identifiers, but laugh at ourselves when we sometimes get confused.
                Times are changing, and that’s how it all is
                Who are we to hold judgement? 😃

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                1. Hi Roger. Never fear making a gender term / identifier mistake. No one minds as long as it is a mistake and not malicious as the fundamentalist right here in the US loves to do. My own mistaking the gender of your grandsons partner was an example. I should know better than go off a person’s name to indicate gender. The world is changing and for the better because of people like you, your wife, and your family. Please keep up the grand way of showing the next generations of how to be decent good people. Hugs. Scottie

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                  1. I must admit the changing perspective in gender and gender identifiers is fascinating the History side of me. If I had the time and focus (I have mind-bounce at present) it would be intriguing to look back for parallels. I suspect they are there.

                    We will try, we will keep on keeping on, with dignity and maturity.
                    (Though we both have our Nearly Throwing The Laptop Out The Window episodes when encountering hateful prejudices- Triggers I believe they are called these days).

                    Best wishes to You and Ron

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    1. Hi Ten Bears. I asked Ron what habaneros were and if we should try them. He asked me how badly did I want my asshole to burn. Then he said they are a very strong pepper that will burn coming out. But if the taste going in is good I am willing to chance it. I will let you know if Ron will let me use any stronger peppers. Hugs. Scottie

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          1. Hi Ali. Oh yes! I learned that lesson the hard way. I made something that called for hot / spicy peppers and I forget what they were, then during chopping them I went to the bathroom to urinate. I got a real painful quick lesson on such pepper juices. Nothing Ron could do seemed to reduce the burning pain. I felt it was searing through the parts I had touched, and that is a place no man wants a searing burning pain. I thought things down there wouldn’t ever be right again. 😜😛😝🙄😂😀 Hugs. Scottie

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  4. ok, two things:
    A: I don’t do hot hot hot chili. Looking forward to Scottie and Ron cooking, but not to a burning colon!
    B: Looking forward to taking you and Ron out to eat. You are going to have to pick the restaurant.

    Hugs
    randy

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