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Slow Cooker Chili, from Julie of By The Recipe

By on January 10, 2014

This is a very easy recipe. So easy that it almost doesn’t qualify as cooking. Often I put this all together in the evening, refrigerate it, and put into the slow cooker in the morning. I would also like to add, that living in the north, where the sun sets by 4:30 or 5:00pm in the afternoon, makes it very difficult to take photos. I have a great window in my kitchen, and when I can take pictures during the day, it makes a huge difference.

First, let me fill you in…

Yes it’s cold.

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I heard this morning on the radio, that there is a 100 degree (celcius) difference between the coldest places in Canada, and the hottest places in Australia.

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Our apartment is an old duplex. With old single pane windows.

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The heat from inside collides with the cold outside, leaving us with beautiful artwork on our windows.

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Ok, enough about the weather. It’s winter. Bundle up.

So I’ve been a little bit MIA lately.

One day I was doing this…

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A 50 kilometer ride under the blue blue sky.

Four days later, I was doing this…

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A 4 kilometer (snowshoe) walk around the golf course, under a blue blue sky.

Two weeks away from the city.
Now, back to reality.

Beloved. Traveling. 12 days.

Two weeks away from the city, not a crumb of food in the house. Beloved left on Sunday for his business trip. The door barely hit him on the back before I was on the phone ordering pizza.

While on vacation, I am always spoiled. Beloved cooks for me. Every night.

Over the years I’ve learned to enjoy cooking. I get great pleasure when I make a meal that my little people, and Beloved, gobble up. But it is not something that comes easily too me. I follow recipes. I organize my meals. And when I don’t do that, I am always at a loss.

Getting back to business, I ventured to the big box store yesterday (Costco) as well as my grocery store. I’ve asked the kids to give me input for some meals over the next two weeks. Even better, I don’t have to do all the thinking.

When I go to Costco, I always buy at least one cooked whole chicken. Last night we hadAngels in Heaven Pasta.

I used the bones to make a whole bunch of chicken broth. I bought two chickens, so it made a lot of broth. I will use the broth to make bacon lentil soup, corn chowder andspicy sausage pasta.

I also bought stuff for an night of Indian food. Butter chicken, lentils and curry vegetables. The butter chicken is not homemade. I use Patak’s bottle sauce. I don’t make the side dishes. All prepackaged. But that reminds me that I do have a recipe for curry lentils. Maybe? Should I?

And tonight? Chili.

Slow Cooker Chili

1 lb/450 grams of lean ground beef or ground turkey
1 cup frozen corn niblets
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can baked beans, flavour of your choice, I use pork and molasses
1 can sliced mushrooms
1 small can tomato sauce
1 small can tomato paste
1 package of chili seasoning

Brown the ground meat in a frying pan until completely cooked.

While the meat is cooking, open the cans of tomatoes, baked beans, tomato sauce and tomato paste. Empty them into a slow cooker.

Open the cans of kidney beans and black beans and empty into a colander. Rinse well with cold water. Add to the slow cooker.

Open the can of mushrooms, drain the water, add to the slow cooker.

Add corn to the slow cooker.

Drain the fat off the cooked meat, add to the slow cooker.

Add the chili seasoning to the slow cooker.

Stir well. Cover. Set slow cooker on low and cook for 6-8 hours.

 

Julie of By The Recipe says this about her food writing:

I’m not sure which came first: my sweet tooth, or my desire to bake.  Before I was a wife and a mother, I was a baker.  I love to bake.

Before kids, I wasn’t much of a cook. After kids, my cooking abilities improved, I guess because I needed to feed my family. Over the years I have come to enjoy cooking, almost as much as baking.  But let’s be honest, the best part of baking and cooking are the accolades of a great mouthful of food. That inspires me.

When I cook, I cook by the recipe. Almost always.

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