Chili Soup and Excuses:
Well! Appologies for my time away, but my alter ego, Mary (view from a farmhouse window) hauled me off to jobsites all month.
If Fabiola was less refined, less stylish, less lady-like, Fabiola would have protested by kicking and screaming. Fabiola doesn't kick and scream. Fabiola endures. So Fabiola got through the time by making snarky remarks regarding the desperate lack of style illustrated by the dust, diesel and steel toed boots that Mary wore as she worked. She refused to listen.
Backing up.
My dear reader Anony asked if there are any natural lakes in Ohio. Fabiola asks, does Lake Erie count? Other than that South-West Ohio has lakes, some of them may not be man made. Fabiola will look, sometime. Fabiola lives in North West Ohio. A large part of Northwest Ohio used to be part of the
Black Swamp. Fabiola lives just south of the (former) swampland. No wetlands were drained for Fabiola's home, that wouldn't be stylish at all! No lakes around these parts.
Moving Forward.
As Fabiola has been keeping Mary in line, she has had a series of busy busy days. Even on busy days, people have to eat. As always, Fabiola has a Fabiolicious solution to that problem. The Chili Soup below is fast, easy and cooks all day in a slow cooker, so that dinner cooks while other things can be done.
Note: Chili Soup is slightly sweet, slightly spicy hot and more soup than Chili. Try it with Grilled Cheese sandwiches and / or Townhouse Crackers. Fabiola says "Yum'!
Evelyn's Chili Soup
Ingredients:
1 pound ground chuck
1/2 medium yellow onion chopped medium (photo below)
Fabiola uses a whomper-chopper (that is what she calls it) fast, easy, whacking the top of the chopper releases frustrations.
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2 - 46 ounce cans Tomato Juice - Del Monte or Red Gold
(seriously, these two taste best to Fabiola -- use your favorite -- but don't say that Fabiola didn't try to help!).
1 - 16 ounce can Bush's Best Chili Beans, Medium Sauce (or mild or hot -- but use Bush's, trust Fabiola on this one).
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1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/8 teaspoon Ground Celery Seed
1/4 teaspoon Corse Ground Black Pepper
1 teaspoon Salt
4 tablespoons Dark Chili Powder (or to taste)
(Fabiola likes the Kroger store brand best. Also: keep in mind that Chili Powder looses flavor as it sits in your cupboard. Buy small quantities more often rather than leaving it sit on a shelf).
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1 cup Dark Brown Sugar packed
Assembly:
Put the Tomato Juice and Chili Beans in your slow cooker, start cooking on low heat. Brown stirring frequently, the ground beef and onion over medium heat. You want the meat to brown and the onion to cook until transparent. Drain fat.
Turn off the heat, move your skillet to a cool burner, add the Garlic Powder, Celery Seed, Black Pepper, Salt, Chili Powder to the browned grond beef and onion. Stir, stir, stir. Add the brown sugar and molasses, stir until mixed. Transfer to your slow cooker, stir until mixed. Let the soup cook for at least 2 hours, but will be just fine if you leave it all day.
Fabiola serves a big bowl of this soup with grilled cheese sandwiches.
Yes, this is a cast iron skillet. Cast Iron is a permanant non-stick, precision cooking tool - yet again, Grandma knew what she was doing.
