His Grandma's Old Recipe - American Chili

I love old recipe cards in a box. Any recipe that had made its way to a recipe card and be kept in a box for years, you know it must be good. You can also tell which recipe was frequently used just by looking at the cards. Some cards are nice and clean while others are filled with tiny spots of grease or patches of caked up flour. My husband's (a.k.a. Mr. P.T.T.) late grandma had kept such a box. It was filled with old recipe cards that she had hand-written in old, cursive writing. After she passed away in the 1970's, her recipe box was being passed down to my father-in-law. I was very fortune to have the chance to look at the recipe cards years ago. And out of the few recipes that I have tried, Mr. P.T.T. loves this American Chili the most.

American Chili

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 Medium onion (finely chopped)
• 1 can 15 oz Red kidney beans (Mr. P.T.T. likes thicker chili, so he always drains half of the liquid from the can)
• 1 can 14.5 oz diced tomatoes
• 1 can tomato soup
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Brown ground beef and onion in a large pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using the back of a wooden spoon or potato masher, break and beef up into small pieces while it cooks and browns, about 4 to 5 minutes.
2. When the beef is browned, drain excess grease and stir in diced tomatoes, tomato soup, red kidney beans and chili powder.
   
3. Cover and simmer on medium - low heat for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.