CPW: Chili

LuckyAngel07

So, what qualifies as chili? Beans? Ground beef only? Other meats? Sound off!

islandmonkey8

I get the arguments on both sides. It's really a regional thing. For me, I love it all!

lfk2013

Meat + beans + elbow macaroni + other stuff (garlic, onions, habanero peppers, seasonings) = heaven.

I usually have it with ground beef, but have had ground turkey and ground venison.

blueeyedblossom

We do either ground beef or venison and beans. And a chili brick and some dried crushed red pepper. Yummm I want some bad!

LuckyAngel07

For me, there have got to be beans. I do NOT like plain meat chili (like the kind they pour over chili dogs and nachos and whatnot). It goes without saying that either variety needs to have a ton of seasoning and a few chopped up onions/peppers/etc in it.

I don't think macaroni belongs in chili though. That's just weird!

nightmare_of_beauty

Meat, beans, and lots of veggies! 

RockABye

We do a mix of bison and beef most of the time. No beans unless it's veggie chili, then I add lots of beans along with veggie crumbles from morning star.

Oh and I HATE spicy chili. It needs to be very mild for me to like it. And cornbread on the side is not optional. It's a MUST.

lindsayandjamie

nightmare_of_beauty said:

Meat, beans, and lots of veggies! 

This! The more the merrier in my books.

brij2006

Definitely meat and beans.

H makes a chili with pineapple in it.  It's actually pretty amazing, and he's won chili contests with it. But I never would've thought to put pineapple in my chili.  No way.

blueeyedblossom

I hate veggies in my chili! Yuck! :-)

LuckyAngel07

RockABye said:

Oh and I HATE spicy chili. It needs to be very mild for me to like it. And cornbread on the side is not optional. It's a MUST.

I can't do spicy chili either! 

I don't have any mandatory sides for chili, but I MUST have cheese and sour cream on top of it. 

ljraff29

There MUST be beans and veggies! I actually like mine with ground turkey instead of beef. The spicier the better too! I can take or leave noodles and prefer rice if I'm having a starch, but I can eat it just plain.

 

Thanks @luckyangel07.. I want to make some now!

:-S

nightmare_of_beauty

@RockABye for H cornbread is a must, I can take or leave it. 

RockABye

LuckyAngel07 said:

RockABye said:

Oh and I HATE spicy chili. It needs to be very mild for me to like it. And cornbread on the side is not optional. It's a MUST.

I can't do spicy chili either! 

I don't have any mandatory sides for chili, but I MUST have cheese and sour cream on top of it. 

Food that makes me sweat is not even remotely enjoyable!

Have you ever put chopped green onions on top? Holy cow... talk about the cherry on top!! I can't do chili without the onions now 

LuckyAngel07

RockABye said:

LuckyAngel07 said:

RockABye said:

Oh and I HATE spicy chili. It needs to be very mild for me to like it. And cornbread on the side is not optional. It's a MUST.

I can't do spicy chili either! 

I don't have any mandatory sides for chili, but I MUST have cheese and sour cream on top of it. 

Food that makes me sweat is not even remotely enjoyable!

Have you ever put chopped green onions on top? Holy cow... talk about the cherry on top!! I can't do chili without the onions now 

Naahhhh. I'm not a huge fan of green onions for the most part. I'm sure I could mix them in and barely notice them, though, if we did decide to spruce it up a bit more, haha!

And no...foods that make me sweat (and that make my nose run!) are NOT enjoyable. I'll pass, thanks!

barefootbluejean204

So I was actually craving chili the other night...but the only thing I had was a can of old Hormel chili that I'm pretty sure was expired so I ate a salad instead. 

brij2006

LuckyAngel07 said:

RockABye said:

Oh and I HATE spicy chili. It needs to be very mild for me to like it. And cornbread on the side is not optional. It's a MUST.

I can't do spicy chili either! 

I don't have any mandatory sides for chili, but I MUST have cheese and sour cream on top of it. 

This for sure.  Has to be topped with cheese and sour cream.
There also has to be the option of putting oyster crackers on top too.

lfk2013

Mmmm...the spicier the better, IMO.  Next time I make it, I'll have to try green onions on top, to go with the sour cream and cheese.

I actually can't stand cornbread with chili.  That belongs with vegetable beef soup.  

Now I want a big ol' pot of chili.  

islandmonkey8

Now I want cornbread and chili. Yes. Maybe this weekend!

mrsvedo

I'm the SS because my chili is situational dependent.

Is it going on my hot dog? No beans.

Am I eating it out of a bowl? Definitely meat and beans.

R.Wilsonny

We don't eat meat, so we do vegetarian chili which consists of: onions, garlic, 2 red/orange/yellow peppers, 1 jalapeño, red kidney and black beans, tomato purée, fresh chopped tomatoes, sometimes zucchini and/or eggplant, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper.

Easy and very tasty.

Usually I make brown rice and put some in the bowl, then chili over top of it. Sprinkle some cheddar or sour cream on top. (can be garnished with cilantro too)

R.Wilsonny

Almost forgot that we sometimes have tortilla chips with the chili....mmmm

Ohhhh....and one final thing I want to add as far as the spice level....always start small because you can always add more heat, but you can't take it away. Not all chili powders are created equal either. I learned the hard way when we had a dinner party at my apartment in Spain and I almost killed the one Mexican in the house with the chili I made. It was THAT spicy!

DangerMuffin23

Soooo, stay with me on this, cause it might sound weird at first, but it's awesome. Use Doritos(regular) to scoop up the chili into a big bite. Amaze balls! Really, try it. Mmm

sgautschi

There's such a thing as chili without beans? I thought brand were what made it chili, and meat and pasta were just things you could add to it...lol

barefootbluejean204

@DangerMuffin23 That does sound pretty good actually

LuckyAngel07

sgautschi said:

There's such a thing as chili without beans? I thought brand were what made it chili, and meat and pasta were just things you could add to it...lol

A forum my DH is on apparently gets very heated regarding chili with vs without beans. Many say it's not chili if it's got beans in it. Others say beans make the chili. So I just wanted another perspective. I think the meat is always a necessity (ground, preferably), unless you're making veggie chili, and then I'd probably just go with a "fake" meat to put in there.

sgautschi

@luckyangel07 That's crazy. It's so weird to think the same word can mean something completely different in different areas. I'm sticking with chili isn't chili without beans though. Lol