GRAND PRIZE CHILE

Actually, the name of this chili is 'Dr. Ray's Famous Grand Prize Chile', winning the Texas state chili championship in 1980. My dear cousin Carolyn from Harrison, Arkansas, gave me this recipe years ago. My niece Barbie makes it every year for a New Year's eve party in Cleveland, Ohio and she says her friends love it. I made it this week for the little Supper Bowl party we had and it was a big hit.

There are lots of chili recipes out there, this one is worth the effort.


Grand Prize Chili

4 pounds chili meat (coarse chili ground or beef cut into small pieces, 1/4 to 1/2 inch cubes, don't use hamburger meat)
Oil
2 medium yellow onions chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce

Seasoning spices*:
6 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon paprika*
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon MSG, I leave this out, so I guess I have made it optional
1 teaspoon marjoram
1 teaspoon garlic powder, optional, I left this out
1 teaspoon onion powder, optional, I added this
Beef stock or water

Brown chili meat in a little oil. Add onions and garlic, which has been chopped, continue cooking until the onions are beginning to soften. Add tomato sauce and seasonings. Add beef stock or water to just cover meat. Stir everything together and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until meat is tender. Correct seasonings (salt, etc.).

After the chili was chilled I removed most of the congealed fat. This is optional.

*I prefer Hungarian paprika.

*The list of seasoning spices may be premixed for future use. The mixture may be scaled up, a times 10 increase will yield a mixing bowl full, which will fill 10 to 12 spice jars. Use 2 to 3 tablespoons per pound of meat.
This makes a great gift, the seasoning and recipe in a basket.

A good seasoning for taco meat. If you read the ingredients on a taco seasoning package, you will realize how much junk is added. It is much healthier to make you own.

OLD FASHION VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP

When I was growing up, homemade vegetable soup usually included some sort of meat, usually beef. It is so hardy, it makes a great winter supper served with biscuits, cornbread or as we ate tonight, Cheese Biscuits, recipe found in the Stone Cottage Kitchen blog.

This recipe is just a guide line to any number of variations. It is a good way to clean out your refrigerator, using up a left over roast and vegetables. I made it today, following the recipe as written, next time I might add some other vegetables along with the ones listed. The recipe makes a lot, 16 to 20 servings, and it only improves when reheated. It is good to freeze or share with a friend.

Vegetable Beef Soup

2 1/2 pounds beef steak, t-bone, rib eye or top sirloin. Beef bones will improve the flavor

Water and/or beef stock

Salt

Pepper

1 pound carrots, scraped and slice

5 stalks celery sliced into small pieces

2 large onions, chopped

1 (28-oz) can tomatoes

Cavender's Greek seasoning and Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning. These are a couple of my favorite, Chachere's adds heat and Cavender's add flavor and salt. Use you favorite and spice to desired hotness with Tabasco, or other pepper sauce.

Kitchen Bouquet

Cut meat into bite size pieces, place along with any bones into large, heavy Dutch oven type pot, cover with water and beef stock, about half and half. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours. Add salt and pepper(go easy on salt and pepper if using the seasoning listed in ingredients) .

Add remaining ingredients, add seasonings a little at a time and finish up when soup is cooked.

Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.

I added some Kitchen Bouquet for color and flavor. A couple of tablespoons should be enough.