My mom is notorious for flying by the seat of her pants when it comes to cooking. She can look in a nearly empty pantry and come up with something that may not be gourmet but is completely delicious. When Mr. Bear and I were married, I would often call my mother up and ask her what I should make by listing the ingredients I had available. She would patiently walk me through how to pull together a meal because she knows I’m not a cook. I can bake but when it comes to taking what I have in the pantry or fridge and making it work, I’m missing the necessary gene.

While I admire my mother’s ability to pull recipes out of thin air, I wish more of her dishes were actually on paper somewhere. The winter of my first marriage I was feeling hugely pregnant and homesick. I knew that with the temperatures as low as they were, my mother would be making what had once been a staple to my winter diet – chili. Unfortunately I had seemed to marry a man that didn’t understand that chili isn’t a want, it’s a need. Especially when the person who needs said chili is pregnant.

When I called her up one afternoon asking for her chili recipe, all I got on the other end of the line was my mother’s laughter. It wasn’t my request that had made her laugh but the idea that she had a recipe to work from. Still she took pity on me and sat down at her desk and typed up a recipe for me to use as a guide for when I went grocery shopping. It’s taken us nearly a year and quite a few tweaks since then, but I think Mr. Bear and I finally have something resembling the chili that I’ve missed so much.

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Momma’s Chili Recipe

  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 can of chili beans, mild sauce (15.5 oz)
  • 2 cans of light red kidney beans (15.5 oz ea.)
  • 1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
  • 3 teaspoons of chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon of minced garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)

Drain the kidney beans in a colander and rinse them in cold water. Place drained kidney beans and chili beans in a medium pot. Brown then drain the grease from the ground beef. Add the browned beef to the beans and combine the rest of the ingredients. Heat to a boil then cut it back to a simmer for half an hour to an hour. Serve with corn muffins or over spaghetti. Serves 4 with leftovers.

You’re probably wondering why we drain and rinse the kidney beans. This just helps to get rid of the extra liquid plus the rinsing gets rid of the salty bitter taste that I feel comes with most canned beans. We use the light red kidney beans but you could use the dark red kidney beans if you prefer.

My favorite way to eat chili is with cheese sprinkled on top and a corn muffin crumbled up in it to give it a sort of creamy meets gritty consistency that’s divine. But I’m also a fan of just heating up a bowl and eating it as is without any garnishments. Or, as my mom suggested, over a bowl of spaghetti. Best of all both kids love it which is why even in this summer heat we usually have it two or three times a month.

Enjoy!