Yes, this year Auckland Anniversary day = Sam’s birthday, and he had to work. I, however, did not.

It’s become a tradition for me to make chili for Sam’s birthday, which usually involves making it the weekend before. It’s a special occasion meal cause it takes a billion ingredients and all day to cook. Completely not suited for summer, but unless we move to the Northern Hemisphere, what is one to do. Oh, and there has to be cornbread as well.

corn bread

Bread o’ corn. Rustic cast iron skillet. Wooha.

I’d do the recipe thing, but iunno, I’ve got to the point where I make things up as I go along. Just biff ingredients in the crockpot (if it overflows you overdid it) and cook it all day. Et voila, chili! I’m not pretending it’s any kind of authentic, but it tastes not suck.

Contains any combination of:

  • Beef stock (2c, give or take)
  • Tinned tomatoes – I use Mexican spiced, cause of the Mexican spice. 1 or 2 cans, depending on your crockpot.
  • Couple of cans of kidney beans
  • Oregano, chili, coriander and cumin, or cheat and use a seasoning mix
  • Some strong brewed coffee (about 1/4 c)
  • About a tbsp of cocoa powder
  • A can of (preferably dark) beer, or omit if you all you have is Summer Ale and you don’t want to waste it
  • Couple chopped lil onions or a normal sized one
  • Couple tbsp tomato paste – add more if you want really tomato-y. I don’t.
  • A few tbsp of sugar or to taste. Definitely needs -some- for balance though – don’t leave it out.
  • Salt if you need it. You won’t if you use a seasoning mix.
  • About 300g of mince, fried off & drained but still clumpy, cause clumps are your friend
  • About 3-400g of stewing beef, or pork, or whatever, chopped into various sized bits, browned and drained. I used gravy beef (the intarweb tells me this is cow shin). Don’t use topside, it’s too dry. Lesson learned.
  • Thicken it if you like towards the end of cooking. I usually use cornflour, but the moths have nested in it again, so it was butter and flour this time around. Damned moths.

chili

You want this.

clump

Maximum clumpage = win.

Serve with rice if you like it (I don’t, Sam does). Sam had his with Summer Ale. I had a traditional chili-accompanying drink of blackcurrant and ginger with soda water. >.> It comes out differently every time, but is essentially meaty beany not too tomato-y slightly hot chili. No idea how much it makes. Lots. But not like, a week’s worth. Not the way Sam eats it!

The ‘cake’ will be a slab o’ Sam’s favourite chocolate pudding (Sara Lee, with the melty chocolate sauce topping mmm mmm), since we only bought it yesterday and if I’d baked we would have forgotten to eat it. If I remember I’ll jam a candle in it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMMULS. <3