Friendship Club Part 1

Friendship Club isn't a club, but a name for the trio of childhood friends that is Vicky, Kaori and Myself. Back in June Vicky and Kaori drove from Ohio to Massachusetts to take in the Bay State since the last visit a few years ago we were snowed in for majority of the time. Divided into bite-sized series, the following photos are from our trip to New Hampshire, on the road trip to Ohio with stops to Pat's for some Philly Cheesesteak (oops, only took a photo of Geno's across the street), and seeing another childhood pal Jeanina (Mentioned in previous chili post) in Delaware.

Dinner is Chili with Cornbread, and the Cincinnati 3-Way

 

Using the recipe from Food.com "Debbie's Crockpot Chili"

In June, my childhood friends Vicky and Kaori and I went on a road trip from Massachusetts to Ohio, stopping by Philly to see the Liberty Bell, Pat's for the Philly Cheesesteak (Did you know their rival Geno's is right just across the street from them?) and then a stop over to Delaware to see another childhood bud Jeanina. She made us the most amazing chili that I dream about to this day. The kind that warmed up my cold unfeeling heart right up and made me smile inside and out, a rare occurrence indeed.  I've never been a fan of chili and can count the times I've had it in my life in one hand. After months of not cooking, I finally pushed myself to use the slow cooker I've used exactly once since I received it last Christmas. It's a good chili, Mike even rated it above average, but Jeanina, I need YOURS! 

Recipe for 4-6 servings, or to feed a couple for three nights

Chili Seasoning:

4 tablespoons chili powder
2 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Chili:

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 tablespoon minced onion
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
2 (15 ounce) cans kidney beans

Directions:

1) Mix together seasoning mix.
2) Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. (You will only use 3 tsp in this recipe - save the rest for next time!).
3) In a skillet, cook ground beef until no longer pink.
4) Drain.
5) Add onion and 3 tsp of seasoning mix.
6) In Crock-Pot, add tomatoes, tomato sauce, one can of beans and two more teaspoons of seasoning mix.
7) Place the other can of beans in a blender and process until smooth.
8) Add beans and meat to the crock pot.
9) Stir together.
10) Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours.

Top with sour cream and/or cheese if you'd like. Mike suggested corn bread so I quickly made one from a box mix (Krusteaz Southern Style, it's just as good as scratch). Very, very filling meal.

The second night, Mike told me about his business trip to Cincinnati and how they have the classic chili, the 2-Way, 3-Way and even 4-Way. I recall the existing of such variation from an episode of Prairie Home Companion. A 2-Way is chili with spaghetti, 3-Way is chili and spaghetti with cheese, 4-Way is chili and spaghetti with cheese and extra beans. There are a series of chains dedicated to chili, probably the most popular being Skyline. So the next evening, guess what I made...

 

That's right, 3-Way with leftover corn bread. Mike loved it. I---thought it was basically bolognese sauce with beans added but the spices are different and less tomato-ey. Remember I'm not a chili person so this classic chili was an "eh". But I guess it was good because he loved it so much we had it for two nights in a row, the second night using medium shell pasta. Now that tasted great letting it sit with the sauce sinking in and eating the leftovers the day after. He wants it again next week..oh my.