It’s been rainy and unseasonable cold here in Madison lately. When dreary weather like that comes around, I often find myself making comfort foods to pick up my mood. Today I decided to make one of my favorites — the chili my Mother taught me to cook. Chili is one of those dishes that everyone makes a little differently. I remember as a kid eating other people’s chili and thinking, “This is not chili. My Mom knows how to make chili the right way.”

I’m sure there are people out there who will scoff at what I make and think the same thing. Nevertheless, my taste buds and I have known it is the right way to make chili. Over the years I’ve made a few alterations to the original recipe (most recently using ground turkey meat instead of ground beef). Whenever I make it I usually end up thinking about Mom’s chili and appreciate the knowledge that she passed on to me. Thanks Mom!

Since you’re probably wondering how I actually make it, below is my take on Mom’s Chili.

Ingredients:

• 2 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce
• 1 15 oz. can of diced tomatoes with onion and green pepper (or 1 can of stewed tomatoes)
• 2 15 oz. cans of kidney beans (rinsed & drained)
• 1/2 – 3/4 lb. ground turkey (or leave out for vegetarian chili)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 3 or 4 stalks of celery, chopped
• 2 – 3 tablespoons of chili powder (more or less to taste)
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Brown the turkey meat. Put meat, tomato sauce, tomatoes, onions, celery, 2 tablespoons chili powder, parsley, and basil in a pot (I usually rinse the tomato cans out with a bit water and add that too). Bring to a boil, then cook on low heat for 30 minutes. Add drained kidney beans, and salt, pepper and more chili powder to taste. Cook for an additional 30 minutes.

Or, brown the turkey meat, and put all ingredients into a five-quart slow cooker (my preferred method). Cover and cook on low heat for 8-10 hours, or high heat for 4-5 hours.

Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese.