Chilly Weather Chili

It's Veterans Day today, which means a day of remembrance of what our armed forces do for us, and also a much-needed day off of school for the college and non-college students out there.  The week before this, I was looking forward to some chilly weather with chances of shower and what not, so I planned on making chili for the rest of the first half of the week.  I have an o-chem midterm and a philosophy paper due within days of each other, so cooking in bulk was the way to go.  However, I woke up this morning and the weather was absolutely BEAUTIFUL: chilly but not too cold with gorgeous clouds and sunshine and I thought, heck it doesn't have to be dreary to make chili, it's comfort food for all the bipolar weather of socal (plus I already defrosted XD).  So after getting a lovely visit from a friend and watching Lion King, I went about to make my super simple chili, have a hearty dinner, pack some for that same friend for bible study, and knowing that I have at least 3 more meals of filling tasty goodness as my busy week approaches.  Please Enjoy.  Cook.Eat.Love.Smile. 

11.11.11: Chilly Weather Chili

Chilly Weather Chili

~1lbs of 85/15 ground beef

1 16 oz can of diced tomatoes

1 8oz can of tomato paste

1 16 oz can of black beans

2 cups of frozen corn

1 medium onion

3 large cloves of garlic

2 stalks of green onion

1 packet of McCormick Original Chili Packet

2 tablespoons of ketchup

1 tablespoon of cream cheese

1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce

1 tablespoon of honey

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Optional: black pepper/chili flakes to taste

Prep-work:

1.     Dice the entire medium onion

2.     Mince the garlic

3.     Finely chop the green onion stalks (green and white)

Procedure:

1.     Sauté the onions in a little vegetable oil until translucent in a medium to large pot. 

2.     Add the garlic and cook until fragrant

3.      Add the ground beef and packet of chili mix and cook the ground beef thoroughly.

4.     Add the diced tomatoes (with the juices) and tomato paste and mix until evenly incorporated

5.     Add the beans (drained from juices) and mix until warmed through

6.     Add the frozen corn and cream cheese and cook until warmed and melted through

7.     Add the ketchup, Worcestershire, honey, brown sugar, and black pepper (optional) and mix thoroughly. 

8.     Add the green onion last to keep the color

9.     Serve in a bowl that retains heat.