So I decided to make some chili.

My version of Blonde Mom's chili. It took FOREVER to make.



1. Onions, garlic, bell pepper and ground beef browned in my favorite Wolfgang Puck pot.


2. I used less onions than the recipe asked for and I STILL used 1 more onion than I usually do.

3. My eyes. After chopping onion. I learned that my blender doesn't chop onion and cutting an onion underwater is as impossible as it sounds unless you are Ariel. Oh, they burned.


4. Canned tomatoes, kidney beans, and tomato paste. I used less tomatoes and beans than the recipe called because Dennis hates beans but I think 1 can more would have worked ok. I also learned that tomato paste does expire. (We had 3 cans in the back of the cupboard that were about 6 years old. Which shows you how much I cook.)


5. I did follow the suggestion to add 2 cups of beer in place of water. Except that by this time, I didn't want to bother with measuring two cups. So I poured the whole bottle.


6. Dennis came to my rescue when I cried with the onions and he also helped me open cans. This is the can opener that we had to borrow from a neighbor because our can opener died. (Our can opener is older than those cans of tomato paste).


7. This was supposed to be Tex-Mex. So I added cilantro to make it California-y. Not a lot though, because I don't know how to cook with cilantro and my kitchen was smelling very cilantro-y (like soap).



8. The end result was so good. It was a little bit more sweet than spicy but like every other mexican dish I make (tortilla soup, enchiladas, taco lasagna...) I know it will end up being better tomorrow. I will definitely make this again.