Kids Cooking: Chili Con Carne

I’m back again with a new cookbook.  This week’s cookbook is Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual.  It’s a book from the Klutz series and it was published in 1987.  I’m not sure I got it that year, but very soon after.

One of the coolest things about this book is that it came with a set of measuring spoons, and within the (illustrated) recipes in the book, they show pictures of the color spoons that kids would use to make the recipe correctly.

I didn’t realize until I was taking this picture that, on the Tablespoon, the letters are in ALL CAPS.  It’s not 1 tablespoon, it’s 1 TABLESPOON.  

Tablespoons are intense, y’all.

Anyway, I did the usual thing and made my own adjustments to this recipe, the main one being that the original recipe calls for a chopped green pepper.  Dennis is allergic to peppers, so, obviously, that wasn’t an option.  I also added cayenne pepper, because I’m a little obsessed with it at the moment.  (Don’t believe me?  Check out the beer cheese soup!)

Dennis says this is the best thing I’ve ever made.  He says that every couple of months, but this recipe is the new reigning champion.

Chili Con Carne

Serves 2 hungry adults or 3 not-so-hungry adults
From Kids Cooking: A Very Slightly Messy Manual

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic salt
• ¹/₂ tsp. cayenne pepper (more if you like it spicy!)
• Corn chips
• 1 big can crushed tomatoes (28 oz.)
• Mexican cheese (optional)

1. Put the onion and the beef into a pan and cook over medium heat, turning often, until the meat is cooked through. Take the pan off the burner and drain/discard the fat.
2. Add the kidney beans (with the liquid), tomatoes, chili powder, garlic salt, and cayenne pepper to the meat mixture.  Stir well and cook over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture begins to boil.
3. Turn the heat down to medium and simmer, stirring so it doesn’t stick, for another 10 minutes.
4. Spoon chili into bowls and put a handful or two of corn chips on top.  I also added Mexican cheese.