Thursday, February 22, 2018

Comforting Family Recipes

There are 2 family favorites that I have to make in the winter - Chili and Vegetable Soup.  I do not remember ever using a recipe for either of these dishes and really can't recall where these 2 recipes came from.  While most would not even call my chili "Chili", it's the only way that I have ever made it.  My sister even makes her chili about the same as I do.  We just can't figure out where it came from.  You see, we put spaghetti in our chili.


I do not measure the ingredients either.  It is just about a pound of hamburger seasoned with chili powder, dried minced onion, soy sauce, worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.  One can each of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and dark kidney beans and the spaghetti.

Last year I brought back some boxes of old letters from family members.  I want to go through them and scan so all of us can have copies.  They are so very interesting.  I also brought back a couple of my grandmother's recipe books that she had put together of family recipes, household hints, and recipes she had cut out of newspapers.  We knew that we were missing some recipes of dishes she use to prepare when we were kids, so we were hoping that they would show up in these other books she had.  Sure enough, I found some that we had not seen before - Boiled Calf's Head, Pickled Pig's Feet, Creamed Sweetbread.  I think I will just keep those in the book and let someone else try if they wish.

OK, back to the Chili.  Found a recipe by my grandmother called "My Chili" and it includes spaghetti.  The other ingredients are close to mine so maybe this is where I got the idea to use spaghetti.  Her (Cliffie Weisenauer Shockney), recipe is as follows:

2 cans kidney beans
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups water
1 small can tomato puree
1 large can tomatoes
1 small onion
1 pound ground beef
2 cups cooked spaghetti

Brown ground beef in skillet.  Put beans, salt, pepper, water, tomatoes tomato puree and onion in large sauce pan.  Cook over medium heat.  Add browned ground beef and cooked spaghetti.  Cook slowly for 30 to 40 minutes.

Add chili powder to taste may be added.

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I don't think I will change how I make chili, but at least I now know why we put spaghetti in ours.  There is also a difference on how I make vegetable soup and how my grandmother made it, but will save that for tomorrow. 


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