the ohio cozy.

Over the last month, the white stuff has reared its beautiful 

{albeit inconvenient} head more times than I choose to count. 

When I woke up to this scene today...

Hipstamatic Print by {av}

I decided to make the most of it--

and make some Cincinnati Chili, a favorite in our wee little loft.

PLEASE NOTE: Vegetarians, you should probably just continue to admire the snow...

Growing up in southern Indiana, I made visits across the border into Ohio a few times a year. I don't remember the first time I tried Cincinnati Chili, I only know I was in love from the beginning...because it came without beans. {Picky eater here--and I loathe beans}

Fast forward to my years in DC: I discovered that Hard Times Cafe carried the Cincinnati goodness I knew and loved. Besides the lack of beans, Cincinnati Chili is heavy on the spices but is typically a little "thinner" than other chili you may have tried in the past. If you're from the Ohio Valley, you also know it tastes phenomenal over any breed of noodles.

Hipstamatic Print by {av}

In the efforts to finish this post before I adventure into the snow, I didn't pull out all the spicy goodness which makes up my Cincinnati Chili. I just pulled out the biggies...and the chocolate, to reign you in...because, yes, there's chocolate in this chili--so who can argue?

Anywho, here's the recipe we use...with the adjustments we normally make:

Ingredients

1 med. white onion - chopped

6 cloves garlic - minced

2.5 lbs. ground beef {we often use ground turkey}

1 can (14oz.) low sodium beef broth

1 can (6oz.) tomato paste

1 can (8oz.) tomato sauce

1 oz. unsweetened chocolate

1 tsp. ground cloves

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon {we typically double this}

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground tumeric

1 tsp. ground coriander

1 tsp. ground cardamon

2 bay leaves (Turkish)

2 tsp. ground cumin {we also double this...up to you!}

6 tbsps. chili powder

2 tbsps. Worcestershire

a few shakes of hot pepper flakes**

4 cups water

Salt (to taste)

**{cv} has come to love this chili too. He's a fan of all things HOT and spicy. 

He doctors our pot of chili to his liking and I promptly get my sinuses cleared ;)

Directions

-bring water to a boil

-when just warm, start adding the beef {or turkey}

-crumble with your hands into a fine consistency as you add it to the pot

-bring this "meat soup" to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low

-add everything else to the pot--including the garlic, onions and all of the seasonings {typically I measure everything out in a smaller bowl while the "meat soup" comes to a boil}

-stir and then let simmer for three to four hours on medium low heat

-chili will thicken over the course of those hours...but a little extra time won't hurt it either {we often keep it on for five hours...and if you want a more graphic description of what to expect, click here...eeks!} 

-serve in a bowl or over cooked noodles

-many times, we top our chili with shredded parmesean....which equals HEAVEN on earth

Though I don't share recipes often {mostly because my husband is a better cook--I'm the baker!}, I thought I'd share this one with all of you because I know many of us will be affected by this snow and ice. I will admit that the first time you make this, there is a little bit of buy-in with all the spices. In my opinion, it's worth it. 


Do you have any chili favorites? How else do you stay cozy??

As a sidenote, I cannot thank you enough for your kind words and agreement on yesterday's post. Blogging truly is one of the best blessings I've received in the past few years :)

Stay cozy and safe, everyone! 

Much love, {av}


P.S. If you're homebound today, you could work on perfecting your Friday's Fancies 
to get an extra entry in the Minted giveaway....just a thought ;)