chili + cornbread = winter comfort food

Thank you so much for the tea comments in the last post - now I have several more tea types to hunt down and try!

Today is a snow day; the boys have the day off from school and we're cozy indoors enjoying the wintry view outside. We only got a dusting of snow so it was most likely one of those caution mornings for the county in deciding to send school buses or not. They chose not. It's perfectly fine driving but any morning I can sleep longer ... I'll take it!

Last night I fixed chili and cornbread and I'm really looking forward to leftovers for lunch. What a perfectly delicious and simple meal for a winter's day - comfort for within. I have a few recipes that I use for chili and this is the one I made, which is one of my favorites.

Easy Texas Chili

recipe from Easy Weeknight Favorites cookbook by Southern Living, 1998

1 lb ground chuck (I use about 1 1/2 lb lean ground beef)

1 small onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic (I use an overflowing teaspoon of chopped garlic from jar)

1 (16-oz) can chili hot beans, undrained (I used 1 can drained black beans)

1 6-oz can tomato paste

1 1/2 cups water

1 Tablespoon chili powder (I use a bit more!)

1 teaspoon salt

Combine first 3 ingredients in a large, deep pot which has cover. Cook until beef is browned, stirring until it crumbles. Drain and return to stove. Add beans and remaining ingredients; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15+ minutes, stirring occasionally.