Spicy Chili For Negative Degree Weather

First time making chili, and it was a success with the roommates, the dog and myself. I made it from Kelly Shelly's Picture Cook Book as a gift from my wonderful sister, Emma. On the whole, chili was a good choice and I did not mess it up, thankfully. I tend to combine the preparation together and cook it for a little bit longer than I should, and this dinner was not exception.

Chili with a whole jalapeno, zucchini, corn, and red beans made for a warm, appetizing meal on a cold night in Columbus. I thought it was not going to be spicy enough when I tasted it but it caught me by surprise as I did not put any cayenne pepper in the chili at all. Cayenne pepper does make chili a little more spicy but it tasted great the way it was. Everyone who ate it, loved it and applauded my chili making skills with full mouths. This recipe did not ask for a base so I just used water. It was not as thick as I am used to, so without the water it would have been fine as the liquid came from the red beans and the diced tomatoes.

This experience with chili might be the sign of good things to come. And by good things, I mean I will not be only making pasta and salads with some meat on the top. Even though the college recipes are absolutely amazing and sometimes can not beat them, the preparation is worth it for meals like this. So thank you, Katie Shelly. You're book successfully broadened my horizons in cooking.

The end result