One of Corey and my absolute favorite cold weather meals is chili! It is warming and comforting on cold winter nights. Below is our go-to recipe that we have been using for years. It is so easy, and also makes great leftovers! We both agree that chili is usually better the second time around. There are very few things that you can say that about!
Something that intrigues me about chili is all the different ways people cook or serve it, as well as the many traditions around the dish! Some like their chili more liquidy, while others prefer it to be thicker. Cincinnati likes it sweet and Texas likes it smoky. Beans or no beans, cumin or no cumin, beef or turkey… or no meat at all? Although many of us have strong and differing opinions of how chili should be done, one thing I bet we have in common is that there is some level of nostalgia mixed in! Several grew up eating it in school lunches and I’m sure most people have experienced at least one chili cook-off! I’ve read that multiple politicians over the years have even tried to make chili the official food of the United States! Needless to say, it is kind of a big deal.
The debate doesn’t stop with what to put in the chili, there are also an array of preferences about what to top it with and serve alongside it. Many midwesterners, like myself, love to eat chili with cinnamon rolls! It is really the best accompaniment for chili, in my humble opinion! Some restaurants in Nebraska even have chili & cinnamon rolls on the menu! Thankfully, it was not hard at all to get my husband on board with this… and we have had so much fun introducing all of our friends in Arkansas to the combo! They tend to look at us like we are crazy, but most have ended up really liking it in the end!
I asked my Mom to send me a recipe card for her famous cinnamon rolls that our family loves. She reminded me that the recipe is in the cookbook from when I was a “Little Sister in the Miss Nebraska Pageant, back in the day! What a fun experience that was as a little girl! I found it for you guys… as well as a picture of 8-year-old Chelsey! Unfortunately I was not rocking the side ponytail that day!
It is a fun splurge once in a while, but since I try to limit gluten and dairy in my diet, we usually do cornbread on the side instead! My husband loves to put copious amounts of honey on his. I greatly appreciate how simple chili and its companions are to tailor to your dietary needs or preferences. There is a style for everyone and you can easily make it your own! It can be made Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, low-carb, keto, etc., which is one of the reasons I like to serve it for guests in the colder months. I’ll make a chili bar & each person can choose how they want to dress it up! Plus, it is fairly healthy and most people like chili… even kids and picky husbands!
If you are planning your menu for the week, I’d definitely suggest putting chili on there! Winter is winding down after all… and it just doesn’t have the same effect in the Spring. Please comment below and share what part of the country you live in and your favorite style of chili and accompaniments! I’d love to know and would definitely be up for trying some of your recipes and suggestions!
Have a lovely day~
