Tastes Like Food

A few weekends every winter, we go on a hut trip or a winter getaway trip with some of our friends. We ski or snowshoe a couple of miles into a cabin up in the Rocky Mountains heated only by a wood stove, with no running water or electricity (and yes, an outhouse) and we spend a weekend eating, cooking, playing and getting away from it all. We take turns making breakfast and dinner. My top meals to cook are done mostly before-hand and then with some simple preparation at the cabin, I’ll put together a tasty meal. On our last winter cabin trip, I made meat chili. Here are the juicy details:

Ingredients (all are approximate):

• 2 cans of chili beans
• 1 large can stewed tomatoes
• 1 lb ground beef
• 2 cups chopped carrots
• 1 small chopped onion
• a few cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 chopped bell pepper
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1/2 cup beef broth (or water)
• olive oil
• chili spices (cumin, chili powder, oregano — or whatever spices you like)

Directions (generally):

1. Saute all but 1/4 cup of the onions, garlic and carrots in olive oil in a large skillet or pot (this will be where all chili is combined).
2. Meanwhile, brown meat with remaining 1/4 cup onions/garlic/carrots and set aside.
3. Add wine, beef broth, tomatoes, beans and chili spices to the large skillet (not the browning meat) once onions are clear.
4. Cook at simmer or lower temperature for 10-15 minutes.
5. Adjust chili spices if needed (hotter, etc)
6. Stir in frozen corn, bell pepper and browned meat, and turn off the heat.
7. After the chili cools, spoon it into a gallon size freezer plastic bag(s). Poke the corners in (so when they’re frozen they don’t puncture other bags or foods) and double bag it into another freezer bag.
8. Freeze overnight, and then pack in your frozen chili to your hut or cabin. (Since it’s frozen it will help keep other foods cold en route to your cabin.)

Notes: Serves 6-8.
I served this with steamed green beans and crescent rounds (from a can). Delicious!