Chili and Football go together like hotdogs and baseball

We had a few days of cooler weather here in sunny F-L-A, causing me to crave chili; not just any chili, but what I like to say was my dad's "favorite."
Okay, in the interest of true disclosure - it really wasn't his favorite. Truth be told, my father was like Mikey on the old Life cereal commercials; he'd eat anything. And, although he did eat my chili with all the fervor of someone who had been starved for months, he also sat down to every meal with that same penchant for eating. He loved my mother's cooking and looked forward to every meal (especially dessert), often saying he taught her how to cook. Somehow, I can't see that as being true, either, but who knows? Mom was right out of high school when they got married, and I can't remember her ever denying Dad's claims.

Every year, for more than 30 years, a local civic organization of which my husband is a member, has hosted a chili cookoff, with funds raised going to children's charities. BH (meaning before the hurricane season of 2004) members had reached a peak of raising more than $200,000 at the annual event, but unfortunately the back-to-back hurricanes Frances and Jeanne caused much damage to the area, and the chili cookoff faced major setbacks. That's okay, though, because those same members have continued their efforts, rebuilding the kitty and the attendance.

The cookoff is a sanctioned chili competition, meaning that many rules must be followed. One of those rules is that the chili cannot have any beans in it, and another is that it cannot be served with rice or pasta. It can be made using any meat, or no meat at all, but it must stand on its own merit without beans, rice or pasta. And that's how I definitely know it was not my father's favorite. Although he ate my chili and enjoyed it, he preferred beans in his chili and he preferred that it be served over rice, like my mother made it. But I don't. And since I'm the cook with the copy of the recipe, there are no beans and no rice.

My dad did love sports! Give him a team from Anywhere, Illinois, and he'd watch for hours. He was particularly a baseball fan and a football fan. Even after being placed in nursing home care because of Alzheimer's disease, he could watch Cubs baseball and Dolphin football for hours.  He also loved going to the chili cookoff, so what better way to honor my dad than with making a pot of chili for the "big game?"

I have several chili recipes that have come from winning cooks over the years, and the one I'm sharing with you just in time for the super football game is definitely one of  my favorites. It's what I'd take with me to my parents' house for our little game-watching parties.
It's not too spicy, so if you have a hankerin' for smokin' hot chili, this won't be the recipe for you. It's also not thick, but has something more of a soupy consistency. In my opinion, this chili stands proudly on its own, enabling you to savor the flavor of each ingredient. It won one of the cookoffs back in the late 1980s.

Here's the recipe:
4-lbs. ground beef                                  1-lb. sausage
2 stalks celery, chopped                         1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 small hot green pepper, chopped (optional)
4 medium onions, chopped                    15 oz. tomato sauce
24 oz V-8 vegetable juice                      five 16 oz. cans of stewed tomatoes, well chopped
1 1/2 tsp. onion salt                                3 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. basil                                           4 tsp. cumin (go lighter if it's too spicy for you)
6 tsp. chili powder (go  lighter if it's too spicy for you)
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

In a large skillet, brown the beef and sausage. Drain and set aside.

 In a large soup pot, saute' the celery, peppers and onions.

When complete, pour meat into pot and add the tomato sauce and V-8 juice. Stir well.
Add the finely chopped stewed tomatoes. Stir well.
Add all of the spices and the brown sugar, stirring until well blended.
Simmer slowly - at least two hours - stirring often.

I actually halved the recipe. This photo was taken before it had simmered for several hours.

Dad liked to have lots and lots of saltines with his chili, but I've taken it up just a notch with these cheese crackers made from a combination of grated asiago, Romano, Parmesan and provolone cheeses.
And you make them like this:
You can buy the four cheeses already combined or you can grate the cheeses and combine them yourself. Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Put a piece of parchment paper on your baking sheet, and then put small handfuls of the cheese combo into stacks on the sheet. (They will look like little haystacks)

Bake at 350-degrees for about 5-10 minutes, depending upon how big you stacks of cheese are. Keep a watchful eye on them, as you don't want them to scorch.
Here's what they'll look like when you pull them out of the oven.

And here's a bowl of chili and some cheese crackers just for you.

Enjoy the game and "Go Noles!"
Oops, wrong game.