Cincinnati Chili recipe

Somehow, I forgot to blog yesterday! I wish I could tell you it was becuase my life is incredibly stressful and my crazy brain forgot. But that's not even true--I had the day off yesterday and I was sitting and watching Community, 30 Rock, and The Office while eating homemade vegetable soup and garlic bread. So I have no excuse for forgetting. Perhaps (hopefully?) today will be a double post day.

This post will be an easy one--my mom's recipe for Cincinnati Chili, which I believe came from Sesame Street magazine. I've chosen to scale down the amount of meat and increase the beans in the recipe, but have also included the original. Enjoy!

Cincinnati Chili Emily-Way

Ingredients:
1/2 lb ground beef or buffalo (original recipe calls for 1 lb)
1 medium onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T chili powder
1 t cinnamon
1/4-1/2 t cayenne
1/4 t allspice
1 t cumin
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
1/3 c water
1 can red beans (the original recipe calls for using the beans as a topping, rather than part of the chili)
spaghetti noodles
grated cheddar cheese
diced raw onion
oyster crackers

Method:
1. Put the beef, onion, and garlic in a skillet with tall sides (or a medium saucepan) and cook on medium heat until browned and cooked through.
2. Add all of the spices and continue to cook for one minute to lightly toast the spices.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and water and stir to combine.
4. Add the can of beans and stir again.
5. Cover and simmer on medium/low for 30 minutes-1 hour, stirring occasionally. (The time is not important..the longer it simmers, the deeper the flavor will be. I generally start to boil the water for the pasta once it begins to simmer and then wait until the pasta is done to turn off the chili).
6. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions. Drain.
7. When chili is done, serve it on top of spaghetti and top it with onions, cheddar cheese, and oyster crackers, (and red beans if you made it the traditional way, not the Emily way).

Enjoy!