~~posted by Jen


Our friend Audra combined ideas from both Jen’s Practically Famous Chili and Nik’s Turkey and TVP Chili to come up with her own delectable version! Here’s how she made it, in her own words:

“Hi Ladies:

Thanks for your “cooking along” week for soups.  I didn’t cook each day, but I was VERY inspired by your chili (it’s my favorite cool weather food).  Here’s what I made:

I had never made chili with pieces of steak before either, and it sounded so good!  I didn’t have any leftover coffee (since I don’t drink it), but I always used light beer to help tenderize the meat, so that’s what I did.  And when I saw the TVP chili with the cocoa powder in in, I added some of that too.  So it’s a bit of a hodge-podge, but it turned out really good!  Here’s what I used:

.75 lb grass-fed ground beef
.5 lb steak/stew meat, cut into small pieces
about a can of light beer
store-bought chili seasoning (with onions, garlic, chili, etc.)
about 1T or 2 of natural (not dutched) cocoa powder
1 can mixed beans
1 can black beans
about 4 hours simmering, covered, and 2 hours simmering, uncovered
Man did it turn out good!  Thank you for the great ideas!  Next time, I’ll buy some coffee so I can try that trick too.”

She sent a pic too, and it looks just delicious!

Thanks for cooking along, Audra! Check your email for a note from us. Way to play with your food!