Me: Did I ever tell you that I took first place in a chili cook-off once?

Him: Yep. It’s been 4 years and I still haven’t seen that chili.

Chili is the official state dish of Texas. There are as many right ways to make chili as there are people in this state. I grew up under the “real Texas chili has no beans” school of thought but I sure wouldn’t turn my nose up at a free bowl of chili with beans (although we refer to this dish as “chili beans”).

Chili can hold its own as a meal alone but my favorite part is reinventing leftovers over the next several nights: Chili-Mac (chili and macaroni & cheese), Frito Pie (chili, Fritos, cheese, onions, and sour cream), chili & crackers, chili & crumbled corn muffins, and chili dogs. If there’s any chili left after all that, then I made too much 🙂
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