Cracker Chili

January brings storm days and the fun of a day off from school! All storm days are not created equal! When you lose the electricity for 2 or 3 days, it is not near as much fun as when you are just playing in the snow and watching TV! I remember for us, we had the radio set on WDAY and would anxiously await the announcement for our school. When “Gardner” was announced, we moved to a day of play! There was usually snow pushed from the driveway to the side of the house where we climbed the hill and slid down on our sleds. Grandma Ethel aggressively took a straw broom to the snow on our clothes before we got inside. I took off the wet, snowy clothes drying them, as well as warming myself, on Grandma Ethel’s floor heating register in the living room! Storm days are perfect for making soup and baking cookies! Today’s recipe is easy and a favorite of mine since “storm days!” I removed 1 tsp. salt and added more chili powder to the original recipe. The crackers soak up the spicy juice for a special winter treat!

CRACKER CHILI
Serves 6

1 white onion, coarsely chopped
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
1 green bell pepper, washed, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
28-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 15.25-oz. cans kidney beans, drained and rinsed
Saltine Crackers

Brown onion and beef in a non-stick, 4-qt. chicken fryer. Drain. Add pepper, chili powder, salt, sugar, tomatoes and beans. Stir. Cover and simmer 60 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve hot in bowls with crushed Saltine Crackers.