Necessity is the Mother of Invention

And sometimes that saying is actually true! I found that out over the Christmas holidays. I had planned to make a recipe from my favorite cookbook, The 5:30 Challenge, where each recipe only has five ingredients. This is essential to any busy life. I thought I had all the ingredients I needed for "Midweek Madness Chili." After all, there are only five of them! Turns out, all I had was the ground beef and the salsa. Not being an adventurous soul when it comes to recipes, I headed for the taco seasoning to make tacos.

Someone, I think it was Abigail, said she REALLY wanted chili. Couldn't I just make another kind of chili? After a little digging through the pantry I located a different kind of beans than the recipe required and a different kind of tomatoes. OK...but if it tastes bad, I'm not to blame.

Time passes...chili ready...family sits down to dinner...Jeff says, "What did you do to the chili?" I knew this would happen, I thought silently to myself. "This is the best chili you've ever made," he says. What? "Oh, I didn't have all the ingredients, so I just made something up," I reply.

Since it was Christmas Eve, Abigail renamed it "Genny's Christmas Chili." And the reason I'm writing this post is because we had chili tonight -- the new kind, not the old kind. If you need a really simple, delicious recipe for your midweek madness, here it is.

Genny's Christmas Chili

1 lb. ground beef
1 cup salsa (I use Pace picante sauce)
1 can Hunt's Roasted Garlic Diced Tomatoes
1 can Ranch Style Beans
1-2 T. chili seasoning mix

Cook the ground beef and drain. I usually season mine with onion powder, garlic salt and pepper. Here's the best part. Add the remaining ingredients, stir, and simmer over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Done! I serve mine with sour cream and cheese. Sometimes over rice. Always with crackers. Enjoy!