When I don’t feel like riffling through magazines and cookbooks, I turn back to my old favorites and comfort foods. Hits the spot, but makes for a boring foodblog because I’ve already written about a number of the meals I’ve been making lately. Here’s a childhood favorite of mine that has yet to make an appearance, though.

My mom has had this one cookbook, titled something like “Cooking For Two,” almost from the time she got married in the early 1970’s, and there were a few recipes in it that got made over and over when I was growing up, like meatloaf and chili and porcupine meatballs, and when I got married myself and moved away, I made darn sure to copy those recipes down for myself. The meatloaf and porcupine meatballs are subjects for another day, once the weather cools down more. But this weekend, chili just sounded good, and this recipe produces the only chili I’ve ever been completely happy with. It’s very mid-American, with lots of ground beef and kidney beans, and it’s mildly spiced, which suits me to a tee. (Of course you can adjust the heat to your own tastes.) It reheats beautifully too.

Mom’s Easy Chili

1 T unsalted butter
1/2 C onion, diced
2 lb ground beef
1/4 C celery, thinly sliced
2/3 C ketchup
1/2 C water
2-3 C tomato juice
1 can kidney beans
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1-2 tsp chili powder, or to taste
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 T lemon juice
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 T brown sugar

Saute onion in butter until translucent; add beef and brown. Drain off excess fat, and add remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Serve with a garnish of Cheddar cheese and some cornbread muffins.