We had one of the volunteers groups in Milwaukee over last night, and Paul made a big delicious pot of chili for dinner. We had great conversation and ended the night by sending the volunteers home with the rest of the pumpkin bread and beer (Paul couldn't part with the rest of the pumpkin pie). I love the freedom and joy that comes from sharing what I have with others, especially in this case knowing that the volunteers will be able to pay forward the gift of hospitality to others in the future.
Chili recipe:
Saute 2 onions, 3 cloves garlic, and 1 teaspoon each cumin, coriander, and oregano with 2 tablespoons canola oil in large pot. Brown 2 coarsely chopped green bell peppers and 2 coarsely chopped red bell peppers. Add 4 12oz cans diced tomatoes (48 oz total). Rinse, drain, and add 2 cans of black beans and 2 cans kidney beans. (Optional: Add bouillon cube mixed with about 1/4 cup water at this point). Add 1 small packet frozen corn. Add small, medium, or large pinch of cayenne pepper. Add 1 teaspoon honey. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Add 1-2 small cans tomato paste to thicken to desired consistency. Adapted from Simply in Season.
Use sour cream and cheese to garnish. We always serve our chili over rice. We also enjoyed it with corn bread muffins the volunteers brought over. They made us keep the corn bread leftovers - they're already paying it forward!