Celebrate National Slow Cooking Month with a pot of splendid chili… either with meat or without… with beans or without. Do what pleases your taste buds on a chili evening!
We created a smashing rendition for our last bonfire in 2025. This baby is meant for the slow cooker. Dig in!
Café Martin Chili
Not a true Texas-style chili; this has some beans. However, you can easily eliminate them and get back to chili’s roots, if desired. Regardless of your preference, here’s the recipe we created for our 2025 bonfire. It got lots of positive feedback as the best chili ever… both the regular and vegetarian variations!
4 T each: oregano and chili powder
6 T ground cumin
1 T each: cayenne pepper and smoked paprika
2 env dry onion soup mix
1-2 lbs Mexican chorizo (no casings)
6 spicy Italian sausage links, casings removed
1 lb sweet sausage (no casings)
2 lbs steak strips
3 lbs steak cubes
3 lbs ground beef
6 large, sweet onions, chopped
1 bunch celery hearts, chopped
3-4 c beef bone broth
1 large can tomato puree, mixed with 1 small can tomato paste
1 large can petite diced tomatoes, drained
1 large can original Ro-Tel diced tomatoes & green chilies, drained
2 (4-oz) cans diced mild chilies & liquid
2 cans red kidney beans
1 can cannelloni beans
1 can seasoned black beans
Toppings: shredded Monterey Jack cheese, chopped onion (sweet or red, as you prefer), pickled and/or fresh jalapeño pepper slices, sour cream
Combine seasonings and onion soup mix; set aside. Cook, stirring to crumble, the chorizo and all other sausage meats over med-low meat for 6-8 minutes in a large skillet. Use a slotted spoon to transfer sausage into very large bowl. Cook beef strips and cubes, stirring occasionally, for 4-6 minutes. Stir into cooked sausage. Repeat with ground beef, stirring to crumble meat as it cooks. Transfer to meat mixture. Drain off excess oil, reserving 3-4 T in skillet. Cook and stir onion over medium heat for 2-3 mins before transferring to meat mixture. Repeat with celery. Stir the seasoning/dry soup mixture into the meats thoroughly. Transfer to slow cooker/s and stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and cook on low for 1-2 hour. Shut off heat and cool, refrigerating overnight. (Can freeze, if desired, at this point.) Cook the chili on low heat for 2-4 hours before serving with your choice of toppings on the side.
KISS Tips: This makes enough to serve 30-40 people, so it’s perfect to make ahead and freeze. Thaw overnight in refrigerator before doing the final cooking time. We serve chili with buttery garlic/onion bread and a fresh tossed salad. Chili is also great served in soft taco shells with slices of fresh avocado and a sprinkle of chopped onions and a bit of salsa.
KISS Variation: To make Vegetarian Chili, eliminate all the meats. Sauté a large package of fresh baby bella (or other) mushrooms, diced along with the onion and celery in 4 T butter. Season as above, replacing beef bone broth with 2 c vegetable stock. Add the puree, tomatoes, Ro-Tel, and chilies as above. In addition to the 2 cans of kidney beans, add 2 cans each: seasoned black beans, pinto beans, cannelloni beans, and lentils, all rinsed and drained. Stir in kernels from 3 ears of corn on the cob (or 2 c frozen baby corn). Of course, you could use just kidney beans, but this combination is delightfully colorful and tasty.
This year, I begin with a favorite appetizer… or entrée, if you prefer. It doubles and triples easily and works with any of the included sauces, a favorite of your own, or even a bottled option, such as Sweet Thai Chili Sauce.
Throughout 2025, I posted more than 225 quotations, proverbs, and witticisms from a broad range of people and centuries. I shared words from pacifists and activists, conservatives and liberals, soldiers and sculptors. Notable Quotables hailed from humorists, humanitarians, and historians, as well as from playwrights, performers, and critics. We heard from musicians and physicians, cartoonists and coaches, along with scholars, satirists, and superstars. Whether the words hailed from Founding Fathers, Nobel Laureates, or philosophers, I truly enjoyed reading and sharing thoughts that inspire, encourage, and help me feel grounded. I hope that a few touched you, too. Naturally, I look forward to sharing more words of wisdom and wackiness in 2026.
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
“A person who tells you that you are not good enough knows that you are better than they are.”
THEN…. I looked at it later and saw the way a carrot had been cut and placed just below the eyes. I said, “You know, that makes it look like a bird!” Well, duh. She had artfully arranged all her veggies in such a way that she’d fashioned a turkey. I got to the party, but I surely arrived late… but laughing!!!
“Confidence, like art, never comes from having all the answers; it comes from being open to all the questions.”
“Love is composed of a single soul inhabiting two bodies.”
