Today was a pretty red letter day around here for Mr. Jacob - an excellent grade on a math test and he received a LONG awaited package in the mail. Jake's very own "Mistress" finally arrived! (Just hang on, it's a special truck I'll explain in a minute!) Anyone that knows Jake knows his love for trucks, tractors, "City Guys", and tow trucks. Back in 2008 Jake was obsessed with a reality TV show called "Wrecked: Life in the Crash Lane". He was and still is AMAZED at watching heavy equipment pick things up and move them. Anyhow, back in September of 2009 we attended the Big Iron Classic Truck Show in Kasson, MN and O'Hare Towing from Chicago, IL was at the event signing autographs and taking pictures with their trucks. Jake could hardly contain his excitement meeting his heroes in real life!
Keeley & Jake with Joey, Marci, Bill, & Jamison from O'Hare Towing in Chicago with the truck named, "The Mistress".
After meeting them in September, Jake invited the crew from O'Hare Towing to come to his birthday party in July 2010.
Of course they did not attend, but the owner of O'Hare Towing, Bill Gratzianna, did make a special phone call to wish his littlest, biggest fan "Happy Birthday!" which was really cool!
So, zoom up to present day.....Back in April Jake finally wore us down with his begging after seeing that a custom made version of Joey Gratzianna's truck, The Mistress, a specialized rotator tow truck, was going to be produced. We sent off the money to have one of only 2,100 made for Jake. After MONTHS of waiting and Dad calling to find out there was problems in production, THE truck was finally delivered to our mailbox today.
This was his smile before I told him to calm down a little! ;)
One happy boy with his very own "Mistress" tow truck!
So thinking about "Wrecked" has me remembering many snowy, freezing episodes I watched with Jake, which made me think it would be a good time to share a FAST, EASY chili recipe. Chili with beans isn't something I ate as a child - thank goodness I outgrew most of my silly food pickiness! I'm fortunate that my kids will give almost ANYTHING I make at least one try. Most of the time I like to play with seasonings and take lots of time coming up with the perfect recipe but it was late the other night when I made this and decided to see if I could make it by mostly canned ingredients. It didn't turn out too shabby and Jake & Keeley even ate it (with a little extra tomato sauce stirred in to ease the spiciness!)
Start by browning a pound of ground beef and throwing 1/2 a decent sized onion chopped up and a couple cloves minced garlic.
Then come the cans! 2 cans diced tomatoes with their juice - I used one normal and one fire roasted - just to be difficult! 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can beef broth, 3 cans of drained and rinsed beans - I used light red kidney, dark red kidney, and black beans - but you use what you like.
Then you can go one of two directions for heat - add a can of Rotel or a packet of Chili seasoning.
I added both Rotel and Chili seasoning and a couple splashes of Worcestershire sauce for good measure!
Ladle it into a bowl (the Mrs. prefers) or a soup cup (the Mr. prefers) and top with shredded cheddar, sour cream, and sprinkle on some chives or parsley and dig in!
It is even better the next day for lunch served over spaghetti squash!
QUICK CHILI
1 lb. ground beef
1 C. onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
1 can beef broth
3 cans of bean (drained and rinsed)
1 can Rotel tomatoes and chilis and/or 1 packet chili seasoning
Worcestershire sauce
Shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
Chives or parsley (optional)
Sour cream (optional)
Avocado (optional)
Brown ground beef with onion and garlic over medium heat. Add in 2 cans of diced tomatoes with juice, 1 can tomato sauce, 1 can beef broth, 3 cans of beans. Stir in 1 can of Rotel if you want heat or 1 packet of chili seasoning if you'd rather have the deeper flavors and less heat. If you want a lot of flavor AND heat, add both! Add a couple of splashes of Worcestershire sauce and heat through. Keep warm on low heat. Add toppings as desired - I recommend all of them!
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