Tasty Food Recipes

[Pyreaux]

Dad’s Chili

*Not an actual photo, but very similar. No peppers in this.

I'm sorry Texans but my Kentuckian father cooked this Chili abomination from wayback, contain everything you are not supposed to put in "real" chili. This is like a chili-powder spaghetti with pinto beans you put cracker crumbles on.

Ingredients:

1/2 diced onion

1 lb ground beef

2 cans of Luck’s pinto beans (undrained)

Several cans of tomato sauce (varies, like 4, enough to make it soupy)

Chili powder - a lot, to taste. Or some with a little paprika and adjust.

Dash of Onion Powder, Salt and Pepper.

Ketchup - enough to give a noticeable sweetness, maybe around ½ to 1 cup, add gradually and according to taste, the more you cook the ketchup, the more it changes, less tart, more sweet.

Cooked spaghetti (maybe a half box, enough noodles to soak up the soupiness)

Saltine crackers (for serving, crushed on top to soak up remaining soupiness)

Instructions:

Boil the noodles in a large pot (gallon-sized). Cook diced onion and ground beef together until browned.

Drain grease and return the meat and onion to the pot.

Add 'undrained' pinto beans, tomato sauce, chili powder blend, and ketchup.

Simmer until flavors meld and the mixture looks good and soupy.

Stir the pot bottom often.

Let it sit and cool for a while - it’ll thicken as it cools as the spaghetti soaks up the liquid.

Serve with crushed saltines on top.

Texture Note:

This dish starts off soup-like but becomes chunkier as it sits. Beware tall pots, you if it boils without any stirring, noodles will sink to the bottom and burn at the bottom before it boils at the top. It should balance spaghetti, beans, and beef in roughly every spoon bite. The crackers help thicken it right in the bowl.

For thicker texture sooner: Add uncooked broken spaghetti right into the simmering chili (but stir often so it doesn’t stick or burn). Add extra water or sauce if needed.

If you can, use Luck’s Pinto Beans - Luck’s beans are already seasoned and have a distinct flavor and texture that made the chili what it is.

I hope I'm not forgetting anything.

Edited July 4 by Pyreaux

[Calm]

No garlic?

[Pyreaux]

3 hours ago, Calm said:

No garlic?

I would, but I don't think it's in the original recipe. I'm trying to think if there is supposed to be any brown sugar, but I don't think so.

[Pyreaux]

10 hours ago, Calm said:

No garlic?

My sister says my proportions might be off. No need for onion powder. There is supposed to be just salt, pepper and some brown sugar.

[Stargazer]

On 4/28/2026 at 3:45 PM, Tacenda said:

I have been asked to bring cookies or brownies to my daughter in law's baby shower at a park for lots of family and friends. Kinda unique, since it's including men and families.

I have been only cooking baked goodies the keto way, not using regular flour or sugar in my recipes. It is really hard to go back to baking that way. Curious if anyone has a healthier version of the recipe for cookies especially. Anyone? Thanks for any help! 

You've been doing keto? Have the results been what you expected?

[Stargazer]

In my household, spaghetti is not well appreciated, but I love it. Too much. I finally found a recipe for the sauce that I really like. Here it is:

GARRETT’S MEAT SPAGHETTI SAUCE
Author: by Sue Garrett
Ingredients
•    1 lb. lean ground beef
•    1 onion, chopped
•    1 bell pepper, chopped
•    1 TBS. minced garlic
•    1 TBS. Italian Seasoning
•    1 tsp. basil
•    1/2 tsp. oregano
•    1/2 tsp. Montreal Steak Seasoning
•    1/2 tsp. parsley
•    1 (16 oz.) can of tomato sauce
•    2 (14.5 oz.) cans of diced tomatoes
•    Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
1.    Cook ground beef, onions, and bell pepper together until done. Drain if needed.
2.    Add the remainder of the ingredients and bring to a boil.
3.    Turn the stove down and simmer for at least 30 minutes. (I kept mine going for almost 2 hours.)
4.    Serve over cooked spaghetti noodles.
 

Here in England I can't find "tomato sauce" in the same form found in US grocery stores. Imports from Italy are available, which I haven't tried yet. So instead of the can of tomato sauce I just added another can of diced tomatoes. It worked out well. Since I like my spaghetti sauce with a little more "bite," I added a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. The wife liked the sauce! Which was a plus, since she's no big fan of spaghetti. For myself, I topped off my portion of pasta+sauce with Cholula hot sauce.

[Calm]

I prefer using tomato paste with water rather than sauce.  It’s more intense flavour with a nice sweetness.  Canned tomato sauce is typically pretty bland.

[Calm]

If it’s the noodles she doesn’t like, a good sauce is great on baked or roasted potatoes or rice.

[Rain]

On 9/19/2026 at 2:41 PM, Calm said:

If it’s the noodles she doesn’t like, a good sauce is great on baked or roasted potatoes or rice.

We really like it on spaghetti squash.

[Tacenda]

On 9/19/2026 at 3:05 PM, Stargazer said:

You've been doing keto? Have the results been what you expected?

I think it's keto, but now I think about it, I'm wrong on my definition most likely. I just use a variety of ingredients such as almond flour, honey, dates, dark chocolate, natural peanut butter, bananas, vanilla, pure maple syrup (cheating maybe), cottage cheese, cocoa powder or cacao powder etc. in my recipes for something satisfying to replace regular butter, flour, sugar, bad seed oils etc. I think it's better anyway lol.

I use these to make such things as brownies/bars, protein balls, some breads, cookies. The results for me are I'm not using sugar and flour, so better than I use to be. Funnily, I was looking through old ward cookbooks that we used to make in our wards with recipes of the ladies or young women in the ward. And the recipes often called for full cups of vegetable oil, flour, butter, and sugar. I think the way I bake now is the better way and not bad really as far as tasting. I like them much better the more I eat this way, I'm one to crave chocolate. But who knows maybe there's chemicals in dark chocolate since I read just yesterday there is in some brands, such as Hershey's and I've bought the Hershey's dark chocolate chips a lot. 

[Calm]

Sugar is pretty much sugar** (unless you are sensitive to certain types of sugar, me and honey don’t get along because of fructose***), but maple syrup has a great taste that makes it more satisfying imo.  I use that whenever it makes sense instead of sugar.  Also use brown sugar as it adds more depth imo than white.  Why not make the sugar contribute more than just sweetness if you can?  

It’s more important to control the amount of sugar than the type, so use the type you are most likely to use less of imo.  A 12 oz can of soda has about the same amount of sugar calories as an 8 oz glass of milk, so if just looking at sugar calories, 8 oz of soda is better.  However, you are getting much more additional nutrition with the milk.  Make those sugar calories count, either by taste or by accompanying nutrition.  This is what processed foods and refined sugars can be ‘not good’…they aren’t as commonly linked with nutritionally dense foods.

**all sugars are made up of simple carbohydrates, glucose, sucrose, and fructose.  The amount of trace minerals is usually insignificant nutritionally in the amounts you should be eating.  Though molasses may be an exception to that, especially if consumed with vit C.  I haven’t looked at it that closely as I don’t use it since I stopped making cookies once my kids were older.  (Cookies are too easy for me to go overboard on.)

https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/are-certain-types-of-sugars-healthier-than-others-2019052916699

***anyone with stomach or gut issues might want to look at the Low FODMAP diet at Monash University, but it’s best to get an actual diagnosis and work with a dietitian to ensure you are getting all the nutrients you need (eat the rainbow) if you are thinking of doing it for more than a few weeks (it can show results very quickly, I had no bloat that I didn’t even realize I had and no more constant background pain I didn’t realize was digestive practically overnight) as it can be quite restrictive and it’s unfortunate when a misdiagnosis (self or doctor) messes your diet up (speaking as someone who did low salt for 3 years when I didn’t have to).

Edited September 24 by Calm

[Stargazer]

On 9/24/2026 at 8:40 PM, Tacenda said:

But who knows maybe there's chemicals in dark chocolate since I read just yesterday there is in some brands, such as Hershey's and I've bought the Hershey's dark chocolate chips a lot. 

Well... Hershey's is evil chocolate. Wouldn't touch it, myself. 

[Amulek]

5 hours ago, Stargazer said:

Well... Hershey's is evil chocolate. Wouldn't touch it, myself. 

I am no respecter of chocolates. Almost anything will do in a pinch.  

As for Hershey's, in particular, it's fine for s'mores. And those nuggets they make - the ones with toffee / almonds - are a pretty good substitute when I can't find a Symphony bar for popcorn night (as I require chocolate with popcorn).

They have some 'special dark' truffle-like candies that are pretty eatable as well.

 

[Calm]

After being in Russia (German chocolates) and Canada, I am a snob towards American chocolates.  So weak.

[Amulek]

14 hours ago, Calm said:

After being in Russia (German chocolates) and Canada, I am a snob towards American chocolates.  So weak.

There's certainly a difference. But most chocolate isn't actually made in America.

The best chocolatiers all use chocolate sourced from other parts of the world, so you will still find plenty of delicious options here - so long as you know where to look.  

 

[Tony uk]

Belgium has a good reputation for chocolate.

[Calm]

11 hours ago, Amulek said:

But most chocolate isn't actually made in America.

I am talking about the typical candy counter American style we grew up with.  Not speciality stores.  The same companies in Canada use higher quality ingredients, though not as good quality European.

The ‘how to’ to produce them is “American”, using a set of recipes that promote more sugar and cheap fat I’ve less more expensive chocolate and cocoa butter and high fat cream.

Glad to see more dark chocolate in recent years, btw.

For those who haven’t experienced the difference , here’s a site trying to be unbiased between German and American.  Problem with saying one isn’t better than the other is the reason why American has less cacao and more other ingredients like sugar and flavorings and cheaper fats and that is it is cheaper than going with the real chocolate.  Cheap ingredients do not produce a quality product even if someone’s taste buds get programmed to like chew better.  There is something about the flat, tasteless McDonald’s hamburger my heart thinks I crave   It’s because I didn’t like school much, each day was an oppression, but there were a few bright spots   One was McDonald’s hamburger days.  It codes comfort for me now even as it sits unhappy in my stomach.

https://www.gourmetboutique.net/blogs/tasting-room/17250043-european-vs-american-chocolate-whats-the-difference

Here’s a chat comparison which turns out follows my personal experience (google is making it harder to find less airy, more substance articles…urg).

American chocolate candy: American candy chocolate, particularly mainstream milk chocolate, tends to be sweeter and more focused on sugar and milk than on a strong cocoa flavor. Some products also have a softer or waxier texture. Hershey’s is a distinctive example, with a slightly tangy flavor associated with the way its milk ingredients are processed.

Canadian chocolate: Canadian chocolate is generally somewhat less sweet and creamier than typical American candy. Chocolate flavor tends to be more noticeable, although Canadian products vary considerably by brand. Some Canadian chocolate is quite similar to American chocolate, while others have a more European-style formulation.

German chocolate: German chocolate tends to emphasize cocoa, cocoa butter, and milk flavors rather than sweetness alone. It is often smooth and creamy, with a clean melt and a more pronounced chocolate flavor. Dark chocolate in particular is often less sweet and more cocoa-forward.

Comparison: In broad terms, you could think of the three as American = sweeter and more confectionery; Canadian = somewhat less sweet and creamier; German = more cocoa-forward and traditionally chocolate-focused. These are general tendencies, though—individual brands can differ substantially, and premium American chocolate can be very similar to European chocolate.

Edited Saturday at 02:50 AM by Calm