Just because I loaded a crock pot full of pumpkiny, cozy chili does not mean I acknowledge that fall is now here and the weather has now changed to torrential downpour for the next 6+ months.

It’s more like I had leftover pumpkin, was going to see some friends and watch the Timbers game, and had been dying to try this since Erika posted it. The beauty of chili is you can pretty much put whatever you want in it and it comes out just fine. I went a little carnivorous and added some beef stew meat.

Do you know how weird it is to go to bed and wake up smelling chili? So weird. I think it partially affected my dreams and partially kept me up because I’m secretly paranoid that the crock will burn the house down. That’s what I get for starting it at like 10pm.

I really liked the consistency of the chili. I had to tweak the taste a little more before it was done, but that’s what I love about it. It’s forgiving. I wanted autumny, pumpkiny beer, but the store I went to was sold out of the kind I wanted. I went with Lagunitas IPA instead. It blended right in. I didn’t have as much pumpkin as I should have, and that is for shame. Next time.

Inspiration: Lenses and Limes

Ingredients

1lb beef stew meat

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cans kidney beans, rinsed and drained

14oz can pumpkin puree

1 large sweet onion, chopped

1 cup beer of choice

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

28oz can stewed tomatoes + juice

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In a large skillet heat the olive oil on high. Add the beef chunks and sear all sides. Put the beef and all other ingredients inside a crock pot. Stir. Cook on low for 8-12 hours. After 8 hours, stir occasionally to really thicken it up and keep the sides from sticking. Serve alone or with crusty bread.