Chili and Frito Pie

I actually have 3 versions of chili, including Frito Pie.  Frito Pie is a bit like taco salad, but with chili meat instead of taco meat.  It’s pretty popular here in New Mexico.  The public schools serve it regularly for lunch, although they call it Corn Chip Pie because they use generic corn chips.  I ate it for the first time at the Little League concession stand, then again at a Cub Scout potluck.  I’ve brought Frito Pie to many potlucks since then and it always runs out. We usually eat Frito Pie in the summer, and regular Chili in the winter.  When we add hominy to our chili, it becomes “Yankee Chili” according to my mother in law.  I tried to explain to her that Yankees have never heard of hominy, but she insisted that didn’t matter, it was still called “Yankee Chili”.  I really like it this way, and I’m a Yankee.  Maybe that’s how it got its name, Yankee’s just like it.  I don’t know.  Just try adding hominy.  Without hominy, I like my winter chili served on top of rice, and I have no idea where I picked up that combination.
I usually make this in a slow cooker, so I brown the ground beef, chop the onions, and measure out the dry spices the night before.  Then in the morning it’s just a matter of dumping some ingredients in, stirring it up, and turning it on.  Dinner is ready when I get home from work – sweet!

 Homemade version
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red pepper
2 teaspoons garlic powder
Makes 4 tablespoons = ¼ cup of spice mix
The rest of the chili:
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans red beans, drained
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce or water

I like to mix the seasoning blend ahead of time, like on Sunday evening.  Brown the ground beef and drain, then add the beef and remaining ingredients to a slow cooker and cook on low all day.  I serve chili over rice, topped with cheese and sour cream, and with cornbread on the side.

 Quicker version (Yankee Chili)
1 ½ lbs. ground beef
2 cans “Bush’s Traditional Chili Starter Beans”
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 can hominy, drained

Brown ground beef, add all other ingredients, and cook until heated through.  I brown the ground beef, then throw everything into a crock pot and let it cook all day.  This is a little mild for our family, so I often add some chili pepper and cumin to try to kick it up.

Frito Pie
I learned this while volunteering in the concession stand at the Little League baseball field.  They serve a lot of this at dinner time.  We choose to have dinner at home, with Frito pie made from chili in the crock pot.  This is Zachary’s favorite meal.

Chili above, without the hominy
1 bag Fritos corn chips
Shredded lettuce
Chopped tomatoes
Shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream (optional)

Put Frito chips into the bottom of a bowl, and top with chili.  On top of the chili add lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and sour cream.