My friend JetGirl who lives in Texas sent us a Carroll Shelby Chili Kit.
On a recent cold evening, a bowl of chili and rice was perfect for dinner. Jac used turkey mince to make the chili. It was another delicious bowl and spoon meal. Since I am a chilli wuss, she made it mild. It tasted even more fantastic the next morning for breakfast. That chili kit seasoning has great flavour.
I know rice isn’t the traditional accompaniment to chili when you eat it in Texas, but I love anything with rice (spaghetti bolognese – rice instead of spaghetti; tacos – rice instead of taco shells; shepherds pie – rice instead of mashed potato :D). There’s some Chili Kit mix left – we might make cornbread to go with it next time. :) What’s your favourite accompaniment(s) for chili?
I had never heard of Carroll Shelby, so a bit of googling revealed that Caroll Shelby is a retired Texan race car driver, automotive designer, manufacturer and consultant. The black western hat pictured on the box was one of Shelby’s trademark items of clothing.
If I were famous and gave my name to a food product brand, it would have to be something bacon related. Or pies, curry, waffles, pancakes…something involving batter or pastry. Or fried chicken, nuggets or burgers… something crumbed and crispy…hmmm.
Well… that’s assuming I wanted my name to be a food brand, which I don’t think I would. But for the sake of this idle fantasy, it would have to be something delicious and easy that I’d actually want to cook/eat myself. That’s why it would never be health food, and never ever TFP brand smoked mussels! :P What would your signature food product be?
I'm TFP, a food blogger from Perth, Western Australia.
{ 28 comments… read them below or add one }
This is the best chili mix period. It is the only thing my family uses and we are originally from Texas. They also make a fabulous white chicken chili mix too. My signature product would probably be BBQ sauce. I love BBQ and BBQ sauce on everything.
Chili is one of my comfort foods–I don’t eat it terribly often, but I definitely get cravings for chili when I want something filling and warm. And for me, it ALWAYS must be con carne. No bean-only chili for me!
I don’t really eat it WITH anything. I’m not a big filler-food person (which is what I think of rice, pasta, potatoes, bread… as being). I sometimes get in the mood for rice, pasta, etc., but when I do, it’s not to have it with something so much as being the main event.
BTW, chilli and chili aren’t interchangeable when referring to the finished dish. ;x Chillis go into chili, but not the other way around! I’ve come to learn that both spellings are acceptable when referring to the little spicy things, but the dish is only ever chili. :x
Cheers, Melody. I believe we tend to use “chilli” more than “chili” over here, I guess we don’t really think about “chili” being short for chili con carne. :) I know the spelling and usage has sparked lots of debate over the years i.e. “chilli” “chili” “chile” etc! Anyway, I have amended the spelling to “chili” now. I think that is only right to do so, as I’m writing about Texas chili after all. :)
I hadn’t even thought of it being an Australian way to spell it! I’m so going to be on the lookout in grocery stores now to see how it’s spelt. ;D
I also wasn’t expecting you to change your spelling–I do hope I didn’t offend! I figured maybe you just weren’t aware of the difference, since you do often talk about using chillis in things or not, and how you handle spiciness in dishes. :x
Melody, don’t worry, I wasn’t offended at all. I thought what you said made perfect sense (chilli vs chili) and I wanted to make the corrections.
oooh I had chilli for dinner last night too – the perfect comfort food (although ours was vegetarian!)
Mine would be instant noodles :D
The byline: 2 Minute Goodness For The Lazy Sod.
My dad always used this chili mix when I was growing up — he would make a huge batch and freeze what we didn’t eat that night. He’d freeze in portions he knew would be enough for a meal for the three of us, so it was always easy to just pull a container from the freezer! I love the seasoning, though I’m not sure if my dad made it mild or hot. :)
I find your chili over rice intriguing! I may have to try that next time we make some (though I have to say we recently tried Pat Neely’s recipe and it was phenomenal!).
We usually eat chilli with rice too. Hb taught me to eat it like that. Previously I prefer with thick hardy bread. When I make chilli I will usually made two types, one hot and one mild. Hb likes it hot and me, the Asian one and my kiddies love it mild.
My signature product – Penang Laksa instant mixes. I love it so much that my nanny used to make it as the star attraction on my birthday every year. Even here in Perth, the only constant curry/soupy noodles dishes that I will make often.
Sour Cream! I love to make my chili with both dark red kidney beans and black beans. Then I top it with sour cream and shredded cheese and eat it with tortilla chips.
This is a good mix, but my husband make the BEST homemade chili with ground lamb. Its got a million ingredients and takes 2 hours to cook. We usually make either chili spagetti, chili baked potato or chili nachos. So yum!
Yum!!!! I have always eaten chili over rice, ever since I was little. After moving out of home I started making my own version of chili & always eat that with rice. I also dip corn chips in it :)
Love your blog! In Hawaii, chili is almost ALWAYS served with rice…it’s so good that way and I absolutely love it. I can’t think of any other way to eat chili, so I completely understand where you’re coming from! “Taco risu (rice)” is also a favorite of mine…tacos with rice instead of the shell ; ) But then again, just like you, I can eat practically anything with rice!
Chili with rice rocks – keeps you full and warm for a while. Just had musk ox chili while I was up in the Northwest Territories. Interesting, but it had a bit of a gamey after taste that I didn’t care for.
Spaghetti sauce in a can would be my product of choice or breaded chicken breasts.
And now I’m giving a great deal of thought to what my signature food product would be. -thinks harder- Mine would probably have to be…hmm, maybe a cereal, or a brand of canned sausages or something…or maybe some chocolates! Mmm, I love chocolates…
D: I want chili sooooo bad now! I actually think that rice (with beans!) is a fine accompaniment to chili. Maybe it’s just the Asian in me speaking, but it IS yum! :)
my signature food is curry paste. Chinese curry, Indian, Japanese, English, Mexican curry. They each have their own spice mix and unique taste. Warms the stomach, and eat it with rice or crusty bread
Forget putting your name to a food product. You should bring out a line of Bento boxes! You know the range in Australia is crappy and you really have to hunt around or import them.
I love Chilli. I once tried mixing a little sour cream through the chilli.. nice!. Just on it’s own.
“What’s your favourite accompaniment(s) for chili?”
Diced green chiles in the chili, and golden-brown cornbread (with shredded sharp cheddar cheese and minced jalapeno baked in) on the side. :-D
“What would your signature food product be?”
Either sausage gravy and biscuits, or a comforting dish featuring potatoes.
I have no idea what my signature food product would be. Seriously. But that said, I somehow don’t like rice anymore. Which is really sad. I bet the chilli would taste great with tortilla or corn chips, which are my favourite kind of chip ever.
Best way to eat chilli? Just give me a bowl and a few toasted and buttered slices from a baguette. If you like it spicy too it’s actually perfect for a hot day – the chilies in the chilli induce you to sweat; cooling you off.
Also, if I were to have my own food product – well, I’m gonna stay mum on this, because it may actually happen soon…maybe…:D
You had a recent cold evening! Jealous am I! Sometimes I just speak Yoda for no reason. One of those ever increasing quirks I’m getting as I get older! I know, when I’m in front of my fire,you’ll be hot. We make chili from scratch and always put some masa harina in it. It thickens it and gives a slight corn taste. Very faint; but, there. I cook my own dried beans sometimes and save some to refry. My husbandlikes spaghetti. I like flour tortillas and all the works, cheese, sour cream, pico and guac.I can eat rice with anything, just about. I still think you are more rice pot than I am. I have a love affair going with noodles! My brand would be a whole line of pastas. My current favorite shape being, cavatappi. Love it!
How come the tea – ordinary Tea from Germany I sent in a parcel with other things – was declined by customs duty of Perth…and you get Chilli from overseas??
I´m happy for you, but I don´t understand regulations!
Any idea, seriously?
Iris,
my friend sent me a number of items (some food, some not, all in a box – everything was all there to be x-rayed and inspected (nothing was hidden or disguised or anything) so Quarantine could’ve held anything back if it didn’t fit with the rules. I’m no expert on the quarantine rules – looking at the list of items on the What Can’t Be Mailed to Australia page I can’t see “ordinary” tea – only “tea containing seeds, fruit skin (for example citrus and apple peel) and fruit pieces”. The chili mix my friend sent me doesn’t appear to fit with any of the banned items either, so I don’t know why I got my chili mix and you didn’t get your tea. Sorry!
I once sent some t-shirts from the US to Italy and they got rejected. I think it just depends on the mood your particular customs official is in that day, seriously…
Around 5 years ago I sent 4 Kool-Aid packets to a friend in Cairns, Australia. He’d never heard of Kool-Aid, to my surprise (or Suzy Q’s and Twinkies). The customs officials opened the envelope and made a note of the packets, lol! But friend received them (unsure if ever used). ;-p
Hot Dogs! I love chili on top of a delicious grilled hot dog…
I think I would like a line of salad dressings… Bryan’s Ranch, Blue Cheese etc… with a big sticker that says “Extra creamy fat added for flavor” :-)
Liz M,
Heheh, good to know we tried the best chili mix! :D
Lisa,
I like chili with beans but yeah, being a meatlover, I always prefer it with some sort of meat.
Charlene,
I’d totally buy those instant noodles because there are not many lazier sods than me! :P
Samantha,
We freeze leftover chili too! :D Chili is GREAT on rice. Hope you do give it a try!
flower,
Jac likes it with bread (because she is a breadpot) but because I’m a ricepot I always crave rice to go with chili. We like to use Chilliz brand curry laksa mix but I would totally give flower’s Penang laksa mix a try! :D
Dana,
Mmm, that sounds good. I used to dislike sour cream but I don’t mind it now. I’d top all of what you’ve described with chopped fresh spring onion – perfect!
Salymsmommy,
Mmm, I love lamb mince. I’m sure your hubby’s homemade chili tastes fantastic.
Erryn,
I must admit I didn’t make chili often when I moved out of home, but I used to make spaghetti bolognese a lot – and I used to eat THAT on rice, as well as with pasta.
ChiChi,
We’d love to visit Hawaii. Everything I’ve read and seen online and on TV suggests I would really enjoy eating in Hawaii!
Jon,
Hmm, yeah I’m not that fond of really gamey meats. I have pretty boring taste in meats! We mostly buy spaghetti sauce in a jar over here. :)
Christle,
Oooh I love canned sausages! I’d buy Christle canned sausages before the Christle chocolate. :P
Wei-Wei,
Yes – I have some very Asian food tastes for sure. :)
FC,
Fantastic! I love all kinds of curry. I’m not that great with super hot curries, but I love trying different flavours of curry. And yes, I would want to eat the curry with rice.
Tamz,
Heheh, good point. I have no desire to get into that line of business at present, but I’ll remember that suggestion if I change my mind. :) Yes, I ate a bowl of the leftover chili on its own, no rice, no bread, nothing – just me, chili in a bowl and a spoon. It was great.
Cindy,
Mmm your chili accompaniments sound yummy.
And I still want to try sausage gravy and biscuits. We don’t have that here. Someday, someday I will get to try it.
Dea,
Aw, I can’t imagine not liking rice any more. I love corn chips too – I like plain salted the best. I like cheese-flavoured Doritos but prefer plain salted any time. I can just eat them as they are, no need for chili!
Chef To False Metal,
I love temperature-hot and spicy-hot dishes any time of year, in any weather! Yes and similarly, they also say a hot cup of tea is one of the best ways to cool off on a hot day. I’m intrigued – how exciting – your own food product! Hope you’ll share the details when it happens. :)
kathy,
We’re now well in truly in our winter season here and it’s been pretty cold lately. We usually eat elbow-shaped pasta or spirals (fusilli), rather than cavatappi, which I guess is kind of a combination of the tubular elbows and corkscrew/spirals. :) We also like macaroni, linguine and spaghetti. Pretty boring, we are. (See, talk like Yoda I can). :)
Bryan,
Oh yes – the good old chili dog! I think Jac would totally love Bryan’s line of salad dressings!