Beef and Pinto Bean Chili

Laying in bed on a weekend morning, I gaze out my window and watch the first flurries of Montana winter grace the earth. Toddlers pop their heads above the window ledge to see… “Snow mama! Snow snow!” Frosty light illuminates their faces and fills the room. “Snuggle me mama!” We enjoy a slow morning together, milk in sippy cups for them and an Americano for me. No place to go and nowhere to be.

Yesterday, most of the day was spent in the kitchen, polishing up our family chili recipe. A few weeks ago my brother-in-law asked me for this recipe so that he could make a big batch for his movie night with the young adults group. He could have searched for any chili recipe online, he could have asked AI, but he asked me and it warmed my heart to think about all these friends of his enjoying an evening together and that my cooking and family recipe was indirectly a part of their gathering. This request prompted me to polish, document and share the recipe here on my website and newsletter.

Currently we live in a multigenerational home with my mom and grandparents and everyone has different tolerances for spice. Cayenne pepper comes to the rescue here. If you want a more mild chili leave it out. Before serving, and before adding cayenne, I separated out some mild soup for grandma and the toddlers and then spiced up the main pot for everyone else. We had a lovely and cozy family dinner together and there was more than enough left to enjoy over the next few days or to freeze for the future.

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy these next cozy months and if you try out this chili recipe I’d love to hear your thoughts.