chili night one

This recipe is the beginning of a two night experience with chili. When I make a batch of chili, we always have too much for one night, and then we have days and days worth of leftovers that Ed gets sick of pretty quickly. So in an attempt to not waste leftovers, I made a pot of bean-less chili and planned on reinventing chili for a second meal.

Chili meal number one started with Coney Style chili dogs. Ed loves chili dogs, but really only likes hot dogs at ball parks, so I tried to make these hot dogs as close to ball park style as possible. Both the chili and the hot dogs are turkey not beef or pork, so that makes them a little healthier (not to mention cheaper) than regular ball park style.

While I made this batch of chili in a pan over the course of an hour, you could also make this in the morning and cook all day in the crock pot. I almost wish I had done it that way... only because the flavors would develop more. If at any point you lose too much moisture, you can always add water and scrape up the pan drippings. An important aspect of a ball park Coney is to make sure your hot dogs are either boiled or steamed- don't grill them! And if you can, try to steam the buns along with the dogs to be as close to classic as possible. Sharp cheddar cheese works better than mild, but you can always use whatever cheese you have on hand. Chopped onions are a traditional topping, and even if you think you can't handle them, give it a try! The cheese and chili mellow out the bite of the raw onion and they add a nice crunch as you chew. And as always, remember to enjoy!

Coney Island Style Chili Dogs
6 turkey hot dogs
1 lb ground turkey
6 hot dog buns
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbsp. butter
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. hot sauce
1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp. paprika
4 tsp. chili powder

Begin by sauteeing onion and garlic in butter. Add ground turkey and cook until brown and ground fine. Drain and add mustard, vinegar, worcestershire, hot sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce and seasonings. Bring to a simmer cook for at least one hour. Add water if needed, or to achieve desired thickness. Right at the end of cooking time, steam hot dogs and buns until heated through and fully cooked. Top hot dogs with chili, shredded cheese and chopped onion. Enjoy!