"Christmas Eve dinner"

On every Christmas Eve, all the kids come home to mom’s house and we all exchange our gifts. There is also dinner made for everyone. In the past I’ve made homemade pizza, lasagna, mac & cheese etc… but lately everybody wants my chili. So again this year I made my firehouse chili. It is a lot faster and easier than my regular one. I use salsa, can tomatoes and frozen veggies to save on prep time. So as a extra gift to my family and all of you - I’ve finally put it on paper. Here it is enjoy! :O)


Tisa’s Firehouse Chili A La Hot

- 4lb of 85% hamburger
- 1 large 28oz can of organic crushed tomatoes - “Cento” brand good
- 2 large 28oz cans of organic diced tomatoes – don’t drain
- 2 large 26oz cans of Campbell’s tomato soup
- 1 cup of Worcestershire sauce – “cheap kind” store brand only
- 6 - 15oz cans of organic red kidney beans -rinse & drain
- 2 - 29oz cans of organic black beans -rinse & drain “Goya” brand good
- 1/4 cup of chili powder
- 2 - 12oz bags frozen diced peppers
- 2 - 12oz bags frozen onions
- 1 jar each of Green Mountain Gringo Salsa – Mild, Roasted Garlic, Medium, Hot

* This is a big recipe, please use a stock pot around 20-24qt
1. Cook the hamburger until crumbled but not all the way (slight pink) and drain.
2. In a large pot add all the ingredients together except the hot salsa. Med heat until simmering - keep stirring
3. Add the chili power to ½ cup of boiling water mix and stir into chili and simmer for at least 2 hours - more the better – it will taste sweet at first but don’t worry.
4. Add hot salsa slowly to taste – depending on how hot you want the chili - I suggest having the rest of the hot salsa in a separate bowl for the hot mouths to add for themselves. Remember with Green Mountain Salsa MED is hot and HOT is really really really hot!!!(sorry they don't make the hot salsa w/ habaneros anymore. If more heat is needed, please only use a little bit of the "Habanero Hotsauce" thanks.)
5. Serve w/ shredded toco cheese, Cheez-Its, crackers etc.

For all the real hot mouths, here is "Habanero Hotsauce" to replace the hot salsa *PLEASE USE WITH EXTREME CAUTION*

- 8 orange habanero peppers (whole)
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ cup cilantro leaves
- 2 small ripe tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped onions
- ¼ cup real lime juice
- Mix in blender- be careful of the fumes when opening the blender.

"You know better than I"

Every year for Mother’s day my Fire House holds a flower fundraiser. Two doz roses for 19.99 and a variety of plants and hanging baskets. Two years ago at the fundraiser, I bought a hibiscus bush for my mom. Hibiscuses are tropical plants. They cannot handle temperatures under 40. In early fall that year; there was a very cold night. I did bring it in that night but the damage was already done. By the third day every leaf and branch was damaged except one it was still alive. I was so happy. I nurtured it back to health and I am still getting flowers (see pic) and it is December. This is way better than poinsettias. This reminds me of a part in the movie “Joseph king of dreams” where Joseph fixes a plant and it gets strong again. This is a great analogy from both plants. Abba will not let us go beyond the point of no return. He will always give us a way to grow but we must choose that and He will give us the desire and hope to get up and go again no matter what.