Large Family Recipes {Feed-a-crowd-Chili}

I’m not sure how it happened 🙂 … but somewhere along the way … we became … a large family …

 

Shockingly, it still surprises me when we count heads around the table. We didn’t really plan on having a large family but we  did have a change of heart around baby #4, where our eyes were opened to how Scripture clearly explains that children are a blessing from above.

 

That being said … I have slowly, over the years, adapted our lifestyle, with each new baby, to adjust to our big-family.  Living in and with a lot of people  just seems natural to me now. Around here, food disappears very fast. A loaf of bread is for barely one sitting – a dozen muffins fresh from the oven? Gone at one snack time. We are always running out of forks and knives and spoons, not to mention the other dishes required for eating.

When making a meal, I usually naturally triple everything because we want to have leftovers (handy for lunches, especially since we school at home – I do not have time to make lunch … we need to have lunches ready to go as I am with the children all morning, doing school).

This weekend, one of girls has chosen to be baptized at church. Some family members will be coming over afterwards for church. Altogether, there are 29 people coming. I knew we needed a big meal that would feed not only my large family, but also company. Because we cook on a wood cook stove – and because we will be at church in the morning (which will mean the fire will be dead or just coals by the time we return home), I also needed to have a meal that is ready to go, pre-cooked and just requiring re-heating.

{pot on the left is chili and pot on the right will be rice}

When cooking for a large family plus company, you have to think about what or how it is going to be served, how long it will take to cook and will it be delicious and filling for young children and adults alike.

We choose chili with toppings of grated cheese & corn chips and a big pot of steaming rice as our main food.

 

Recipe for the chili for many as follows:

Large stock pot

6 pounds ground beef, browned
5-7 lbs of pre-soaked dry kidney beans {you may add beans of choice, as well}

3 peppers, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 large onions, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups of water
4 jars of crushed tomatoes
4 jars of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes
chili seasoning to taste preference
{optional – add in some corn, mushrooms, sausages, etc. if desired}

Simmer together for approximately for  2-4  hours or until desired taste is achieved. Add water if needed.

For your homemade chili seasoning, which you may customize to your family’s preference, here is what is in our pantry:

4 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2  teaspoons ground cumin
1  teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

{Recipe adapted from here.}

Hoping with the salads and buns to come, this big pot of chili will successfully feed a crowd – maybe even with leftovers!