Redemption

For the record, I confess: I am evil. As I type, I am listening to the sounds of anguish from my kids' bedrooms. Their shameless, wicked mother has ordered them to tidy up their rooms. I know: cruel AND unusual. I even threw out the "Grandma is coming to stay, and she will weep in dismay if she sees the state of your rooms" card. I know, pulling out all the stops. Because there is no point in being half-evil, I then went beyond the point of no return and threatened removal of privileges and loss of allowance.

The thing is, I have no shame, because I feel that I will redeem myself later in the form of dinner. They may be reduced to slave labor and pitiful wails of "But it's my personal space!", but at least they will be well fed as they bemoan their fate at my hands.

As you can tell, it's another top notch afternoon of teenager-dom in our house. But, there is redemption in sight tonight (and I can smell it, as well as see it), in the form of a fabulous chili recipe, which I will now share, so that you too can bask in the glow of your own personal redemptions, at least for five minutes, until dishes are scraped clean and you try and persuade your tablemates to have a shower/go to bed/finish their homework/pick up the wet towel they left in the hallway yesterday/stop slapping their brother.... (choose as appropriate for your own personal demons).

And as redemption goes, this one is a doozy - sure you get me at least 5 minutes (dare I say it, possibly 6) of love and appreciation. It comes from a Pampered Chef book called 'It's good for you'. My suspicion is that this simply means that it is less bad for you than some of the whipped-topping creations elsewhere in their books. Nevertheless, it isn't awfully bad for you either, given the selection of ingredients. Of course, the Farrars then go to town with the toppings, which rather changes the nutritional profile, but I'm assuming that where sour cream and cheese are concerned, they may learn moderation at some point in their lives (hmmm, given their parents' affection for dairy products, possibly not).

Oven Barbecue Chili
Serves 8

2 lbs boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1/2"-1" chunks
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups coarsely chopped onions
2 cups diced green bell pepper
2 15 oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (8oz) tomato sauce (called passata in UK)
3/4 cup smoky barbecue sauce
2 TBSP cider vinegar
2 TBSP chili powder
Toppings: sour cream, shredded sharp cheddar, chopped green onions, diced avocado, chopped firm tomatoes...

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Place all ingredients (except for toppings) in a large dutch oven, or stoneware baking dish with a lid.
3. Bake covered for 2 1/2 hours, or until meat is tender.
4. Serve with toppings.