Mrs. Hauser's Chili

For the weekend Mrs. Hauser, our cook, left us a large pot of chili for supper. You could tell her mood by how hot the chili was. We knew she didn't like to lose at bingo, drank a lot, had man trouble and sometimes just woke up in a bad mood. A couple of the engineering students tried to correlate the specific event to the heat factor with little success. There were several times when even a six pack of beer or a couple shots of whiskey weren't enough to neutralize the searing heat. It was beyond tongue burning. We never knew which of her moods she was in and drew straws to determine who would sample her latest batch. All eyes would watch as the unlucky sampler dipped a spoon into the pot, held the spoon to his nose, then gingerly touched the spoon with the tip of his tongue. Sometimes there was a delayed reaction before the gasps, tears and the gulping of water. All of which brought laughter and a cold beer to the unlucky taster. Even now when I think about those evenings I still feel my tongue on fire and the tears rolling down my face.

This is how I remember the recipe.

1 Onion diced 1 Clove garlic 1 Tablespoon of fat 2 cups canned tomato 1 pound hamburg ½ cups canned red kidney beans ½ teaspoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt

Saute onions in fat until browned: add tomatoes, meat, beans, seasonings; cover and simmer 20 minutes adding water if dry.