Christmas Chili

Cooking chili heats things up when it's chilly outside. My mom's (no beans) chili recipe was given to me over the phone without any exact measurements -- it's all instinct. The "recipe" includes four different types of chiles (listed in order below):

1. Habanero - hot
2. Jalapeno - mild to hot
3. Anaheim - very mild
4. Serrano - hot

Chilis are fascinating to me -- their variety in size, shape, heat and taste -- and the fact that they taste delicious in a meat dish as well as dark chocolate. The other ingredients in this chili include stew meat which is seasoned with salt and pepper, tenderized, and coated with flour. The meat is browned in olive oil with garlic and onions (ANY good recipe begins with garlic and onions) and a little red bell pepper. Stewed tomatoes are added and as many of each variety of chiles, diced very finely, to create the temperature of your own liking. The ingredients altogether are cooked long and slow in a covered pot. The chili is best served in a warm tortilla with a sprinkling of cheese. (If you get the temperature right, you'll need the cheese).

Sorry no exact measurements given -- the chiles are my guide. And very tasty at that!