When it's chilly out ...

I'm tolerating the weekend's cold snap by turning to the comforts of wintertime sustenance. After having an afternoon mug of hot cocoa, I used the last of the chili fixin's in the pantry for a stick-to-your-ribs supper.

This dish is slightly more complicated than the other convenience-food meals I've blogged about. I'm particular about enhancing the flavor of everyday ground chuck by adding salt and a little chopped onion while it browns in the pan. After that, most of it's as easy as Mrs. Smith's pie.

• After draining the grease off the cooked meat, add a can of chili beans. Although HOT is pictured here, I prefer MILD. I typically use Bush's, but the brand is unimportant.
• Tabasco Home Style Chili Starter is a bit chunkier than I like, so I throw it in the blender and run it for 20 seconds or so, then combine it with the other ingredients.
• Like Uncle Hugh's Gorilla Beans, I fix this in a cast iron skillet for effect, but any old pot or pan will do.
• Oops, there is one obstacle to this dish that I almost forgot: Tabasco has evidently created the toughest jar seal known to womankind. I always end up getting a man to open the thing for me.