I was a little hesitant to post a chili recipe. Chili, it seems, can be rather personal to some people. Some believe in chili with all beef and no beans, others prefer vegetarian. There are those who pride themselves in their 30-item list of spices and other “secret ingredients”, others are content to pop open a can of Hormel and call it a day. Personally, I haven’t yet committed to any one way to enjoy chili. I’m still open to trying new recipes and discovering new approaches that I like. Since January is a popular time to simmer a pot of chili, with the colder weather and football championships and all, I thought I’d go ahead and share an “on-the-side” recipe.

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On a Friday night a few weeks ago, five friends and I put on some makeup (for a change), kissed our husbands and babies goodnight and went out for a relaxing and enjoyable girls night dinner. With wine! Although we’ve gotten together almost every week for the past year it was actually the first time we’d met up without the kiddies. I can’t believe we didn’t think of doing this sooner – it was so nice to finally sit down and catch up in relative peace.

When it came time to order, all six of us each ordered steak. One friend and I had the steak frites (because I find it impossible to bypass menu items that come with fries) while the rest ordered steak salads. I definitely felt a tinge of guilt over this. But not enough to change my order.

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