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Sometimes The Simplest Dish Is Everyone's Favorite

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Chili can be taken in so many directions, especially with this recipe. Try garnishing it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips or fresh onions or all five.

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By LYNN KESSEL

Tribune Correspondent

Published: January 7, 2009

Updated: 01/07/2009 07:19 am

I hope your holidays were as pleasant as mine were this year. We had family guests come and go over several days, with nary a peep of discord or hurled object. There may have been some light poking, but overall the atmosphere was just plain fun and relaxing.

Twenty minutes after Mom and our teenage nephew Bill were out the door and on their way home to Orlando on Christmas day, my brother, Dan, and his wife, Polly, arrived from West Palm Beach County.

It was a real treat to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner with one part of the family and then Christmas Day dinner with another.

So I could spend more time with everyone this year, I did as much baking and cooking in advance as possible. I'm just not one to plan menus as my company pulls into the driveway.

There was a time when last-minute preparation was my modus operandi. Nowadays, my practice is to keep a cool disposition, a well-stocked refrigerator and enough stashed libations to float a houseboat.

I felt a desire to scale back this year on my usual choreographed Christmas Eve munchies, which traditionally includes scores of cookies, salmon spread, cheeses, salami, olive tray and half a dozen kinds of crackers. I also hoped for leftovers to fill in double-duty for lunches and dinner. Another factor - probably the most daunting - was trying to satisfy a 6-foot-tall, slightly picky 15-year-old who's always got his head in the fridge.

A slow cooker filled with white chili welcomed our first houseguests. It seemed to be the perfect solution to fit the bill - and Billy - perfectly. He loved the stuff and easily wolfed down seconds.

White chili has white beans and chicken but no tomatoes. It has a robust flavor and packs a little heat. I top it with a combo of sour cream, cilantro or freshly grated cheese. If I feel particularly adventurous, I use all three, plus some diced onions and additional peppers.

To go along with the chili, I made guacamole and homemade salsa as dips for my favorite, freshly baked tortilla chips. For dessert, I scaled back to five kinds of cookies.

Christmas dinner was equally easy: a stuffed herb pork roast, wild rice sausage casserole and homemade cranberry sauce. Made ahead, the casserole and cranberry sauce sat in the fridge, ready to be served. The only last-minute cooking left to do was fresh green beans and a yellow squash casserole.

Plenty of food and plenty of choices ... but it was definitely the chili that scored big. Polly said she could have licked the bowl - and she may have while none of us were looking.

WHITE CHILI

3 15-ounce cans Great Northern beans (cannellini), drained

8 ounces cooked and shredded chicken breasts

1 cup chopped onions

11/2 cups yellow, red or green bell peppers, chopped

1 Serrano or jalapeno chili pepper, seeded and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

31/2 cups chicken broth

Sour cream

Shredded cheddar cheese

Cilantro leaves

Tortilla chips

Combine all ingredients except sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro and chips in a slow cooker. Cook covered on low heat 8 to 10 hours, or high heat 4 to 5 hours. Top each individual serving with sour cream, cheddar cheese, cilantro or chips, as desired.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin, FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore .tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and sugges

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