Sweet Potato Skyline Beef Chili

Somehow, in the midst of planning a wedding, getting married, changing my name, training/running a marathon, etc. I've become increasingly "busy" feeling. Busy enough that it felt like I had so much to do post-wedding that I couldn't even return to a full-time work schedule — something I realize is entirely silly. If I had a "real" job, working for someone else with hours I was expected to be in a certain place, I would have gone back to work almost immediately.

So, in recognizing my silly "busy" feeling, I've been slowly simplifying my life. Kind of. I'm using an editorial calendar more — planning what I'll cook, photograph, blog about, etc. I'm also really trying to cut back on wasted time, particularly in my email and feed reader — a task NOT easy to do.

I've been subscribed to many a wedding blog, for the last few years even, and while I still thoroughly enjoy looking at beautiful wedding pictures, I realize I am scrolling extra-fast and probably don't need to be subscribed anymore. It's taken about two weeks to actually DO something about it (it's hard to let go!), but I finally unsubscribed from the wedding blogs I follow. Sad, sad day! It will be a time saver, though, to not spend my time scrolling past long, photo-rich posts.

The other thing I've been tackling are emails: in my migration to a new email address, I've been cracking down on extraneous messages. Things from companies I probably once bought a product from, or a newsletter I thought might be interesting but I never actually read: I'm unsubscribing. This, I fear, will be a LONG process. I generally check my email on my phone before getting out of bed, at which point I just delete, delete, delete. Unsubscribing means I have to open, scroll down, click "unsubscribe" and then follow any silly instructions they have (sometimes they make it very hard!). So, I've been doing a few each day. Hopefully, in a few weeks, my email load will be significantly less!

In the spirit of change, I bring you this chili. It's based on our favorite, Skyline chili, but with some veggies thrown in. I love making Skyline chili, but always feel like I need to eat a lot of vegetables afterwards — so I thought, "Why not combine the two?" Ta-da! Our dinners are turning more soup-inspired these days, with the cooling weather, so get your soup-pants on!

Despite the pictures, we ate this chili over pasta (as you do with Skyline chili!) — seriously, do it. If you've never put chili (particularly THIS chili) over pasta, you'll be blown away. And don't forget the cheddar (TONS AND TONS OF CHEDDAR). This is method #231 for how we eat 5 pounds of cheese each week in this house. You think I'm joking... I'm really not.

Sweet Potato Skyline Beef Chili

★★★★★ 5 from 1 reviews

• Author: by Mary
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 6-8 1x

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 lbs ground beef
• 2-3 large sweet potatos, scrubbed and cubed
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp salt
• 4-6 cups of water
• 29 oz can of crushed tomatoes
• 2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar
• 8 drops of Tabasco Sauce
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
• pasta and grated cheddar cheese for serving

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Instructions

1. In a large heavy soup pot over medium heat, combine the onion, garlic, and beef. Cook, stirring frequently, until the beef is browned.
2. Add the sweet potatoes, and all the spices, and cook for another minute, stirring well.
3. Add 4 cups of water, the tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, Tabasco, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer.
4. Allow the chili to cook for at least one hour, and up to three for more flavor. Add water as needed.
5. Ten minutes before serving, stir in the black beans and cook to heat them through.
6. Serve over pasta, topped with cheddar cheese.

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