Homemade Chili Fake Out Secrets

What do you do when you just walked in the door, it's already passed dinner time and you haven't even thought about what to put on the table? You do a fake out meal! I seriously love cooking homemade dishes, especially because nothing compares to the taste of a delicious warn homemade dinner. So I was surprised to find out my five minute "fake out" chili tasted better than my all day long simmering homemade chili, which used all fresh ingredients. When I say this chili takes the cake, I am humbly saying so, since I proudly serve my homemade chili hoping it would certainly be better than my fake out meal! But it's true, my homemade chili compared to the fake out chili is a tough call with them winner being the fake out.

So how do you make the five minute fake out chili dinner you ask? Very simply! Go to your grocery store and buy a 15 oz. can of Bush's Homestyle Chili - no beans. This is pretty much chili with all the seasonings and meat, minus the beans. Next, pick up your favorite 14-16 oz. can of beans, whether it be kidney or another bean that you enjoy in your homemade chili; I like pink beans personally. Get an 8-15 oz. can of mexi-corn or fiesta corn, which is the corn that has the diced peppers in it and has a good flavor that enhances the chili. Grab a container of sour cream and and a bag of your favorite shredded cheese, and you have the makings for one delicious homemade tasting chili.

Now, obviously if your running late, grabbing all these items at the grocery store will set you back. Try to keep a few of the canned goods mentioned above on hand so you can throw it together when you actually have nothing planned and are frazzled wondering how to get anything but peanut butter and jelly together for dinner. And yes, in case you are wondering, I have resorted to PB&J sandwiches in the past for dinner!

Your next step is to take out a medium sauce pot and empty the contents of the Bush's Homestyle chili into it. Turn the burner on so that while your slaving over opening the can of beans(note: sarcasm), your homemade tasting chili is already on it's way to piping hot. Empty the whole can of beans into the chili and stir. While it's getting hotter, and the amazing aroma of homemade chili engulfs your kitchen, open up the can of mexi corn (also know as fiesta corn). You may only need a half of a can of the corn, depending on your own preference. By the time you stir that in you can turn your burner to medium/low for just enough time to set the table and get the drinks. Once your homemade chili fake out is heated through, serve it into bowls and dress it with shredded cheese and a dollop of sour cream!

You will be pleasantly surprised at how amazingly delicious this chili is. No lie, from start to finish it takes about five minutes! The clean up is easy since you didn't have to brown and season the meat, dice the onions and peppers, or soak the beans. So clean up is almost as easy as the meal, which is certainly a winner all the way around.

I really don't like canned foods, to me you can usually taste "can" in whatever your eating, but not so with Bush's Homestyle Chili. I was skeptical at first, and actually didn't put the meal together until the can was sitting in my pantry for quite some time. I always have beans and fiesta corn on hand, and almost always have a tub of sour cream and a bag of shredded cheese in my refrigerator. If your new to fiesta corn, it's a great item to add to salads, creamy pasta dishes, and so many more foods, so it's a good idea to have a few cans in the pantry. I am so glad I didn't settle for another peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This chili was warm and satisfying and tasted every bit, if not better, than homemade! And that's what makes it a fake out dinner secret!

For an added Holiday and entertaining secret, this is also a great idea when entertaining too. Just put out a bowl of large corn tortilla chips and use the chili as a "dip" Your guest will think you spent all day preparing the chili when it was ready in no time flat!

Enjoy!