Chili Mac

"Jimmy, Jimmy, oh Jimmy Mack, when are you com in' back?
My arms are missing you, my lips feel the same way too..."

Jimmy Mack was a catchy little Motown tune, recorded by Martha and the Vandellas in the late 1960's.

Chili Mac was a Betty Crocker Hamburger Helper flavor introduced in the early 1970's.

When I think about Chili Mac, the song Jimmy Mack always gets stuck in my head. Always.

Newsflash: Chili Mac Hamburger Helper has been discontinued! 

Well, maybe it's a coincidence but...

"Chili, Chili, oh Chili Mac, when are you comin' back?
My arms are missing you, my lips feel the same way too..."

It is these moments that make us ponder. "Am I psychic?" "Did I unknowingly predict the demise of Chili Mac Hamburger Helper decades in advance?" And, "Chili Mac will you be comin' back?"

Hamburger Helper was a staple in my household in the 70's when I was a working Mom raising two kids. It was a much simpler time. Scratch cooking was being replaced by convenience products that allowed us to get home from work and still get dinner on the table before bedtime. No one thought much about additives, preservatives, and artificial ingredients. These meals were easy, fast, and many of them actually tasted good, including chili mac.

Fast forward forty years when I have all the time in the world to get dinner on the table. I still like a comfort food classic like chili mac now and again. A pretty jar of curly pasta on my kitchen counter this week brought back memories of chili mac and, I had to have it. Immediately the song Jimmy Mack came into my head and is stuck there still, four days later.

I am not inclined to grab boxed "dinners" off the shelf in the grocery store these days but I knew the recipe for chili mac could not be too complicated, minus the ingredients I can't pronounce.  I gave it a shot, winging it all the way, and ended up with a tasty version of chili mac.

It was still good warmed up for lunch yesterday!

Give it a try, but consider yourself warned, that song will get stuck in your head.

Chili Mac

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Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup chopped onion
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 8 ounces macaroni
• ▢ 1 small can (8 ounces tomato sauce)
• ▢ ½ cup tomato Catsup
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 1 TBS chili powder (more if you like it spicy)
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ▢ Sliced scallions and sour cream for garnish

Instructions

• In a large skillet, brown onion in olive oil until just translucent. Add the ground beef and continue to cook until browned and crumbly. Add macaroni to boiling salted water and cook to al dente' stage, then drain. To the ground beef add tomato sauce, catsup, water, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese; cover and continue to heat until cheese is melted.
• Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of finely sliced scallions.