Secret Ingredient

Not much going on here today.  While I was fixing some dinner (chili, since I've got your attention), I realized that like chili lots of recipes are very adaptable.  You can fix the same thing, in a variety of ways and still come out with a delicious end product.

Like chili.  My "not so secret ingredients" are finely chopped celery and a jar of my homemade salsa!  Today I used a classic staple used in chili, a can of pinto beans, as I always do, but in a brand I normally don't use.

But I probably should because they make a very good quality product!

Have you ever tried or even heard of Margaret Holmes products?  Let me tell you, they make a mean Italian green bean!!

But back to recipes and ingredients.  What I'm wondering is what makes your dishes special?

I also make cheesy corn bread cakes (box of jiffy cornbread mix prepared with some shredded cheese thrown in for good measure, fried in pancake party form in a skillet).  They are a great and easy addition when you don't want to make a whole pan of cornbread!

Hungry yet?

What's your secret ingredient?