Chili Cheese Cups — The Recipe They Asked For, Made Party-Ready

Christmas week. The plant shuts down Friday. The last shift is the same giddy, sloppy affair as last year — food in the break room, music on speakers, the industrial-strength Christmas spirit that comes from knowing you will not see this building for eleven days. Jerome brought Miss Doris's pound cake again. I brought chili. My chili. In a Crockpot. To the plant. I served it to my coworkers, and they ate it, and nobody died, and three people asked for the recipe. I gave it to them. The recipe is: ground beef, canned tomatoes, kidney beans, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin. It is not a complicated recipe. But it is mine, and people wanted it, and that matters. Christmas Eve at the duplex. Same traditions, same food, same family. The addition this year is Zaria, three months old, who slept through the entire evening in Mama's arms, undisturbed by the noise and the laughter and Marc's volume, which is always set to maximum. Aiden was vibrating with Christmas energy — he understood presents this year, understood Santa (mostly — he told Marc that Santa was "a big man who gives you stuff for free," which is theologically inaccurate but economically correct), and understood that tomorrow morning something wonderful was going to happen. I gave Dad a new recliner handle. His current recliner's handle broke, and he has been using pliers to recline for three months because he refuses to buy a new chair. The handle cost twelve dollars. It is the most practical gift I have ever given. He installed it in five minutes and reclined with the satisfaction of a king ascending a throne. Mama said, "Now maybe he will never get up." She was not wrong. The recliner is Dad's natural habitat. The handle merely removed the last barrier between him and permanent recumbency. The ham was perfect. The mac and cheese was perfect. Marc ate three plates. Keisha drank wine. Darius and Tanya announced they were trying for a baby, which sent Mama into a orbit of grandmotherly joy so intense that I could feel the gravitational pull from across the room. Two grandchildren and another on the way (in theory). Mama is building an empire, one grandbaby at a time. We drove home late. Aiden asleep. Zaria asleep. The city lit up. Brianna's hand in mine. The same drive as last year, but more. More people in the car. More weight in the trunk (presents). More love. More exhaustion. More everything.

Three people asked for my chili recipe at the plant, and I gave it to them straight — no secrets, no fuss. But when Christmas Eve rolled around and I needed something that could hold its own next to Mama’s ham and that mac and cheese, I took that same simple chili and turned it into these chili cheese cups. Same flavors, same soul, just dressed up enough for the holiday table. They disappeared before Marc could get to his fourth plate of anything.

Chili Cheese Cups

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 12 cups

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 package (16.3 oz) refrigerated biscuit dough (8 count)
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
• Sour cream, for topping (optional)
• Sliced green onions, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. Cook the chili filling. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion, breaking the meat into small crumbles, about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
3. Season and simmer. Stir in the diced tomatoes, kidney beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has cooked off. Remove from heat.
4. Prep the biscuit cups. Separate the biscuits and cut each one in half. Press each half into the bottom and up the sides of a muffin cup to form a little bowl.
5. Fill and top. Spoon the chili filling evenly into each biscuit cup. Top each with a generous pinch of shredded cheddar cheese.
6. Bake. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes, until the biscuit edges are golden brown and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
7. Serve. Let cool in the tin for 3 minutes, then remove carefully. Top with sour cream and sliced green onions if desired. Serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 265 | Protein: 14g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 22g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 580mg