Haystacks

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 1/4 cups water
1 can (8 oz.) tomato sauce
1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 package (11 1/2 oz) corn chips
Assorted garnishes: sour cream, grated Monterey jack or Cheddar cheese, sliced ripes olives, diced green pepper
In large skillet cook together ground beef, onion, and garlic until beef loses its color and onion is soft; drain off excess fat. Add remaining ingredients except corn chips; cover and simmer 20 minutes. Serve over corn chips with any desired garnishes.

From: Managing Your Meals by Winifred Jardine

Now this is a tragic tale.

I love these Haystacks. I don’t know which is better — those cheesy, Frito-y first bites, or knowing that I have a kettle full of this stuff to eat all week.

On the night I made them, I wanted to be smart and let the sauce cool off before storing it the fridge. Then . . .

I wandered into the kitchen at 11:00 that night and found that kettle still cooling. It was bye-bye Haystacks. So sad.

So I made it again a few days later. It was worth it.