A Great Big Pot of Delicious Chili

My friend, Heather, gave me the recipe for her chili.  I have never made a beef chili, so I wanted a tried-and-true recipe.  Sure enough, hers fit the bill!  My family loved it.  I made it a bit too spicy.  The chili powder I get from my local fruit market is much spicier than the average Lawry’s chili powder.  With my current chili powder, I usually use about half of the required amount.  I did that this time.  My husband and the older kids liked the amount of zing in the dish, but the younger ones asked me to reduce it a bit next time. 

I like this chili recipe because it is a classic, brown-dump-and simmer recipe.  What I find unique is the use of ALL of the canned goods ingredients.  You don’t drain any of them!!

The other thing I like about this recipe is that it makes a LARGE pot of chili.  I was able to use half for dinner one night and another half for leftovers the following night.  I love that!  I topped it with cheese and served it with tortilla chips and artisan bread (from Costco) the first night.  The second night I served the chili with cornbread and a good salad!

Try this recipe while it’s still winter.  I think you’ll like it.

 

Heather’s Chili

2lbs. Lean ground beef

1 onion chopped or 2 Tbsp onion powder

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp cumin

¼ cup chili powder

2 14.5oz cans of diced tomatoes w/either green chilies or jalapenos (pick your heat index)

3 16oz cans of beans (I use kidney, pinto, and black)

2 15.25oz cans of sweet corn

1 28oz can of crushed tomatoes

2-3 tsp of salt

Note: don’t discard any liquid from the canned goods, you need it all!

Cook: Brown meat and onions together, then dump the rest of it in, simmer for an hour or two. Garnish with your favorites like cheese, sour cream, avocado, tortilla chips, cilantro, etc…..

Going to a Potluck? Prepare chili, dump in crock pot, make a corn bread mixture and add extra milk (has to be runny). Pour over chili, cook on low for 4-5 hrs, and then you’ve got chili and corn bread!