Chili

While I do fix my chili year round, there is nothing quite as wonderful as a steaming bowl of chili on a cold winter day. It's taken my daughter a number of years to be able to tolerate the heat of my chili, but I suppose I've finally numbed her taste buds sufficiently because she no longer complains of it being "hot." lol I love this chili not only as just a bowl of chili, but it is a wonderful consistency to use for chili dogs or chili, chips, and cheese or Frito chili pie. You can use any type of peppers that you like, and I'm usually of the mind that the more the merrier.

2 lbs ground beef

3 15-ounce cans chili beans

3 15-ounce cans tomato sauce

2 packages Chili-O

Fresh peppers - jalapeno, Anaheim, cowhorn, cayenne, etc.

Chili seasoning, seasonall salt, cumin

I do all of the chili in the same pot. Brown the meat in your soup pot over medium-high. I season the ground beef with both seasonall salt and some chili powder.

Cut and de-seed the peppers while be meat is cooking. When there is only a bit of pink left in the meat, add the peppers. Please note, I use lean ground beef, so I do not drain the little bit of fat the remains. I believe that it adds great flavor back to the chili. If you are using a less lean meat selection, then you might want to drain at least some of the fat. Once the meat is fully cooked, add the Chili-O, chili beans, and tomato sauce. Add several dashes of cumin and additional chili powder. I do this to taste. The cumin adds a nice smoky flavor to the chili. 

Blend thoroughly and cook over medium-low heat for at least 20-30 minutes. If you have time to let it simmer longer, let it. The longer it simmers, the more the seasonings infuse the chili. Serve as desired!