My Infamous Chili

Once upon a time there was a boy named Dave. Upon the arrival of his birthday.. his WONDERFUL girlfriend asked him what dish he wanted her to cook for him. He said, "Chili".
Having never made chili before, the wonderful girlfriend winged it... and the outcome? THE BEST CHILI EVER!

So here we go..

Ingredients

Ground beef
Onions
Carrots
Celery
Green, Red, Yellow, Orange Bell Peppers
Kidney Beans
Plum Tomatoes in a can
Old El Paso sachets of Taco and Chili seasoning
Cayenne Pepper
Chili Powder
Cumin
Garlic
Chicken Bouillon Cube
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Olive Oil
Butter

I didn't put quantities because it all depends on how much you want to make.

For one large tray of ground beef, I would:

1. In a LARGE pot sweat 3 cloves of garlic, 5 large onions, 5 carrots, 5 stalks of celery, 2 red/green/yellow/and orange peppers (all chopped into 1/2 inch pieces) in a bit of oil and butter for about 5 to 10 minutes.

2. Add the two sachets of Old El Paso seasoning, a teaspoon of cayenne, a tablespoon of chili powder, two tablespoons on paprika, a teaspoon of cumin, and the bouillon cube.

3. While that is cooking away.. brown your beef. In a large (very hot) skillet, break up your ground beef and season it with salt and pepper. Let it brown and crust up a bit before you stir it. Don't cook it thoroughly... only until it is seared and brown. Stir into to your veggies. You may have to brown your beef in small batches.

4. Add the canned plum tomatoes.. crushing them with your hand (or you can chop them up a bit with a knife) as you add them in. Add all the liquid too and make sure the chili is almost completely covered. Stir everything thoroughly.

5. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 45 mins. At the half hour mark you can taste the chili and adjust the seasoning.

6. After 45 mins, strain and wash the kidney beans and add those to the pot. Stir thoroughly and cook for 15mins.

If you're added too much spice.. you can always add a few peeled potatoes and that should absorb some of the spice. Make sure to remove the potatoes before you serve the chili.

And voila!

Easy-peasy homemade chili!

I usually serve it with sour cream, cheddar cheese, and homemade guacamole.

Enjoy!