I don't have anything relevant to say, but I did make a slammin' batch of chili for dinner. I just thought I'd post my recipe and a picture. Oh, by the way, about those "Commence Blogging" titles I've been using... I'm not a weirdo, that's just what I'll use when I can't think of a good title, which is a lot. It's also sort of an inside joke. Moving on...

Here's my recipe for an awesome standard chili. Just so you know, this recipe is for a huge batch of chili. Just cut the ingredients in half for a normal sized batch. I make it in large batches so if my husband is hungry and I'm not around... he can just grab some chili. It's also nice to have when we have to pack a quick lunch for work. Another thing... I don't measure my ingredients so I'm guesstimating the amounts.

CHILI

Ingredients:

4 lbs. Ground beef
2 15.5 oz. Cans red kidney beans
2 6 oz. Cans tomato paste
6-8 Fresh roma tomatoes
1/2 Yellow onion
1 Green pepper
1 Red pepper
4 Garlic cloves
2 tbs. Olive oil
4 c. Water

Spices:

1 tsp. Red pepper flakes
1 tsp. Oregano
1 tsp. Black pepper
2 tsp. Salt
2 1/2 tsp. Ground cumin
1/2 c. Chili powder

Optional:

Mild cheddar cheese (shredded)

Preparations:

Ready a medium sized bowl to hold veggies and a small bowl for spices.

Dice yellow onion and toss into medium bowl. Cut green and red peppers in half, clean out the insides, cut into strips longways and then cut strips into thirds. Toss into medium bowl. (Be sure to wash veggies before preparing and don't feel obligated to use only a red and green pepper. Use whatever colors you want!) Either mince garlic or cut into thin slices. Add to medium bowl. Cut roma tomatoes into thick slices and then quarter the slices. Add to medium bowl.

Measure all spices into small bowl. Adjust the seasoning to your taste. I prefer a mild chili so if you like a little more heat add more red pepper flakes.

Open cans of kidney beans (drain kidney beans) and tomato paste so they're ready to be emptied.

Cook:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and then add ground beef. Cook ground beef until brown all the way through. Drain excess fat. Add vegetables, kidney beans, tomato paste, water and spices. Stir to mix and simmer for about an hour.

Serve hot and mix in some shredded mild cheddar cheese!

Simple right?