Homemade Chili

Tonight's Dinner: Homemade Chili with Cornbread Muffins.

Being the rebel I am, I hate using traditional recipes, so many of my dishes are "dump and cook" based on whatever ingredients I have on hand. This can result in a very good meal. It can also result in tragic meals. However, I tend to have quite a bit of success with this method. The main problem with cooking like this is that when I have a success, I often can not replicate the dish later. My own sad example of this - two weeks ago I made a delicious white chicken chili. Jim raved for days. And for the life of me, I can't remember how I made it! To solve this problem, I will start blogging my "successful" recipes to share - and reuse at a later date!

I love homemade chili. Growing up, Mom would make big vats of chili and stews in the winter, and we would eat on them for days at a time. Jim used to love chili... until his evil gallbladder started acting up. So when I sat out to try my hand at homemade chili today, I tried to make it as mild as possible. I think this chili would work out well for very picky eaters. And guess what - it can be made in your crock pot!

Daja's Homemade Chili
- 3 cans of beans, drained and rinsed (I used 1 can Great Northern Beans, 2 cans Chili Beans)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 12oz can tomato paste
- 1 12oz can tomato sauce
- 2 cups broth (I used 1 cup leftover beef broth, 2/3 cup leftover chicken broth, and 1/3 cup apple juice because I ran out of broth)
- 1 T Italian seasoning
- 1 med onion (I used 1 tsp onion powder instead... Jim's gallbladder can not tolerate onions either)

Step 1 - Brown ground beef in skillet over med-hi heat. I used 1 T flavored olive oil to brown the meat. Drain meat and place in crock pot.
Step 2 - Add all other ingredients. Stir if you are feeling particularly culinary.
Step 3 - Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. Stir occasionally.

If you wish, spice it up by adding sliced jalapenos, chili powder, or my personal favorite - red pepper flakes.

Serve with warm buttered cornbread muffins. Yum!