Well I didn't make much this weekend- it was our annual college footbal rivalry, so there wasn't much I did other than drink beer...

I did make a huge pot of chili though- something that is really easy to make and will keep you fed for a long time (if you don't mind eating chili lunch and dinner for a week..though you can freeze it if you want).

Its pretty easy to make too- so I will list out a basic chili receipe that I use. I also add some other ingredients like using steak I chop up instead of hamburger meat, chipotle chili w/ adobo sauce and other dried chilis, but I will stick to the basic receipe, which is easy and tastes just as good!

By the way- this tastes best when cooked in your crock pot! You can make this in a large pot on the stove, and just let it heat up, but it tastes better when cooked slowly for hours and hours!

Easy Homemade Chili:

Ingredients:

3 lbs ground beef (browned and drained)

4 tsp cumin

12 tsp chili powder

2 Tbl Sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp cracked pepper

4 tsp Oregano

4 tsp Parsley flakes

2 cans red kidney beans (rinsed)

2 cans tomato paste (those small cans - 6 oz?)

1 medium onion- cut up

2 tsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

2 cans low sodium beef broth (it is easier to add salt later than to have it too salty at first)

1 chipotle chili (optional) in adobo sauce

Some corn or tortilla chips (in case the chili is too watery, crush some up and add them- they will thicken the sauce and add some salt to the mix)

Steps:

1) Brown beef, drain

2) "sweat" onions and galic w/ olive oil for 10 mins or until onions become translucent (clear)- this just means cookin in a pan over low heat.

3) (Optional step) blend the onions, garlic, and chipolte chili until mixture is smooth. If you do not have a blender make sure you chop these up fine.

2) Rinse Kidney beans

3) add all ingredients into a large pot, or preferably a crock pot. Stir to mix.

4) Cook over medium low heat until hot.

5) If chili is too watery add crushed up corn chips as needed. They will dissolve and thicken the mix.

Thats it!

Personally I think it does taste better slow cooked for hours and hours in the crock pot. But technically the chili is done as soon as it is warm as the meat was already browned!

Optional: Use chuck steak instead of hamburger meat and cut into small cubes about 1 cm.

Enjoy!