Chili Recipe

Damn!!!  I just wrote a lengthy blog about some cards I made for my nephew's Italian in-laws and just when I was ready to put the final touches on it before posting it, it disappeared!  GRRRRRRR!!!!
I'm not about to repeat the post today but will try again in the near future.

Instead, I'm going to post a picture of my Chili and the recipe.

Sorry in advance for the poor measurements - I never measure when making it.  My rule of thumb is that if it is a seasoning I like, I add more of it and if I'm not sure, I use caution (you can always add more, but it is almost impossible to reduce the amount added - ask me how I know)

Chili
1.5 lb. extra lean ground beef
1 small can red kidney beans (I will also add a can of white kidney beans when I'm making a larger batch of chili)
1 can brown beans
1 small can diced tomatoes
1 small green pepper (I will often add red, yellow and/or orange peppers for added colour)
small onion (I used about a tbsp. of onion flakes as I don't really like onions and didn't have one on hand)
2 slices cooked and crumbled bacon (optional)
1 tsp. crushed garlic (I like garlic so my tsp. was heaping)
chili powder (I used probably about 2 tsp. of a mild chili powder)
a smidgeon of salt
about 1/2 tsp. each of Cajun seasoning and Italian seasoning
about 1/4 tsp. black pepper
hot sauce to taste

Brown the ground beef in a skillet with the onion and about 1/2 of the seasonings (if you are using a fattier ground beef, you may want to skip adding seasonings to the beef as it will mostly drain off with the fat).  In a large saucepan, mix the beans, tomatoes, green peppers. bacon and ground beef.   Add some more seasoning and let it simmer for a bit to meld the flavours.  Taste and add more seasonings and hot sauce as desired letting it simmer a bit between additions.

Serve with toast slices or buns and enjoy.

makes about 4 good sized servings.