The Chili Recipe

I'm moving my blog to this site and figured my much requested chili recipe would be appropriate for a first post.  This is one of my default pot-luck dishes, and was well received by Tiffinie's teens (always a good sign).  Also a huge thanks to Tiffinie Helmer for hosting the NaNo Party.

Slow Cookin' Chili

1) Dump into a slow cooker:

• 4 (15 oz.) cans of beans, drained (I usually use 1 can black beans, 1 can pinto beans, 1 can great northern beans and 1 can kidney beans.)
• 2 (8 oz.) cans of tomato sauce
• 1 (4 oz.) can of chopped green chiles (Having once driven through Hatch, NM at the end of chile-roasting season, I am prejudiced towards chiles from that part of the world.)
• 2 (14.5 oz.) cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes (I prefer Muir Glen.)
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 medium green pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 tablespoons chili powder (My favorite brand was Yahoo!, however I can't find it anywhere.  I have been successfully using Dawson's Wild Spice Classic Red Wild Chili Mix as a substitute, even though it's not actually a chili powder.)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups water

2) Cook on low for 8 hours.

3) Serve with tortilla chips, chopped green onions, sour cream or shredded cheese.

Note: For the meat lovers: I usually make southwestern inspired meatballs, bake them in the oven and add them during the last hour of cooking.  I'm still experimenting with the  recipe.  The most successful meatballs so far had a touch of sage and chunks of blue cheese.

Enjoy!

Another Note:  As this is usually a good pot-luck dish, but a pain to transport, I happily purchased a much needed Cook' N Carry Crock-Pot. Also happily, it was a bright and shiny red.  I only link to things if I actually use, and gleefully recommend the item.

Photo: The Tears of Joy store on 6th Street in Austin, TX taken during SXSW '09