Chili

It's a cold and snowy night, which means it's perfect for chili and cornbread! It seems like every time I make chili, I use a new recipe. Some are good, some are great, and some are pretty damn worthless. But this one, is delicious! It's easy, quick, very chunky, spicy and pretty much perfect.

I did make a few changes, as per the suggestions of fellow readers on Allrecipes, and added 2 links of pepper/onion pork sausage. My changes are noted below. The chili starts off pretty thick, so it's great for a weeknight when you only have a few hours, vs. an entire day to let the chili thicken up. We served it with a side of cornbread, of course! And that recipe is also below.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (I used 1 lb ground beef, and 1/2 lb pepper/onion sausage)
  
• 1 (23 fluid ounce) can tomato juice (I used 23oz tomato sauce)
  
• 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce (I used a 15oz can of diced tomatoes, drained)
  
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
  
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
  
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
  
• 1/4 cup chili powder
  
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
  
• 1 teaspoon salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
  
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
  
• 2 cups canned red beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
  

Directions

1. Place ground beef & sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and put back in pan.
2. Add all ingredients to a large kettle. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.