Chili

Chili has gotten a bad rap through the years. To many deli lines seem to fill their vats with a tomato-bean goop during the winter time. Well gosh darn it, can't someone make a good pot of chili? As it turns out, I've found a recipe that has topped my old standby, the Better Homes and Garden chili... I don't recall where I ended up getting the recipe (sorry creators), but it is excellent. One thing to note: its home-made, from scratch so prepare for a long ingredients list. Here goes:

Ingredients:

1. 2 lbs ground beef chuck
2. 1 lb Italian sausage (not in casings)
3. 3 (15 oz) cans of chili beans, drained
4. 1 (15 oz) can of chili beans in spicy sauce
5. 2 (28 oz) can diced tomatoes in their juice
6. 1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
7. 1 large yellow onion
8. 3 stalks of celery, chopped
9. 1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
10. 1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
11. 2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
12. 1 strip of cooked bacon (or 1 Tbs bacon bits)
13. 4 cubes beef bullion
14. 1/2 cup beef (use something good here)
15. 1/4 cup chili powder
16. 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce (easier written than said)
17. 1 Tbs minced garlic (3-4 fresh cloves)
18. 1 Tbs dried oregano
19. 2 tsp ground cumin
20. 2 tsp hot pepper sauce (Tabasco for example)
21. 1 tsp dried basil
22. 1 tsp salt
23. 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
24. 1 tsp cayenne pepper
25. 1 tsp paprika
26. 1 tsp white sugar

Directions:

1. Heat a LARGE stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan. Cook until evenly browned. Drain off any excess fat (makes the recipe healthier...).
2. Throw in the rest. I could spell it out for you, but I won't bother. Let it simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring every so often.
   
3. After 2 hours, taste and adjust the salt, pepper and chili powder if you feel like it. The longer it cooks the better. Even better, make it ahead, take it off the stove, refrigerate over night and serve the next day... it will be amazing.
   
4. Serve with cheese and Fritos on top.

Recipe says it makes enough for 10, but those would have to be pretty big people. Cut the recipe in half or save it for a big party.