Chili

I ALWAYS get asked how to make chili...it's so easy! However, every time I make it it's a little different because I don't measure and if I have something different in my kitchen at the time, I'll add it!

You start out with your base meat (ground beef, ground pork, ground venison, Italian sausage, bacon, etc.), tomato sauce, chopped tomatoes and a couple of cans of water. Then add all kinds of dried ingredients. I think dried ingredients in soups and stews adds a lot more flavor than fresh ingredients. In the picture above it looks like I have a ton of seasonings, and I do... I wanted to illustrate that you really have to flavor chili. Now this is a big pot of chili, that is why there are larger portions of seasonings. But in there you will find your basic chili seasonings, chili powder, cayenne pepper, ground red pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, onion flakes, salt, pepper and I think I have some oregano and thyme as well. Then you can change it up to whatever you want. I had a ton of green bell peppers from the garden, so I chopped them up with some white onions, sauteed them until they were translucent and added them to the pot. You'll want to simmer this on low for a few hours.

And remember, it's ALWAYS better the next day!