Chili Cook Off!!!

I love to eat! Anyone who knows me... knows this about me. I can out eat a lot of my guy friends, which for a skinny minny like me is a rather large accomplishment! Anyhow... so there I was... minding my own business in Relief Society and on of the announcements for that Sunday was that there was going to be a Chili Cook Off. Without thinking twice I added my name to the already hearty list of cookers.

So this morning I sauteed the onions and bell peppers, browned the hamburger and mixed in the vast array of ingredients to the crock-pot. I am so excited for this cook off just so I can taste my own chili. My tiny one bedroom apartment reaks of chili goodness!

My chili is sooo stinkin easy to make and painless, since you just throw it in the crock-pot.

Dani's Chili

1.5 lb. ground beef

2 (12.5 oz) cans of roast beef from Costco

2 (15 oz) cans of tomato sauce

1 (15 oz) can of each drk red kidney beans

pinto beans and lght kidney beans

2 pckg McCormick Chili Seasonings

1 large onion, chopped and sauteed

1 bell pepper, red, yellow or orange (chopped)

1 tsp liquid smoke hickory flavor

2 c. shredded cheddar cheese

Brown the meat and add some seasonings to my taste, chili powder and mrs dash 'table blend' or BBQ seasonings.

Add everything to crock-pot once browned, do not drain hamburger. Add in drained canned roast beef. Mix well in crock-pot.

Mean while saute onions and bell peppers, I add a little hot sauce to heat up the flavor, do not saute in oil... just keep a close eye on it. Just before the onions get to be a little transparent and flimsy place in crock-pot.

In a measuring cup add liquid smoke and 1 package of seasonings, add enough water to dissolve seasonings but do not make a paste, abt 1/2 to 3/4 cup of water. Add to crock-pot.

Sprinkle second package in crock-pot and mix really well.

Add both cans of tomato sauce and stir in well.

Cook on high for one hour and low for as long as you would like, the longer the better. I set mine on low for about 6 hours.

Other ideas to mix in or replace.

• You can add in small pieces of bacon in with your meat, make sure it is fully cooked before you put in the crock-pot or it will come out chewy and not tasty at all.
• To make it a little less fattening you can replace the hamburger and roast beef with ground turkey and canned chicken, packed in water (from Costco).
• Add one tsp cinnamon to make it a little southern.
• Add one tsp cocoa powder to make it taste like the famous Cincinnati style chili.

Anyone have a favorite chili recipe??