Hawt Chilly

One would think that Chili would be "out of season" since it is about the middle of May; however, because we live in the great state of North Dakota we all know too well that it can be chilly anytime of the year. For those of you not living in ND, we had snow last week and it has been in the 40's this week with alot of moisture!

First off, I am no Food Network Star, but I do have one piece of advice. When baking you HAVE (most of the time) to follow the recipe, however, with cooking you don't. Be creative, use different spices, add different ingredients to a recipe you are following, step outside of the box and learn. Once you start cooking more and seeing what spices are used in certain kinds of dishes you will get more comfortable and will learn to start concocting your own dishes. I am still learning this. With saying that, Chili is probably one recipe in a cookbook that no one ever follows to a T; there is always some sort of tweeking going on (ie more chili powder, onions, beans, tomatoes). I can't take all the credit for my version of a Chili recipe since my husband is the one who introduced me to a Chili he once made with Bush's Baked Beans (who would've thought!). Last night I made Chili, and normally when I make it, I just start throwing stuff together and don't follow any recipe. Last night was an exception, I figured if I was going to post my Chili, I would have to write what I put in it, which I was a little apprehensive about because I figured it wouldn't turn out then. I was wrong, and it ended up turning out great. If you make this recipe and don't add anything to it, let me know. Oh, I better forewarn you that this has a kick. Enjoy!

Hawt Chilly

1 1/2# hamburger (approx.)

1 cup diced peppers (mix of green, red, & yellow)

1 cup diced purple onion

1 Tbsp diced garlic

3 cans stewed tomatoes

2 cans diced tomatoes

2-28 oz. cans Original Bush's Baked Beans
1 can Black Beans

1Tbsp chili powder

2 Tbsp Taco Seasoning Mix

1/2 pkg. Chili Season Mix

1/2 tsp each of garlic powder, garlic salt, onion powder, onion salt

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp cayenne pepper

Saute peppers and onions drizzled with olive oil until tender and add garlic at the end (be careful not to burn garlic; as it makes the garlic bitter). Add hamburger and brown. Add tomatoes and beans; mix. Add the seasonings, mixing well, and simmer over low for an hour, stirring a couple times throughout.

As I added ingredients I wrote them down...aren't you glad I didn't just post this picture to use as the recipe?!

Some of the ingredients used.

Peppers & Onions.

Finished product
Also, as you can see by the recipe and picture...this makes a big batch, so if you don't plan on eating it all right away (like us) it freezes well.