Chili

I miss the days when chili was just chili. There was one version. Mom was making chili for dinner, and you knew exactly what you were getting.  Now, there are 1,456,999 chili recipes and they all claim to be the best. You need to add hot sauce, make it with turkey, add some beer, use maple syrup, include a pinch of sugar, and the list goes on. Googling chili recipes is about as overwhelming as pinterest. What the $%#@ am I supposed to make?

So I decided to make a basic ground beef chili, and I just added ingredients that I thought would taste good. I added a beer because I like how beer/wine smells when it's cooking, I added a teaspoon of cocoa powder because I like chocolate, I added the corn flour because I like thicker soups, and I added corn because John made me. You will also notice the absence of beans. We don't like them.  And other than that the recipe is pretty standard. We both scraped our bowls clean and went back for seconds, so I think it's pretty good. I won't tell you it's THE BEST, because I don't want to send you on the emotional roller coaster that I went through choosing this ingredient combo. But, we really liked it and will probably continue making it this way just so I never have to google the word 'chili' again.

Recipe

• 2 lb lean ground beef
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can beer
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 3 cans diced tomatoes, with their juices
• 1/4 cup corn flour + 2-3 tablespoons water
• 1 can corn, drained
• 3 tablespoons chili powder (can use up to 4 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or more if you like spice)
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a large pot, brown the beef.  Add in the chopped onion and continue to cook for a few more minutes.  Pour in the beer, and simmer for about 10 minutes or so, then add the tomato sauces. In a separate bowl, whisk together the corn flour and water; stir it into the chili to let it thicken. Add in the corn and all remaining ingredients.  Let simmer for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve with cheddar cheese, tortilla chips, and sour cream.  We ate this with John's famous Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches.