Celeste's Chili

Every stinking week we have another snowstorm!  10 inches of snow today and another 4-to-6 inches in the forecast for tomorrow.  Please, make it stop!  While I wasn't keen on shoveling the heavy, wet snow from my car, it was rather lovely to have a lazy snow day home with family.  While we out in the snow shoveling, sledding, and sculpting Olaf to life (Disney's Frozen), I had a large pot of chili simmering on the stove.  There's really nothing better than indulging in a hot bowl of chili after an excursion in the icy snow.  I have tinkered with different variations of chili over the years, and my family has determined that this is, by far, our all-time favorite.  

Note:  The recipe as is yields a medium spicy chili.  For very spicy chili, add the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno pepper.  For a milder chili, reduce the hot sauce from 1 tbsp to 1 tsp and omit the red pepper flakes.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 (24 oz) jar tomato sauce
• 1 can chili beans, undrained
• 1 can dark kidney beans, undrained
• 1/2 c onion, minced
• 1 large carrot, minced
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
  
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeds and ribs removed; minced
• 1 medium tomato, diced 
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 1/2 tbsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  
• 1 c water
  
• 1 tbsp hot sauce, or to taste
  
• 1 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp pepper, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar 
• Toppings, your favorite
  

Directions:


Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Brown the beef and drain.

In a large pot, add the drained beef, tomato sauce, chili beans, kidney beans, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, jalapeno, tomato, cumin, chili powder, red pepper flakes, water, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and brown sugar.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 2-to-3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

Top with your favorite toppings.

Enjoy!

Original post and photo from 8/4/2010:



It was in the low 90s today with high humidity, so I know it probably seems a little odd on a day like this to serve chili. What can I say? I was craving it! At least I am not firing up the oven! I have made many variations of chili and this is definitely my favorite. The spice level is perfect for us. I got the official "there's no need to change this recipe in the future" from my husband. He knows too well that have a problem with constantly making adjustments to perfectly good recipes.