Classic Crock Pot Chili

I find myself on a quiet Saturday night, drinking Arbor Mist and watching a marathon of "Glee" reruns on the Oxygen channel, with little to do (other than keep my friend Tarra occupied at a boring party by being her texting/Words with Friends lifeline). I wandered into the kitchen to refresh my glass when I opened up the fridge and saw some leftovers staring me in the face. That's when I realized I totally forgot to blog this recipe. Well, looks like I'm migrating from the couch to the computer...

Even though it's January, it finally feels like winter is here. We went through November and December with the temperatures in the 40's, 50's and 60's. We got a huge dumping of snow a few days before Halloween, which melted days later, and then suddenly it was like early spring again. Weird. But now, all of a sudden, the temperature drops, the wind chill picks up and those cardboard boxes that have been sitting on my balcony for the past few weeks are now frozen to the wood. 

Oh hey, and look at that: it just started snowing! 

Wait...fuck.

I have talked before about my favorite dinners for the winter: soups and stews! But there's something else that is added to that mix - chilis! YUM!!! When it's chilly, I like me some chili! 

I have actually TWO chili recipes I'm going to feature - one right now, and another coming up in a week or so. They are two opposite sides of the chili spectrum. This one is a classic beef chili that is made in the crock pot; the other one will be a chunky chicken chili that is done in 20 minutes on the stove. But more about that later. 

This chili recipe comes from my favorite Crock Pot Recipe Collection. I love it because it takes like, no time to make and it's a great set-it-and-forget-it type of deal. It fits into almost any time frame. You can either make it on high for 4 hours or low for up to 10 hours! 

I was also really excited about this recipe because I got to use my new deep dish 12" skillet. YAY I LOVE IT SO MUCH IT'S SO PRETTY!!! 

Thanks for the Hanukkah gift, Uncle Billy!!!

I really wanted to make a really simple run-of-the-mill chili and this recipe was EXACTLY what I wanted! Here's what you do to make a great hearty dinner on a cold wintery night:

CLASSIC CHILI, from the Crock Pot Recipe Collection

Makes 6 servings 

YOU WILL NEED:

1.5lbs ground beef 

1 1/2 cups chopped onion 

1 cup chopped green bell pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced 

3 (15 oz) cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained 

2 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce 

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained 

2 to 3 teaspoons chili powder 

1 to 2 teaspoons dry hot mustard 

3/4 teaspoon dried basil 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

1 to 2 dried hot chili peppers (optional)

I did not use the dried hot chili peppers. Nor did I have dry hot mustard. What I did have was ground mustard, which I mixed with chipotle chili powder, and I increased the amount of chili powder to make up for the heat the dry hot mustard might have provided. 

Damn, that's a lot of cans

My mise-en-place is amazing, guys. Oh, and a quick note - don't forget to rinse and drain your red beans! And when you do, rinse with COLD water. If you use hot, it will start to cook the beans. You want them to be firm before you throw them in the slow cooker! 

Here's another reason why I like this recipe: there are only THREE steps! So, here is what you do: 

1. Cook and stir the ground beef, onion, bell pepper and garlic in a large skillet until meat is browned and onion is tender. Drain fat and discard. Transfer mixture to slow cooker. 

2. Add beans, tomato sauce, tomatoes with juice, chili powder, mustasrd, basil, black pepper and dried chili peppers (if desired). Mix well. Cover; cook on LOW 8 to 10 HOURS or HIGH 4 to 5 HOURS. 

3. Remove chili peppers before serving. 

MMmmmMMMMmmmmMMMMMMmmmmm!!!! 

The chili came out PERFECT! The beans kept their firmness, the flavor of the chili was spot-on. It was spicy in a way that it left a slow burn on your tongue, but I didn't feel the urge to drink any more than usual and it didn't have that nasal cleaning power. It was just a really good kick.

I ate it spooned over a piece of toast, but I bet this is the perfect kind of chili to eat with mashed potatoes or even on a hot dog. It reheats really well so it is very leftover friendly. I have zero complaints about this recipe!

Huh. The snow looks like it is still coming down.

The next recipe will be a variation of sloppy joes called ... well, "sloppy janes", which doesn't sound right to me, but whatever. I'm also going to talk about my new favorite cookbook. 

Until next time - eat, drink and be merry! =D