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Chili


A pot of chili is perfect for cold weather suppers.  I make mine in the crock pot, and it takes a little planning ahead.  But once it is made, you can have several meals just by heating it up.  The chili is started the night before we plan to eat it.


I start with three cups of dried pinto beans.  You can buy canned chili beans, but all they are is pinto beans with chili powder.  This was is less expensive and you don't have cans to throw away.


You can buy chili powder just about anywhere now.  I put 3 heaping tablespoons in the dried beans.


I heat 2 quarts of water in the tea kettle until it boils.  It takes the crock pot a long time to heat this much water, and the boiling water just gets the beans to cooking right away.  I usually add additional water before I go to bed, and check them first thing when I get up.  All crock pots are different, so check the beans often and don't let them run out of water.


In the morning, you will have lots of chili beans!


Add tomatoes.  This was two pint containers from the freezer.  Canned ones work just as well.


Chop up a large onion.  If your onions are medium size, chop up two.


I sauté mine in olive oil before adding them to the crock pot. 


This is two pounds of hamburger, all I had in the house.  You can put more or less. Cook it until it is brown, then add it to the crock pot. (It is almost full now!)


You will need to season it now.  I added two teaspoons of salt (nothing had been salted previously) and a little more chili powder.  If you like it spicy, add a tablespoon full of red pepper powder.

Put the lid on the crock pot, set it on low, and go out and have a nice day.  Your supper will be done when you get home.

There is so much you can do with chili.  There are chili dogs, chili pie, chili-nacho salad, etc.  Tonight, we are having ours with a dab of sour cream and some saltines.  Yummy!

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