Chili is defined as a thick, stewlike concoction of beef or other meat in a tomato base with chili powder and typically onions, peppers, and legumes such as kidney or pinto beans.
I have found THE best chili recipe. Ok, well, it's definitely my favorite chili and the rest of my family loved it too. (And it's definitely the easiest chili recipe I've found and it's cheap to make. THE. BEST.) Seriously, we're talking 5 stars.
You may be asking yourself, "Where did she find such a magnificent chili recipe?" I would be telling you, "P-Dub... Pioneer Woman... Ree Drummond... Y'know, THAT lady," and then I would go on to tell you that this recipe is only available in her cookbook and not on her website (which is a sin!). Then I would go ahead and give you the recipe, because I know you will want to kiss me because of it. Here we go:
2 lbs ground beef (whatever kind makes you happiest)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 T chili powder
1 T cumin
1 t oregano
1 t salt
1/4 t cayenne pepper (This really didn't make it hot, I promise. Neither of my kids complained)
8 oz tomato sauce
1/4 c masa (corn flour) or cornmeal
OPTIONAL:
1 can kidney or pinto beans, drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 fresh jalapeno (with or without seeds, depending on how brave you are), diced
1 small onion, chopped
Brown beef in a pan with garlic (and optional onions- I left 'em out and didn't miss 'em!). When done, drain off fat.
Add in tomato sauce, spices, and salt. Stir well.
Reduce heat to low and cover. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring ocassionally.
After 1 hour, mix masa (or cornmeal) with water... 1/2 c water for masa, only 1/4 c water for cornmeal.
Dump the cornmeal or masa mixture into the chili and stir together well.
Now is the time to add in any "optional" ingredients.
Simmer for 10 minutes and then serve to the people you love. They will love you even more after you feed them this chili.
For the record: The only optional ingredients I included in our chili were canned diced tomatoes and then I put 1 whole jalapeno (seeds included) in the half that I set aside for my husband. Is it wrong that I love spicy stuff but would prefer my chili to be on the mild side?
