Back on the Horse

The last time I cooked in a crock-pot it imploded.

So, I had to get back on that horse, buy a crock-pot,and make something in it.

Today I made chili. I love chili. So today I followed some structure and a basic recipe, then tweaked it a little.

Below is the chili cooking in our new crock-pot:



Here's the what I did:

Ingredients:
• 3 pounds ground beef, browned (can substitute some beef for sausage)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cups chicken or beef broth
• 2 15 oz can beans (red, pinto or both)
• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
• 2 15 oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 stalks of celery
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 7 oz can fire roasted green chilles or 2 Anaheim peppers, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced

Chili Powder (a little spicy):
• 1/2 tablespoon chipotle chile powder (medium hotness)
• 3 tablespoons pasilla chile powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2-3 tablespoons ground cumin, (3 Tbls can be a bit strong, but I like it)
• 1 pinch fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon black pepper, ground
• 1 teaspoon salt, then add to taste

Tom’s Chili Recipe Directions:

In a skillet on medium heat, add olive oil and cook onions until soft and yummy. Add the celery and peppers and cook for a few more minutes.

In a large pot, brown the ground beef, making sure to continuously break up large pieces with a spatula. Once browned drain fat off of meat. Return the ground beef to the pot.

Add onions, peppers, and celery to meat.

Add the chili powder. Heat over medium heat with stirring for 15 minutes.

Add it all to to crock-pot and turn to high heat.

Pour in the broth, beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, cider vinegar.

Stir it up good and cook a long time.