Chili: the ultimate comfort food.

So I'm starting a new job this week, and I cleaned the whole house today and read my new employee manual and I didn't sleep well last night and you know what? It is time for some hell of comfort food.



2 tbsp vegetable oil
½ sweet yellow onion
2lbs ground beef or ground turkey
2 green bell peppers
2 red bell peppers
2 cloves garlic, minced.
32oz canned tomatoes, or 4 cups chopped fresh

Chili seasoning:
-Chili pepper
-Paprika
-Onion Powder
-Garlic Salt

16oz canned red kidney beans
16oz canned black beans

Pour oil into a large skillet, with high walls. Chop the onion, as big or small as you please. I keep with dime-sized chunks. Heat the oil over medium high heat, and sauté the onions until they are translucent. I lightly salt and add a pinch of sugar to the onions, because I read somewhere that it’s okay to do that. It’s not necessary.

When the onions are soft, add the ground beef to brown. I turn down the heat a bit for this stage. Really let it simmer for a while.

Seed and chop the peppers. I go for really thin strip, but again, whatever size works. Mix peppers, garlic tomatoes, cooked beef and onions in a large pot.

Cheat: I use McCormick chili seasoning. Sorry. It’s basically just chili pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder. So feel free to mix those seasonings in to taste. I use one packet of seasoning per pound of ground beef, and usually a few more pinches of salt. If you add too much heat, sprinkle in some brown sugar to cool it down. Go heavy on the chili, easy on the sugar, until you find a nice balance. This is an art, not a science.

Heat the pot to boiling, stirring the whole time. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for one hour.

I tasted this batch and it was pretty spicy, so I added a spoonful or two of brown sugar.

Add the beans, and their liquid, and stir in. Cover and let simmer another 10-15 minutes.

Serve with avocados, sour cream, shredded sharp cheese, lettuce, tortilla chips, and/or corn bread. Goes great with the garlic beer biscuits!