Chili!

Chili is a very personal food.  It's all about what you like.  And, as I recently learned, to call anything the best indicates there is no room for improvement.  While my taco dip recipe, a.k.a. Toxic Dyp, is truly the best ever and can not be improved upon, I rarely think that of any recipe especially one so controversial as chili.  For me, there are a few key factors that make up any great recipe, and ease as well as likelihood of ingredients already being in your kitchen are two of the most important.

With that in mind, this is the best homemade chili recipe I've tried.  It's everything I put into my chili but the secret is the amount of spices plus one very important lesson, do not drain the bean liquid or the beef fat.  As with any recipe that calls for a lot of spices, this will be better the next day.

1 can (or two) of dark red kidney beans or black beans
1 lb of 80/20 free-range, anti-biotic and hormone free ground beef or Venison or turkey
1 large yellow onion
2 T. paprika
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. cumin
1 T. oregano
1/2 t. cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt: 1/2 t.

1-2 T. Ketchup (optional, my new secret ingredient) or

1 can of Diced Hot Tomatoes with the liquid

1 large Onion, diced
1-2 large Green Bell Peppers, diced
1-2 T. Olive Oil

 Do not drain the beans!

In a skillet, brown the beef but do not drain the fat! Cook the onions and peppers in with the beef.  Add all your spices and brown for about 1 minute then pour in the beans with their liquid.  Add the ketchup or tomatoes (if using). 

Lately I've been enjoying the heck out of this recipe on top of spaghetti and all covered in cheddar cheese and diced raw onions with Cholula hot sauce.

And just recently discovered chili is a great way to use up chip shards from the bottom of the bags (like Chilaquiles), add shredded cheddar and a dollop of sour cream for bliss.  Cholula for Nirvana.