I made chili for the first time last night, and it was delicious.  I didn’t follow a specific recipe but I did base it from what I recalled was in one of my friend’s parent’s recipes.

Base

• 2 cans of whole peeled tomatoes
• One large onion diced
• 2 small cans of tomato sauce
• 1 can of green chilies
• 2-3 fresh jalapeno peppers (this could be replaced with canned also)
• 2 packages of chili seasoning
• 2-3 cans of a variety of beans

These are the basic ingredients, I added 1lb of ground beef and a can of mushrooms.  Of course you can add whatever you think would go well in chili.  Just be sure to drain everything you add unless you like watery chili.

To create the base I chop the tomatoes and put them in a large pot, adding in about 1/4 - 1/5 of the juice in the can.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for at least two hours, the longer the better.  In fact you can even put it in a crock pot in the morning and enjoy when you get home from work.

It’s very easy and will provide you with a ton of chili.  I will be able to eat chili for a week off of this recipe.  The best part is that it cost less than $20 for all the ingredients and it’s a very customizable meal.  Post your additions in the comments.