No Fork Required

With all the baked goods and sweets passed around this time of year, I am on sugar overload. I've fed my face with candy, cookies, cake, whatever came my way the entire month of December. So when I came across the chili cook-off, hosted by Tami at Running with Tweezers, I welcomed the change in diet. A hearty bowl of chili fills you up and, depending on the recipe, is chock full of protein. My favorite way to make it is with a lot of meat, a lot of beans, and a lot of veggies. On more than one occasion, I have made a recipe called Boilermaker Tailgate Chili that I found on allrecipes.com. I've made many tweaks to adjust for my family's personal taste, but still use the recipe as the foundation so I have to give proper credit. With it's meaty texture and just the right amount of spice, it has become a family favorite and always pleases even the pickiest of eaters.

Adaptation of Boilermaker Tailgate Chili

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 pound bulk Italian sausage

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans in spicy sauce

2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice

1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1/4 of an Anaheim pepper, seeded and chopped

4 teaspoons beef base

1 cup beer

1/8 cup chili powder

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons white sugar

1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder

1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
   
2. Pour in all the cans of beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, Anaheim pepper, beef base, and beer. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, basil, salt, pepper, cayenne, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
   
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day.
   
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with shredded Cheddar cheese.