Cowboy Chili

It's been a while since I have posted any thing new here at Cooking On A Budget. Part of that was due to the fact that our propane tank gauge was not reading properly and we ran out of gas. That took a couple of days to get squared away. The other factor was that like many households money becomes extremely tight so we have been living off what we had hanging around and also I think I had fallen into a slump. Creatively speaking that is.

Today I decided to take a breather from the blogging world and spend the day with a friend of mine. The intention was to then come home and make a list for the store to have something to eat and something I could blog about and share with you all. I was all prepared to head out and find a comfortably priced protein to toss together something for supper.

When I walked in the door the aroma coming from the kitchen was more than a pleasant one and I found my husband at the stove making this great pot of chili! I don't know if he heard my sigh of relief or not. But relieved I was and happy that dinner was simmering away and I did not have a thing to worry about this evening. No store run, no racking my brain - none of it.

It has been extremely frigid here in Connecticut so snuggling up with a bowl of this hearty and absolutely delicious chili will be a great way to wind down from the day. The wood stove will be putting out some BTU's and we will be watching a recording our favorite women's basketball team on the telly.

Your family is going to love this recipe and the great thing is it feeds 8-10 people. Our cost on this recipe was $15.56, feeding eight people for $1.94 and ten people for $1.55. Now that's something in this economy! Plus chili is totally the kind of thing that freezes well. Left overs in the refrigerator - well they just get better with age.

So hunker down, make some chili and have a wonderful family night around the dinner table or like us watching your favorite team on television! We had a wee bit of Monterey Jack cheese in our refrigerator and I added some right on top. It melts down and helps add another dimension of flavor and mellows the heat.

This recipe is more to the hot side so I suggest if you lean toward milder, use a little less chili powder and half the cayenne pepper. For those who like hot, you are going to adore the flavor! I think the combination and the amounts of spices in this recipe is perfect!

• 2 lbs. ground chuck beef
• 1 large onion - diced
• 2 - 19 oz. cans red kidney or pinto beans
• 4 cups tomato sauce
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne (or 1/4 tsp. for those who want less heat)

1. Get a dutch oven or deep pot heated over medium high heat. Add in the ground chuck. Break apart with a wooden spoon and brown it up. This takes a few minutes. Make sure to break it down well.
2. Next turn the heat down to medium and add in the diced onion and cook for a couple of minutes until the onion begins to soften.
3. Add in the tomato sauce and water and stir.
4. Add in all of the spices and stir.
5. Add in the red kidney beans and stir and simmer on low for about 45 minutes to an hour. At this point it is ready to eat however the longer it simmers and then rests the more the flavor develops.

This recipe is absolutely perfect for game day as well as a dinner. If you are planning a Super Bowl Party make this a day in advance. On game day place it in a crock pot to warm up for your guests and stay warm.

Should you have one of those new slow cookers with the ability to sear then make this recipe entirely in that.