YAY! IT'S CHILI TIME!

I am so happy that it's finally fall weather. Which means that it's CHILI TIME!

I know there are so many ways of making chili. I've even seen chili cook offs on the Food Network. Some folks say you should never add beans. Some say to never add hamburger. Some say to NEVER add macaroni, like it's a really big sin. lol Some even add cocoa.
It really doesn't matter to us. We like all kinds of chili.
So here's a picture of the chili I made on Thursday. I don't usually add macaroni...but I had some, & our family likes THICK chili, so I did use it this time. I probably use macaroni less than half the time. But we always use beans. :) And I go the easy route & use a 'chili packet'.
Here's what it looked like in my pan...

Here's my basic recipe. And like I said, sometimes I use macaroni, sometimes I don't.

CHILI

1-2 pounds hamburger

1 large onion, diced

1 green pepper, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, diced

1 Brooks chili packet

I large can Brooks Chili mild beans (I think it's quart sized)

1 small can Brooks Chili hot (or medium) beans

1 quart tomato juice (or v8 juice)

1 small can mushrooms (some might think this is weird...lol)

small box of any kind of macaroni (optional)

Brown hamburger in skillet with chopped onion, green peppers, & garlic. Drain off grease.

To the skillet add 1 cup of water & the Brooks chili packet & stir well. Add the hamburger back in, stir well & simmer on low for about 10 minutes.

To a large pot add the tomato juice, both cans of beans, & the mushrooms (of course you can adjust the beans to your liking). Turn on low & stir together. Then add the meat mixture. Stir well, cook on low. If you want macaroni, boil it up, drain, & add to chili. It's done, enjoy!

We always add crushed crackers to our bowls, & also shredded cheese on top.

Also, in our house, we do have one thing that we ALWAYS have with chili. It's not complete without :

A PEANUTBUTTER SANDWICH

It's a MUST!

It has to be in or on your bowl so you can dip it. YUM :)

(I usually add more chese than what you see in the picture, but I had already stirred it in & was about to take my first bite when I realized I should take a picture! Which, by the way, my family thinks is funny. lol We sit down to eat & I say "Wait!", then I jump up & grab the camera...lol)

We think Chili is even better on day 2. It's usually quite a bit thicker, so sometimes I add some more tomato juice. Last night my dh cooked polish sausage on the grill & they made GREAT chili dogs! mmmmmmmmm.........