Day 9: Secret Ingredient Chili

I love chili. It really warms you through on a cold day. I don't really have a recipe for it, I usually just dump in whatever sounds good, until it tastes good. This chili turned out to be my best ever. I made a huge pot and it didn't even last 1 full day. My hubby had 2 bowls for lunch and my kids had it as an after school snack. It was yummy! But I do have a confession to make. It is something that fills me with guilt. I cooked this chili on my propane camp stove. There, I said it. I thought I could keep it a secret, but I just felt too guilty. I still did it in my dutch oven, but it just felt wrong not using coals. I'm crazy--I know!

Secret Ingredient Chili

12" dutch oven

2 lbs. ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves minced garlic

2 quarts diced tomatoes

2 cans tomato sauce

1 4oz can diced green chilies

chili powder

cumin

salt

pepper

cinnamon

2 15 oz cans kidney beans, drained

1 15 oz can chili beans, undrained

Cook the ground beef, onion and garlic until meat is no longer pink. Had I not cheated, I would have used 25-30 coals to do this. Then add the tomatoes, tomato sauce, green chilies and spices. I started with 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, and ended up using just shy of 1 tsp. Simmer the chili 1 1/2-2 hours. Add the beans and simmer until they are heated through.

The Finished Product

What I Learned

I learned that cooking on my camp stove is exactly like cooking on my stove top, except outside. This was Lazy Person's dutch oven chili, and I am ashamed :p. But I also learned that putting cinnamon in makes an awesome chili.

The Review

This was amazing chili! Everyone asked what I put in it to make it taste so good and I said it was my secret ingredient. The cinnamon really adds that "something extra". I was amazed at the depth of flavor it gave. Even my picky eaters that won't eat anything with onions ate their share. This one was an A+.