With winter coming on, this will be a well used recipe at my house. Although Mom's chili is the best, this is close.
| 1 | lb. | ground beef or bulk pork sausage |
| 2 | cloves | garlic, minced |
| 3 to 4 | tsp. | chili powder |
| 1/2 | tsp. | ground cumin |
| 1 | can | red kidney beans, drained (151/2 oz.) |
| 1 | c. | chopped celery |
| 1 | c. | chopped onion |
| 1/2 | c. | chopped green pepper |
| 1 | can | tomatoes, cut up (16 oz.) |
| 1 | can | tomatoes with green chili peppers (10 oz.) |
| 1 | c. | vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice |
| 1 | can | tomato paste (6 oz.) |
| 1/4 | tsp. | salt |
| shredded Cheddar cheese | ||
| dairy sour cream |
In a skillet cook beef or sausage and garlic till brown. Drain off fat. Stir in chili powder and cumin; cook 2 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a 3 1/2-, 4-, 5-, or 6-quart crockery cooker combine beans, celery, onion, and green pepper. Add undrained tomatoes, undrained tomatoes with green chili peppers, vegetable juice cocktail or tomato juice, tomato paste, and salt. Stir in browned meat mixture. Cover; cook on low-heat setting for 10 to 12 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
Ladle chili into soup bowls. Pass shredded cheese and sour cream with chili.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.