PAT Lee

This makes a very large pot of chili; but it freezes so well that you make it once in a while for several meals.  I freeze it in cottage cheese containers, Cool Whip and sour cream containersfor single serving lunches or for taking to someone who lives alone and has just been sent home from the hospital.

Brown and drain 2# ground beef (I prefer 90% or 93%)and set aside in a dish.

1 large, diced onion

                     3 stalks diced celery                                                    Cook for several minutes, stirring in the ground beef pan

                     1 finely diced or shredded carrot​

1 seeded and diced jalapeno pepper

​         4 cloves diced or smashed garlic added to the precooked veggies.  Stir fry a minute or two

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​         2 Tbsp chili powder

​         ½ tsp dried oregano

​         1 tsp each ground cumin and coriander         Add to the veggies and cook 3 minutes

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Add and simmer, covered, for several hours:

Add the cooked and drained ground beef

2 – 14 oz cans of diced tomatoes and juice

1 – 12 oz bottle of chili sauce (I buy Safeway’s Signature brand)

2 – 14 oz cans of drained and rinsed kidney beans

1 – 14 oz can of chili beans, not rinsed

1 – 14 oz can of black beans drained and rinsed

2 tsp seasoning salt

1 tbsp sugar (to temper the acidity of the tomatoes)

Couple dashes of Worcestershire sauce

Couple dashes of Frank’s Hot Sauce

2 tbsp apple sider vinegar

3 bay leaves (Remove the bay leaves before serving)

1 small can of light beer (not the tall can.  You only want about 1-½ cups.  The beer is critical to the flavor.  The alcohol cooks off and the essence of the flavor is left.)