Prep 20 min

Ready 1 Hr. 15 min.

Servings 8

I know it is cold when our dog, Fritz, will not come out from under his blankets. That means it is time to make a batch of chili. I’ve made different types of chili over the years, but today I made a red chili which is still my favorite. It is very inexpensive, very easy to make, and tastes great when it is below zero!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. fresh ground beef

• 5 garlic cloves smashed (minced)

• 3 medium yellow onions

• 3 stalks celery (cut to small half moon shapes)

• 1/2 tsp. A1 (or equivalent steak sauce)

• 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

• 1/8 tsp. fresh ground pepper

• 1/8 tsp. ground sea salt

• 3 Tbs. chili powder

• 2 17.5-oz. cans chili beans

• 2 28-oz. cans diced tomatoes

• 1 6-oz. can tomato paste

• 4 Tbs. jalapeño peppers (I used jalapeño peppers from a jar.)

Directions

1. Cook ground beef over medium heat until lightly brown in a large pan (I used a 3 qt. Dutch oven) about 7 min.  Add garlic, onion and chili powder, pepper flakes, chili powder, pepper and salt. Stir together and cook (until onions are soft) an additional 5 min. Add celery and a half cup of water.

2. Open all cans of chili beans and crushed tomatoes, tomato paste and add to meat. (The jalapino peppers are optional.) Stir together over medium heat to boil then lower the heat to low and simmer for 1 hr.

3. Serve in bowls and add sour cream, grated cheddar cheese, and chives if desired.

At this point I typically add red onion, shredded cheddar, and Tabasco sauce to spice it up a little bit more! I skipped the sour cream this time. Enjoy!

I purchased an old chalk board several years ago at a thrift store which now hangs in our kitchen hallway. It is always decorated with “Fritz” announcing a birthday, anniversary, season, holiday or just any old message.