I adore throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot, walking away for two hours and then coming back to a pot of deliciousness. I have likely eaten this chili, or a variation of, hundreds of times in my life – originating with my mom’s version (sans beans and a couple of spices). Over the years I just kept making it and tossing in a different spice here, or a different kind of beans there, you can pretty much cater this recipe to what you like. And don’t forget to pair with cornbread!

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
1 large vidalia onion
2 minced garlic cloves
2 large cans stewed tomatoes + 1 small can stewed tomatoes
1 can drained dark red kidney beans
1 can of chili beans with sauce
2 chopped green peppers
1 carton of tomato juice
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 tbs chili powder
1/2 tsp white sugar
1/2 tbs cumin
doritos
shredded cheddar cheese
sour cream

Toss the ground beef with garlic and onion into a big pot and cook down until browned. Drain. Add stewed tomatoes (with juice), drained kidney beans, chili beans (with sauce), chopped green peppers, tomato juice and all the spices. *Note on the spices, this is not a science, I taste, add more, cook longer, taste add something different, etc. Add seasoning until it tastes good and right to you, you can’t break this recipe! Stir and get to a light boil, then turn down to simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours. I always slice the tomatoes towards the end, one at a time on a wooden spoon with a knife – why? I have no idea! It’s how my mom always did it and I never, ever questioned it. HA! You could use diced tomatoes, but I like them big and chunky.

Then, and this a MUST folks – top with shredded cheddar, crunched up Doritos (yes, for real) and a dollop of sour cream.