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There is nothing better during the cold winter months that a bowl of homemade chili. It has all the things associated with a nutritious meal. In that one bowl is meat, beans, and vegetables. Here is my recipe for delicious chili you can make at home.

First you start with the tomato base. You can use canned tomato paste and tomato chunks. You can also use fresh tomatoes from the garden. I use tomatoes I have grown in my garden and frozen. If you are using cans, use two cans of tomato sauce and two cans of tomato chunks. This will give you a base for a large pot of chili. Put this in a large stockpot and start heating on a medium setting on your stove top.

Spices are the next ingredients. I never used prepackaged spice packs. They have way too much sodium and I was always adding a little bit of something else to them. So, I decided that was a waste of my time. I use cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, garlic, parsley, oregano, and cumin. Add approximately 1 tablespoon each of garlic powder, parsley and oregano, a table spoon of crushed red pepper, cayenne pepper, and cumin. You should experiment with these and adjust them to your taste. You can also experiment with the type of hot pepper you prefer. Some others I have tried are hot banana peppers, jalapeno peppers and Tabasco peppers. The amount of pepper you add depends on how hot you prefer the chili to be.

This mixture should simmer for at least an hour, preferably two, before going on to the next step. If you are using dried beans, add them in with this mixture. If not, wait until the chili has cooked for at least an hour.

After the chili has simmered for the desired amount of time, you need to add some beans. There are all sorts of beans you can add to chili. I usually get canned chili beans. And then I like to add some black beans. Experiment with what you can find at your grocery store or grow in your garden to see what you family will enjoy. If you are using dried beans, be sure to give them enough cooking time to cook thoroughly.

The last thing to add is the meat, if you desire. You can use any type of ground meat. I use beef, but you can also use turkey, chicken, venison or pork. Any mixture of these can also be used. Brown the meat and drain the grease before adding to the chili.

Another variation is to add pasta of some kind. Usually macaroni is used. If you would like to do this, add this about 30 minutes before you plan to serve the chili.

Chili is a wonderful treat to eat when it is cold outside. There are so many ways to vary the recipe, your family will never become tired of this wonderful meal. Add some crackers or sandwiches and you have a complete, healthy meal for your family to enjoy.

Learn more about this author, Cheryl Dennett.
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