Spicy Chili

I enjoy cooking and I make a lot of things that I throw together, trying out different things, and not always doing the same thing twice. Some things come out great, others are a work in progress. Eric is often bugging me to write out recipes but my problem is, I rarely measure my ingredients, unless I'm following someone else's recipe. Also, since I change it everytime I make it, I have a hard time "writing out" what I do.
Today, however, when I decided to make chili, since I have not made it in a long time, I decided to write things out as I did them, and so, here's my first recipe.

I highlighted the optional ingredients: ingredients that I don't always add or that some people may not want to add because they may seem unusual or questionable, or they just plain don't like it in their chili! I like it, but I'm an odd bird like that :P

Spicy Chili

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 lb ground beef

2-3 mini bell peppers, chopped

1 small can diced green chiles (or 2-3 pickled jalapenos, chopped)

2 tbsp chili powder

1-2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp kosher salt

1 can (14-16 oz) diced tomatoes

1 tsp unsweetened cocoa (opt)

1 tsp dark brown sugar (opt)

½ tsp ground oregano

½ tsp ground cayenne pepper

½ tsp coarse ground black pepper

1/4 tsp cinnamon (opt)

Dash of cardamom (opt) (use sparingly, a little goes a long way)

1 ½ cup of water or broth

1 can of dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup corn (opt)

In a large pot or deep skillet, heat oil over medium heat.

Add onion and cook, stirring until just tender. Add garlic and cook about a minute more, careful not to burn the garlic.

Add ground beef, stirring and breaking up large chunks, until no longer pink. Drain fat if desired.

Add chopped peppers and cook until tender but not too soft.

Stir in diced chiles or jalapenos, chili powder, cumin and salt. Cook another minute, then add tomatoes with juice, cocoa, brown sugar, oregano, cayenne pepper, black pepper, and cinnamon. I like to add cardamom to as many dishes as possible, since I love the aroma, but it’s very strong and should be used sparingly. It’s best when used with curries, breads, and pies, so if you’re thrifty, save it for that J (come Fall I’ll share my recipe for apple pie and pumpkin pie which makes great use of this spice).

Stir contents until simmering. Add water, beans and corn. Heat until just boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about an hour. Remove cover and simmer some more until thickened or until you’re too hungry to wait anymore. Top with cheese and serve with cornbread or, like Eric likes it, ladled over tortilla chips. Yum. Tastes even better the next day. Serves 6-8.