Chili Beans



Chili Beans with Cornbread

     This is not a hard recipe to make, but there must be 1000 ways to make it.  The basic way is pinto beans.  Take a bag of dried pinto beans and put in a pot of water with a dash of salt.  Bring to a boil, and cook until tinder.  This should take about 2 hours.  Since tomatoes are in season we used fresh tomatoes cooked down, but for the blog we'll use can tomatoes.

2 cans of diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

2 lbs. hamburger meat

1 onion

1 large bell pepper

     Take a large frying pan and brown your hamburger.  When done strain off hamburger and set to the side in a dish.  Take your diced onions and green peppers and brown in the same frying pan that the hamburger  was cooked in.  When done strain off excess oil and put the hamburger back in and, add the tomato paste and chili powder.  The trick to the paste is to open both ends of the can, and push the bottom of the can threw.  Stir the paste into the onions, peppers, and meat well before adding the sauce, and diced tomatoes.  That was easy.  Now, you can add celery salt, garlic salt, or garlic powder to taste.  I prefer 2 or 3 cloves of real garlic.  I also like to add 2 chopped up jalapeno peppers to the onions and green peppers.

     Strain your pinto beans and add to your sauce, put back on stove on med/low and simmer for about an hour.  Keep stirring so as not to burn.  At this point some people add a can of kidney beans, it is up to you.  With this much information, and a little creativity, you could be in the next Great American Chili Bean Cook-off.