Lily's Chili

As you should well be aware of, we're hosting a Chili Cook-Off Reader Giveaway!! Send in your 100% original chili recipes for a chance to win! The winner of the Chili Cook-Off will receive a free copy of The Parchment Paper Cookbook! The Chili Cook-Off ends February 14 so get your recipes in time for Valentine's Day for we all know chili is the food of love.

In the spirit of the Chili Cook-Off, I decided to throw my hat in the ring (of course, I can't win). Last night I gave my sister, the Queen of Soups, if she had a chili recipe and what do you know, she did! I tweaked it a little bit, but pretty much, this is Lily's Chili.

Gather up your fixin's:

• 1 lb. ground round
• 1 fat clove of garlic (diced)
• 1 medium white onion (diced)
• 1 green bell pepper (sliced and cut into bite size)
• 1 14.5 oz. can pinto beans
• 1 14.5 oz. can kidney beans
• 1 packet chili seasoning
• 2 red chili peppers (sliced & optional)
• 3-4 14.5 oz. cans stewed tomatoes

Drizzle a bit of olive oil on the bottom of a big sauce pot and set the heat to medium-low. Brown the ground round with the diced onions and garlic, mix thoroughly. Once the meat is browned through and the onions are translucent, drain the grease out and return the meat mixture to the pot.

Dump out all the stewed tomatoes into a blender or food processor. Give them a couple of quick pulses just to chop them up a bit. Pour the tomatoes into the pot as well as the diced, green bell peppers, chili peppers, beans, and chili seasoning.

Stir up the ingredients well. Keep the pot on medium to medium-low heat at a steady simmer. Stir often and make sure none of the chili is sticking to the bottom. Simmer the chili for 30-90 minutes.

Chili is one of the most versatile foods and one of my favorites. There's so much you can put on it and so much to put it on! Hamburgers, baked potatoes, tortillas, nachos, french fries, and my personal favorite, the CHILI DOG!

As for my chili dogs and my chili fries, I need it with as many toppings as I can fit. Sour cream, shredded cheese, chives, tortilla chips, diced onions, crackers, or jalapenos, whatever you got - I'll top it on.

A recipe that takes a long time to cook always seems a little daunting to prepare. I hope I've successfully demonstrated how truly easy it is to make. The total preparation time couldn't have taken more than 15 minutes!

I hope this inspires you all to turn in some terrific chili recipes for the Chili Cook-Off and Reader Give Away. Don't forget to get those recipes in before 2/14/12, that's this Valentine's Day! Good luck and good appetite.

Love,

Liz