Football Saturday = Chili

Fall Saturdays are for football in our house...not for me but for my husband. Any excuse for Chili Saturdays for me! I have been known to use the chili spice pouches in the past until I found out how easy it was to make my own, know exactly what is going into my chili and I always have the ingredients I need for chili.

Chili Spice Ingredients:

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tbsp. cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/2 tbsp. oregano

1 tsp sugar

1/4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

Chili Ingredients:

1 lb ground beef (or substitute turkey, chicken, or meat of your choice)

1 tbsp. oil

1 medium onion chopped

1 large diced jalapeno seeds removed

2 cloves garlic minced

2 cups of button mushrooms

1 16 oz can light kidney beans drained

1 16 oz can dark kidney beans drained

2 14.5 oz cans tomato sauce

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes

2 Chipotles in adobo sauce minced

2 tbsp. bourbon

2 tbsp. maple syrup

Instructions:

Combine all Chili Spice ingredients in a small bowl (Tip: Double or triple the recipe and store the extra for future chili).

Brown ground beef and drain fat.

In the same pan, heat oil over medium heat and saute onion, jalapeno, garlic and mushrooms. Once softened return the beef to the pan and add the Chili Spice stirring to coat the beef.

Add beans, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, chipotles in adobo sauce, bourbon and maple syrup. Simmer all ingredients for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Serve with toppings of your choice; sour cream, shredded cheese, onions, crackers, hot sauce.

Enjoy today or tomorrow because it only gets better on day 2.