Crockpot Chili

Yesterday was 100% cold and rainy, as in 59 but felt like 30 due to the rain and wind because of this reason, I figured chili was a good way to go in terms of dinner. David's favorite dinner is probably chili and not to mention, it typically draws a crowd in our house.

Here are reasons why I love making and having chili in the fall/winter:
It is super easy to make.
It's very quick to pull together.
You can set it and forget it.
You can seriously make it up as you go and chances are it will turn out awesome no matter what!
I love having it sit in the crockpot and being able to have a hearty and casual meal available at the end of the day.

I do most of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, it's a great place to get basics, but you may need to run to a bigger store to grab certain spices. Here is a general list of ingredients in picture form:

Crushed Tomatoes (16oz), Black Beans (8oz), (and I add) Salsa... 
 a little later I add a small can (about 2 oz) of Tomato Paste too.

Put about 2 TBS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil into the hot skillet
before adding chopped garlic and 1/2 of an onion.
Next I put 1 pound of beef into the skillet and let it brown slightly.
Once the beef has browned I add the 2nd half of the onion and the
entire chopped pepper to the skillet. 

Once Crushed Tomatoes, Salsa, and Beans
are in the pot, mix in the meat mixture
along with the packet of chili mix. 

Go on and set that crockpot to 8 hours on
a low setting so it can combine all of
those amazing flavors together.

If you like chili that is a little more spicy, like we do, you can always add some chili powder or cayenne pepper to the mix. I add cayenne and Siracha sauce for a little bonus flavor and spice! Honestly the best thing you can do while cooking a meal like this is to put in whatever you think would be delicious to you, its hard to mess this up.

I won't lie, while it cooks it smells so good, especially on a day like yesterday! We enjoyed our chili with a little Mexican cheese and small dollop of sour cream. I also made some cornbread from Trader Joe's! Normally we buy the original corn bread mix, but TJs had their seasonal stuff out and they were fresh out of original so I bought PUMPKIN corn bread- man it was perfect along with the chili.

To end my rant/recipe post all I have to say is, you won't regret making this especially when you come home to a house filled with delicious smells and a effortless meal to end your long day! You're welcome!