Recipe a Week, Food for a Lifetime

‘Wendy’s famous Chili Recipe, Melissa Giles, Recipe #15

Ingredients:
2 lbs gound beef
1 (29 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (29 ounce) can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 (29 ounce) can pinto beans (with liquid)
1 cup diced onion (1 medium onion)
*1/2 cup diced green chili pepper (2 chilies)
1/4 cup diced celery (1 stalk)
*3 medium tomatoes, chopped
2-3 teaspoons cumin powder
3 Tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water

Directions:
1. *Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat.
2. Drain off the fat.
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients, and bring to a simmer over low heat.
4. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2-3 hours.*

Alterations:
*Brown ground beef in alarge non-stick pot, drain the fat and put the meat into another bowl. To the pot, add 1 TB oil and saute’ the onion and celery until crisp-tender then add all the spices, water and tomato sauce and stirred until well-combined. Add the meat back to the pot with the beans, chilies and canned or fresh tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and stir every fifteen minutes until thick.

*Substitute 1 can diced petite tomatoes for the fresh tomatoes and reduce the liquid from the kidney and pinto beans by 1/2

*Substitute 1 (4oz) can of diced green chilies for the 2 green chilies.

*Using my roaster oven at 350 degrees for a double batch, the chili thickened up before two hours.

Serves 12, 1 big pot (for a double batch, use a roaster oven)