Venison (or Beef) Chili

The Mission: Make delicious crockpot chili using Mom's recipe only substitute ground venison, since the husband's friend shared his poor Bambi's Daddy with us.

The Recipe: I love my Mom's chili. This is the recipe that she's been using ever since I was a small child. I'm not quite sure where she got it from, I think she said she adapted it from a couple of different recipes she found in the red-checkered Better Homes & Gardens cookbooks. Oh how I love those red-checkered bibles of goodness.

The Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef (substitue venison or turkey if you wish)
2 cloves minced garlic
4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
15 1/2 oz. can of dark red kidney beans, drained
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
16 oz can of diced tomatoes
10 oz can of diced tomatoes with green chilis
8 oz tomato juice (I use canned sauce instead)
6 oz can of tomato paste
1/4 tsp. salt

The Instructions: In a large pot, brown the ground meat with onion and garlic. Drain any fat and add the rest of the ingredients. Let simmer for 2 hours. Enjoy.

The Result: Delicious as always. This time we shared the dinner with my parents, so I doubled the recipe. I also put it in the crockpot so it would be ready to eat. This is easily accomplished by browning the meat on the stove, and then assembling all of the ingredients in the crockpot. You'll want to cook it on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 3-4. I usually assemble everything the night before, so the chili has time to meld all the flavors in the fridge overnight, then I leave it on Low alllll day long! It's great to have yummy food waiting for you when you get home at night :) I love to eat my chili with cottage cheese. Mom likes to add sour cream. Dad and the husband enjoy adding shredded cheddar cheese. And everyone loves it with cornbread on the side.

The Reviews: Though the husband isn't a big fan of the chopped onions, peppers, or celery, I chop them really small using my food processor. They cook down so much that he doesn't really notice. Apparently if he can't see them, he doesn't know they're there! I've never had any complaints about this recipe. The whole family loves it! I've taken it to quite a few potlucks and have never had to worry about leftovers. I've been asked for the recipe several times as well.