I have been making pots of Chili for all my friends and family since the mid 70's, and even though I have made lots of changes to the original recipe, it is still one of our favorite dishes. That puts Chili at the top of the list of being not only a crowd pleaser, but something I can just about cook with my eyes closed!
Back when I first started cooking I got most of my recipes from my old faithful Betty Crocker cookbook that I received for a wedding gift. The recipe in that particular cookbook was the basis to what has evolved into the Chili I make today, which doesn't taste very much like that original recipe, I might add.
One of the major changes I have made to my Chili is I have gotten away from using ground beef, and substitute it for ground turkey, which makes it not as heavy, eliminates a lot of fat, and actually I prefer it, to be totally honest. Turkey doesn't have as strong of a taste as beef though, so I had to keep tweaking it until I got the taste I wanted by basically adding a good bit more cumin which gives it more of a smoky flavor and goes really well with the ground turkey meat. I use to add green bell pepper and decided I didn't want that flavor in my Chili, even though I love green bell peppers. I use to make it a lot spicier when I was using the ground beef but I have cut back on the cayenne red pepper just a bit since I changed over to ground turkey.
There are so many recipes out there for Chili. I have tried many of them as well. I have put coffee in mine, chocolate, jalapenos, habaneros, beer, with and without beans and all kinds of beans, and have even tried it over macaroni, but I always go back to my recipe that isn't too spicy or heavy .... it's just darn good! :D
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