Chili Tomorrow

"Best chili ever!" Recipe submitted by Trisha Ramer of Victoria, British Columbia.

Recipe Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 medium green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
7 tablespoons chili powder, mild
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
2 (15-ounce) cans red kidney beans, drained
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (10.75-ounce) can condensed tomato soup
1/2 can beer
3 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Cooking Directions:

1. Sauté hamburger over low to medium heat in oil with onion, garlic, salt and pepper in a large pot. Separate hamburger into coarse pieces during cooking process. There should not be any great amount of excess fat. If there is, drain most of it off.
2. After the hamburger is sautéed add bell peppers, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder and hot pepper sauce. Continue to sauté on a low to medium heat for 2 minutes mixing ingredients. The idea is to thoroughly flavor the meat with the spices, without 'frying' the beef which makes it somewhat tough.
3. After 2 minutes, the bell pepper should be losing its dark green color - now is the time to add the remainder of the ingredients and gently bring it all to a simmering boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off all heat and allow to cool - this will let the beans absorb the juices and improves the overall flavor tremendously.
4. Reheat when you are ready to eat, adding more chili powder and/or salt and pepper to taste. Serve with grated cheddar cheese or chopped onions if desired.
5. I generally let it refrigerate over night and eat it the next day — hence Chili Tomorrow. ENJOY!

Makes 6 servings.