FRIDAY IS CHILI DAY!

Picture coming soon! Start soaking the red kidney beans!

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or turkey (or chicken or goat or road kill....wait...not the last one) Just make sure it is lean
1 diced green and 1 diced red sweet peppers
1/2 lb dried red kidney beans, sorted, rinsed and soaked for 36 hours
1 diced onion
2 cans diced tomatoes (low sodium please! Salt should be your taste, not some factory's)
2-3 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon dried mustard powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin (or don't add it at all, I personally hate the stuff)
cayenne powder to taste, try 1 teaspoon at a time
1-2 teaspoons cocoa powder (yes, the stuff you use to make fudge, trust me on this)

Drain the beans, pour them into a BIG pot, add the beans and tomatoes, do not drain the tomatoes, and then add 1 can of water. Simmer to cook the beans (I hope that I do not have to remind people to OPEN the cans and just use the contents!)

While the beans and tomatoes are cooking, brown the ground meat and diced onions until they are done. Drain and then add all the spices but the cayenne pepper. Brown a bit more so that the spices and cocoa are infused into the meat. Add to the pot along with the diced sweet peppers. Stir.....taste....add the cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and maybe even more chili powder to taste. Me? I use 4 tablespoons chili and 2 tablespoons cayenne...and then add the hot sauce at the table.

Teen boy scale? This is a 10...especially if you let them dress up their own portions with shredded cheese, hot sauce, and even more cayenne and chili.