A Yummy Classic Homemade Chili Recipe

Hello, hello all of my fellow quarantined people out there! I hope you are all holding up okay!

We’ve been doing surprisingly well. I’ve said on more than one occasion that in times like these I’m so grateful to have a lot of people livin’ in my home! Yes, it makes it more chaotic, but I’m so happy my kids have each other to play with and keep each other (and me!) company!

We’ve played a lot of games, gone on several drives together, and today we went on a little hike. We went to a beautiful place that a friend of mine recommended (for those of you from Utah, we went to the Blackridge Reservoir trails in Herriman.)

There was hardly anyone there and it was just so nice to get out, exercise a bit and breathe in the fresh air. We all loved it! My kids were running and playing and I know it was so good for their souls.

We also went to a park near our home a few days ago. All of the playgrounds are “officially closed” in our county, but we loved running on the grass and rolling down the hill.

We took this pic next to the “playground closed” sign to show our disapproval. Boo.

My 5 year old said, “Let’s all make mad faces!” I laughed and laughed when I saw the picture and saw his face and his fist in the air. He is a card!

My sweet little 9 year old turned 10 over the weekend and I really just cannot believe he’s so old!

I told him I wasn’t happy that he’s now “two numbers” old! I really still think of him as like a 6 year old or so.

I say this ALL THE TIME, but time really does fly….so fast! Sniff, sniff.

Oh, and since we couldn’t have an official birthday party for him, once again I was so happy to have so many kids kickin’ around here. We had a fun little family party. We picked up his favorite donuts, opened presents (a whole buncha Legos) and got his favorite Chinese food for dinner.

That’s about as good as it gets right now, lol!

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Well friends, today I thought I would share a wonderful comfort food recipe with you guys. It’s for Homemade Classic Chili and it’s such a yummy, easy recipe! You can even make it in the Slow Cooker if you so desire. I included directions for both the traditional (on the stove) or the Slow Cooker versions.

Whenever you happen to be quarantined at home, chili will always make you feel better. Ha ha.

I found the original recipe on AllRecipes.com, but I changed it quite a bit.

Here is how I made it….

Classic Homemade Chili

Ingredients:

2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey
1 1/2 cups onion; chopped
1/2 cup celery; chopped
1/4 cup green bell pepper; chopped
1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
3 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes & green chilies
2 (16 ounce) cans chili beans; drained and rinsed
1/4 cup chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional for more spice!)

Directions:

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef with onion, celery and bell pepper until the beef is evenly browned. Drain and set aside.

In a large pot over medium-high heat combine the cooked ground beef mixture with the remainder of the ingredients. **Or you can add everything to a Slow Cooker.