Chili With Beef And Beans

I swore up and down I wasn't going to make chili, but curiosity got the better of me and well, here you have it.

Today was a soda crackers and tea kind of day for me (when isn't it) but L. said it was "really good" (emphasis his). I'll take him at his word as he ate three bowls of it.

With cornbread and coleslaw, it was a hearty dinner for what is the coldest day we've had around here this fall.

I didn't go crazy with the cayenne. I used quite a bit of ancho chilies and cumin, but reigned-in the temptation to make it overly hot. That seems to be a fixation people have about chili that I just don't get. I don't mind some heat to enhance a dish, but it shouldn't be painful ( or dangerous) to eat it.

You Will Need:

1 lb. ground beef

1 large chopped onion

4 tablespoons ground ancho chilies

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 lg (abt. 28 oz) tin of peeled tomatoes, chopped coarsely(use juice also)

1 8 oz. tin of tomato sauce

3 tablespoons cumin

1 teaspoon marjoram

1 teaspoon thyme

1 tin of black beans, rinsed and drained

Cook the onion and beef in a large pot until browned. Drain off fat. Add everything else except the beans. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer (keep checking to make sure it doesn't start boiling again). Cook 2-3 hours, stirring every half hour or so. In the last half hour, add the beans and cook until warmed through.