Tasty Tuesday {The Basics of Our Chili}

I don't have a picture of chili, but I do have a picture of our cozy family.  It'll have to do for now.

Let's talk about chili.

Chili is an incredibly underrated food for me.  It's one of my top comfort foods.  I love it.

It's also incredibly easy to put together and I always have things in stock to make it.  It's a quick, healthy and seriously easy meal that can either feed a large group, or just the two of us with plenty of leftovers for lunches (and like most soups, it tastes better the next day).  

I wanted to share with you the general recipe I use.  I say general because it's not that big of a deal if you're missing something, but these are the things I tend to put in it.  

I like to call this...The Basics of Our Chili.  Feel free to do with it as you please.  There are no rules when it comes to making chili!

• Meat.  I usually use either ground turkey or ground beef, but I'm sure you could even go meatless if that suits your fancy.
• Veggies.  Onion, carrots, celery (the holy trinity, of course), bell peppers, corn, etc.
• Beans.  I prefer kidney, but sometimes it's black beans and sometimes it's pinto beans.  You know...a bean is a bean. 
• Tomatoes.  Fresh tomatoes would be bomb, but I usually use canned whole, peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes as well as some tomato paste.
• Spices.  Salt and Pepper, Chili powder, Ground Cumin, and a little bit of Cinnamon (can I call that my secret ingredient?  Or at least my mom's...?)
• Broth.  Just cause you need some.
• Toppings.  Toppings are my favorite.  I usually add shredded cheese, sour cream and avocado.  I also enjoy fritos, bacon and cilantro.  YUM.

Brown your meat with the veggies, then add the tomatoes, beans, spices, and broth and allow to simmer for at least a half hour.  Serve with some cornbread and feel free to hang out on the couch under a blanket with some Netflix for the evening because you deserve it.

Happy Tuesday!