Recipe: Texas Tumbleweeds Sweet Chili

Mary Poppins sang about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down, This recipe doubles down on that strategy and includes two spoonfuls of sugar, which makes this chili a delight as it goes down!

You'll need a saucepan to brown the hamburger, and a slow cooker (like a Crock-Pot) to simmer your chili. If you don't have a slow cooker, you may use a big pan, and, if you're using a pan for the simmering, it's perfectly acceptable to use the same pan to brown the hamburger! (Fewer dishes to wash) I like to use my Crock Pot because it's easier to regulate the low heat for simmering, and I can just put the whole pan right into the refrigerator.


2 lbs hamburger
Garlic salt
Pepper
4 tbsp chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
2 cans diced tomatoes (14.5 oz cans)
1 can tomato sauce (28oz)
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
1 can red beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can corn (15 oz)
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin
2 tbsp sugar
1 cup water

Substitutions:
Many grocery stores sell ground beef labelled as chili meat. The only real difference that I see is that they use a cap on the grinder with larger holes in it..and then charge more for it.
You can mix and match on the varieties of beans: don't like black beans? Omit them and use two cans of kidney beans instead of one. It's up to you! Basically, any combination of four cans of beans will do the trick.

If you want a wee bit of a kick, you can chop up a little cilantro and add it to the simmering chili. Don't be afraid to experiment.

1. Brown the hamburger.

Put the hamburger into a saucepan and cook on medium-high heat. Season the meat with garlic salt and pepper. As the burger begins to cook, add the chopped garlic and the chopped onions. Crumble the meat as it cooks. When the meat is browned, this step is complete, even if it looks like the onions need more cooking -- they'll finish when the chili stews.

2. Add the canned ingredients

While the meat is browning, open up all those cans! Diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, the corn, and all of those beans. Pour each into the slow-cooker. (If you're cooking the meat in the same pan that you'll be using to simmer the chili, obviously, you'll have to wait for the meat to finish before you can add these canned ingredients.)

3. Add the remaining ingredients

Stir in the chili powder, cumin, and sugar, add the water, and stir the while mixture. Add the meat/garlic/onion mixture and stir again.

4. Simmer on low for four hours.

5. Enjoy your meal!

Garnish with more chopped onions, shredded cheese, and/or sour cream.