Easy Crock Pot Chili

Today is officially the first day of fall, so what better way to celebrate than with a crock pot of chili, corn muffins and football! Our favorite Sunday food is chili - it's just so perfect on a cool, fall day. And to enjoy it in front of the TV with our favorite NFL team playing - well that's just Heaven!
I typically just throw whatever I have in the pantry into the crock pot for our chili and sometimes it tastes better than others. But, today the chili tasted exceptionally delicious, especially when paired with fresh-from-the-oven Jiffy corn muffins! I'll share the chili recipe below. It's so easy - you just throw everything in the crock pot and let it cook. In 4 hours, you've got delicious chili!

Easy Crock Pot Chili

Ingredients:
1 medium onion - chopped
1 bell pepper (any color) - chopped
2 garlic cloves - minced
2 cans of beans, drained & rinsed (choose 1-2 of the following types: pinto, black, kidney & garbanzo)
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
3 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 pound ground beef or turkey (uncooked)
1 Tablespoon salt
1/2 Tablespoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne (more or less depending on desired heat level)
1 teaspoon chili powder

Directions:
Dump all ingredients into the crock pot (use crock pot bag for easy clean up). Cook on high for 4 hours - or longer. The longer it cooks, the better it tastes. Serve over cooked noodles with shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream & corn muffins/bread.

We love this recipe and since I have a picky eater for a husband, I was surprised. He typically hates onions, peppers - anything - in his food. I cut up the onions and peppers into larger chunks so he can easily pick them out, but still gets the flavor. (Another option I try, sometimes, is to grind those ingredients up in my food processor so he has no idea they're in the food - it's the texture he doesn't like)

Hope you enjoy your fall, your chili and your football...