Slow Cooker Chili

We found this recipe and made it for our neighborhood chili dinner and trunk-or-treat over Halloween weekend at O.K. Ward park. It was excellent, especially because we just threw it in the slow cooker in the morning, and it just simmered all day while we got the kids costumes ready and did other things. Feel free to adjust ingredients to suit your family's tastes. For instance, if you like a spicier chili, add additional tabasco or a chopped seeded jalapeno pepper. Enjoy!

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
3 (15 ounce) cans dark red kidney beans (I sometimes prefer to use a variety of beans in my chili. last time I used two cans pinto beans and one can kidney beans. It turned out great. You can also use small red beans or black beans if you like as well).
3 (14.5 ounce) cans Mexican-style stewed tomatoes (last time I made this we didn't have these on hand, I just used canned diced tomatoes instead, and added a little extra garlic. It came out perfect).
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 generous dash worcestershire sauce
1 generous dash tabasco
1/2 cup red wine or beef broth
1 to 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste, if desired*

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef, onion, and garlic until beef is evenly browned. Drain fat and season to taste with salt and pepper. In a slow cooker (ours is 5 quart size) combine the ground beef mixture, beans, tomatoes, celery, red bell pepper, and red wine vinegar. Season with chili powder, cumin, parsley, basil, worcestershire sauce and tabasco. Stir in tomato paste, if desired. Cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 hours. Pour in wine or beef broth during the last two hours.

*This recipe without the tomato paste makes a rather "soup like" batch of chili. If you prefer a thicker chili, add as much tomato paste as you would like to achieve your desired consistency. (2 6-ounce cans of tomato paste is perfect for our liking. . . not too thick, not too thin).

Yield: 8-10 servings

Source: allrecipes.com