Yeah, that's right, uh-huh, I'm the Chili Queen.
By request, here's the recipe. At least, as much as I can remember -- I do a fair bit of just tossin' stuff in. I don't think I'm going to use this in a competition again. If I do compete again I'll come up with a new recipe, just for grins.
It's a real basic chili, nothing fancy at all, but sometimes that's the best!
The quantity here is for one family meal, not the big pot I made for the contest. I'm guessing it makes about 4 quarts, give or take.
1 lb. ground beef
1 large onion
1 bell pepper (any color)
1 large can tomato sauce (28 oz.)
1 can diced tomatoes (15 oz.)
1 can kidney beans (15 oz.)
Chili powder, to taste -- I use about 3 tablespoons
Cayenne pepper, to taste - I use about 2 teaspoons
Cumin - ~2 teaspoons
Worcestershire sauce - ~1 tablespoon
Brown sugar - ~2 teaspoons
Cinnamon - ~1 teaspoon
Dice the onion and pepper, cook them with the ground beef. Drain the fat. Add all the canned stuff. Add the chili powder, pepper, cumin and Worcestershire sauce, then taste it to make sure it's got the right level of "heat" for your palate. Add more chili powder and cayenne as desired. Once it's spicy enough, add the brown sugar and cinnamon - just enough to make it slightly sweet and aromatic, but not so much that you can actually identify them in the flavor. Let this simmer for at least 20 minutes, preferably longer. I like to cook it up then dump it into a crockpot for a couple of hours, especially for contests.
This is good on its own, and also good with spaghetti and sharp cheddar. It's so addictive, I just love it!