What's For Dinner Wednesday

My mom makes the best chili ever. And I am not a chili lover  - in fact, the only kind of chili I ever crave is my mom's. Unfortunately, my mom makes chili by "feel" - a little of this, a little of than - so there is no existing, written down, formal recipe. Burn! :( However, I finally got her to walk me through what she does to make chili, and modified it just slightly to make it crockpot friendly.

I'm already feeding nine people, and this time I am determined to have enough leftovers to make a second meal, so if you'd only like to make a normal-size batch, just cut the amounts in half. :)

3 pounds ground beef
1 onion, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped
4 bay leaves
4 cans of diced stewed tomatoes (no seasonings)
4 cans dark red kidney beans
Cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder, salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons of beef stock concentrate (or two cubes)

Put ground beef, onion, garlic, and seasonings in crockpot on high until beef is cooked through. Drain fat; add tomatoes, beans, beef stock concentrate, and bay leaves. Season. This can be eaten as soon as it's heated through and the flavors have had a chance to meld, but trust me, it's MUCH better if you leave it on low to simmer all day. :)

Serves eight people hearty servings, with enough leftovers for a second meal - finally! The nice fine texture of this chili makes it especially great over baked potatoes (and cheese and sour cream... *drools*) or hot dogs.

And, of course, if you're cooking chili, you just gotta make some cornbread. It's a RULE. I was exhausted and not up for the challenge of making gluten-free cornbread, so I used a mix (lol) but here's the recipe I'd be using if I were making it from scratch. :)