The Chicken Chick's (not so secret) Chili

The Man of the House was wanting to try something a little different from my basic chili recipe for Super Bowl this year.  And once he mentioned trying a recipe with some sort of sausage in it - I knew just what he was looking for! 

The Chicken Chick's Clever Secret Chili!!

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/01/clever-chicks-blog-hop-17-and-secret.html

This chili was delicious!  The kielbasa really added a nice, unique flavor to it that we very much enjoyed.  I can't say enough nice things about it.

The Chicken Chick blog is just as delightful as her chili recipe!  All sorts of interesting things involving keeping backyard chickens, DIY projects, crafting, and recipes!  (she had me at "chickens" - ya'll know I love my girls!)

Along with the recipe for this chili, she also has tips for preparing, precooking, and freezing ingredients ahead to cut down on prep time to make things easier on the day you plan to cook! 

The below amounts are from Clever Chick's original recipe.  We wanted a large batch and doubled all listed ingredients with very good results.

1 lb ground beef (or one bag pre-cooked/frozen)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (or 4 frozen cubes)

1 large red bell pepper, chopped (or 5 frozen cubes)

2 garlic cloves, chopped or pressed

2 Tablespoons chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more or less to the heat you desire)

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1, 14 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

2-3 tablespoons tomato paste

1, 15.5 ounce can, small white beans, rinsed and drained

½ kielbasa link, ground in a food processor to the consistency of ground beef

1 bottle of beer (we used Highland Brewing Gaelic Ale)

In a large pot or dutch oven on medium high heat.

brown ground beef & skim off excess fat. Remove from pan and set aside. Add olive oil to pan and over medium heat, add garlic cloves and peppers. Saute until onions are translucent.

Add all remaining ingredients to ground beef mixture.

ground kielbasa

Diced red peppers

Seasonings

Tomatoes and beans

Beer

Simmer on low for a minimum of 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Note: I love the Chicken Chick blog, and from time to time participate in her weekly Clever Chicks Blog Hop.  I was in no way compensated for this post. And I take no credit at all for the recipe.  This was posted purely to share a recipe which my family very much enjoyed!  I hope you will visit her blog and share the love!