Erika's Beef Chili

This chili is actually my friend Ben and Billy's mother Erika's speciality and this is the recipe she bases it on. But she does some things differently. She uses ground turkey instead of ground beef. And before she browns the meat she fries some cut up bacon in the pot (which makes it very yummy). She also adds frozen roasted corn towards the end. She served it on Halloween night and the kids and adults just loved it.

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

1. Coat a large saucepan with cooking spray and place over medium heat. Cook beef in pan until browned, 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in onions, bell pepper and garlic and cook 5 minutes more.
2. Stir in kidney beans, pinto beans and tomatoes. Season with brown sugar, cocoa powder, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 to 30 minutes. (To make in a slow cooker, simply transfer beef mixture to a slow cooker, stir in remaining ingredients, cover and cook on low 5 to 6 hours.)