Chili Con Carne

I cheat when it comes to chili con carne.

Mine isn’t authentic or even from scratch. I use packaged chili flavoring, plus I throw in whatever meat I can find in the fridge – the loose hot dog, an extra slice or two of Spam, couple of left-over Vienna sausages … if it’s there, I’ll throw it in the pot.

But I’ll say this: It’s fast and it’s tasty. Here’s my basic recipe:

Ingredients

• CHILI MIX, Lawry’s, 2 packages
• BEER, Mexican (Dos Equis or Corona), 1 bottle
• TOMATOES, 2 cans (14.5 oz. each)
• GROUND BEEF, 1 to 1½ pounds
• PORTUGUESE SAUSAGE, 1 pound, chopped
• ONION, 1 large, chopped
• BELL PEPPER, 1, chopped
• OLIVES, 1 small can chopped and 1 small can sliced
• MUSHROOMS, 8 oz, chopped
• GARLIC, 2 cloves minced
• SALT AND PEPPER, to taste
• CHEESE, grated Mexican mix (at least cheddar and Monterey jack), 8 oz.

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef, season with salt and pepper, set aside.
2. Brown the Portuguese sausage, set aside.
3. Sauté the onions until soft, then add in the ground beef and the Portuguese sausage.
4. Add in the chili mix, beer, bell pepper, olives, mushrooms and garlic.
5. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer, leave on back burner for a couple of hours.
6. Add the cheese and stir in before serving.