Appetizers / Soups / Salads

My mother's chili didn't have a recipe -- she just dumped in this & that: ground beef, onion, garlic, kidney beans, tomato juice... and mine is pretty much the same. It changes depending on my mood and what I have on hand; some chopped green pepper is good, and I often use ground turkey instead of beef. Sometimes I use more seasoning, sometimes less, depending on my canned ingredients. It may not win any chili contests, but my family likes it! I've given instructions for making it in a Dutch oven, but you can also do it in a crockpot (brown the meat first in a skillet, then transfer to the crockpot & add other ingredients). The recipe as written here was declared by my family to have the "perfect balance of seasoning, not too spicy and not too mild".