for chili lovers: a quick and easy recipe

I made chili past Sunday and was shocked by how such a simple recipe yielded such great results.  My mom sent me a basic run through of ingredients and her guess on how much of each item I should use.  This is what I came up with:

Brown 2 pounds of ground beef (I used turkey) with 4 or 5 stalks of celery, chopped, and one small onion, chopped.  When the celery is tender, drain the meat.  Add two 15 oz. cans of tomato sauce and one can of water. 

Add:  2 Tbsp of chili powder, garlic salt and pepper to taste, and one large can (or two small cans) of black beans.  Bring chili to a boil and then simmer for one hour, or boil for 1/2 hour.

The recipe did not call for pepper, but Andy and I are huge pepper fans and use it on everything.  If you don't want black beans in every bite, use one small can.  Personally, I think black beans are manna from heaven. 

We topped each bowl with shredded cheese, crumbled cornbread and a dollop of sour cream.  Oh. my. goodness.

This recipe made 8 servings and was accompanied by cornbread and salad.  Cheap meal considering it lasted two dinners and one lunch!