Hearty Beef and Bean Chili

Its raining today. 
Rain happens so infrequently here, its almost as though a natural disaster has occurred. Traffic is much worse, people are absent from work, holiday shopping and school comes to a halt since these establishments are outdoors, and I feel a strange compulsion to make a big pot of something warm.

Hearty Beef and Bean (rainy day) Chili
Serves:6-8; Total Time: 2.5 hours
Adapted from All Recipes 

• 2 lbs Lean Ground Beef (85% lean) or Ground Turkey
• 1 lbs Italian Sausage (pork or turkey, bulk or removed from casing)
• 1 large Yellow Onion, chopped
• 3 stalks Celery, chopped 
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 Red Bell Pepper, seeded and chopped
• 2 Green Chilies (jalapeno, anaheim, etc), seeded and chopped
• 2 cans Kidney Beans (drained and rinsed)
• 2 can Chili Beans (pinto beans in mild sauce)
• ¼ cup Tomato Paste
• ½ cup beer  
• 2 tablespoons Chili Powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce 
• 1 tablespoon Dried Oregano
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• 1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Paprika
• 2 teaspoons Salt
• 1 teaspoon Sugar
• optional: shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream, chives, corn bread

 Add one tablespoon olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef and sausage. Cook, crumbling as the meat cooks, until browned. Remove to a plate, leaving leftover fat in the pot. 

To leftover fat*, add chopped onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent . Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. 

Return meat to the pot and add all remaining ingredients. Cover and simmer over low for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. This step can also be done in a crock pot set to low.

Serve topped with cheese, sour cream, and chives if desired. I also highly recommend serving with corn bread, Bob's Red Mill cornbread mix is my favorite!

*If using all turkey there will not be any fat leftover, therefore add one more tablespoon of olive oil at this point.