"Award-Winning" Chili

2 - 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (or one 28 oz can)

1 - 15 oz can chili beans

2 - 15 oz can kidney beans, drained

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

8 oz can tomato sauce

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn niblets

Brown ground beef and onion together; drain fat. In a large pot, (I use a 4-quart) dump in all the ingredients.

Now for some flavoring. Add 1 tsp salt and 1 TB chili powder -- those are the most important. Then, I also add the following but they are all optional... at least a couple dashes of each: pepper, garlic powder, cumin, seasoned salt, parsley, steak seasoning, oregano, cinnamon, nutmeg, and a spoonful or two of sugar. I don't know how much to tell you to put in of each spice, and sometimes I add a few more! I just gather up a bunch of spice jars from the pantry and go crazy with them. It's fun to experiment with spices! But as long as you add the salt & chili powder, it will taste good.

Mix in all the spices and bring it to a boil. Then turn it down to low, cover it and let it simmer while you cook some Marie Callendar's cornbread. You can find mix on the baking isle. Marie Callendar's cornbread mix is better than any cornbread recipe I've made from scratch. By the time your cornbread is done, the chili will be just right! I put grated cheese on top of my chili; you could also put sour cream. And, I make honey butter for the cornbread. A very satisfying meal.

You can prepare your chili earlier in the day and leave it in a crockpot all afternoon too; I've done it both way and it's always delicious!

FYI - this almost fills a 4-qt pan so that gives you an idea of how many it will serve. My family will eat about half of it and then I freeze the rest; it freezes just fine for a future dinner!