Black Bean Chili & Cornbread

It is a cold, grey, windy day here in the Windy City! haha! I have been waiting awhile now for the perfect day to make chili and this is it. I am pretty sure I got this recipe from Rachel Ray, but I cut WAY back on the chipotle powder. I vaguely remember the first time I made this chili - I couldn't eat it because it was SO hot (but my husband loved it).

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BLACK BEAN CHILI

1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can petite diced tomatoes with green chiles
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 - 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 can of beer
1 tbsp. chili powder
1 tbsp. steak seasoning
2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder

In a large pot, brown the ground beef with the onion. Drain off fat. Add black beans, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and all seasonings. Pour in only half the can of beer, add more as needed until chili reaches desired consistency. Heat to boiling over high heat. Then reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Sometimes we have beer in the fridge, but most of the time we don't. Instead of buying a whole 6-pack I will just buy one of those large cans, and I never end up using the whole thing in the chili. Also, I always make elbow macaroni on the side, then I mix some together with my own bowl of chili. Some people call this chili-mac, which is fitting. My mom always served her chili with elbow mac and it is weird for me to eat chili without it.

I am also making cornbread from a box mix; just add an egg and milk. I like the Jiffy brand, but today I am using the Aldi brand (Baker's Corner) which is really good too. I think it is a great side dish for many fall/winter meals because it is yummy of course, but also because it is so cheap! The box of mix costs about .35 cents and I always have some milk and eggs in my fridge. Can't beat that!

Happy eating!