Crock Pot Chili - Robyne Zollinger

This is a good comfort food that we like to have on cold days with some corn bread.
This is a recipe that I put together. I could never find a recipe that I really liked so I made this one up and have entered it in a couple of Chili Cook-Offs. I received awards for best flavor and Judges' Favorite. So I hope you'll enjoy it just as much as we do.

Crock Pot Chili

2 Tbsp. Oil
1 large green pepper, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 lbs. ground beef
2 cans light red kidney beans
1 can black beans
1 can petite diced tomatoes
2 (8 oz.) cans tomato sauce
1 (8 oz.) can tomato paste
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. Chili powder

Saute pepper, onion and garlic powder in oil together in a large skillet until onions are translucent in color. Add ground beef and brown with pepper and onion. Fill large crock pot 1/3 full of water. Drain and rinse the beans and tomatoes and put in the crock pot with the meat, pepper, and onion. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste. Stir together. Add brown sugar, cumin and chili powder. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low all day until ready to serve.

(The ingredients might not be quite the exact amounts because I don't measure things when I cook. I usually base my cooking on the way it smells and tastes. But I think this is a fair estimate of what I use. Add more or less sugar and seasonings to your own liking.)