Mid-winter Chili

1½ pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 36-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon paprika
1 to 2 or 3 teaspoons of cayenne – depending on your thrill factor
Salt and pepper to taste

Grated sharp cheddar cheese for topping

Brown meat in a large pot. Drain and set aside. Sauté onions, peppers and garlic in olive oil in the same pot. Return meat to pot. Add tomato sauce, chili powder, paprika and cayenne. Cook on medium heat for approximately 1½ hours. Now this is where Charles gets fancy. The rest of us add more chopped onion and some grated cheese. Charles likes to garnish his steaming hot bowl of chili with sour cream and chopped green onions. Sighing, Camilla slices her signature garlic bread and pours herself another tall glass of Cabernet. Note to self: put more wine on the shopping list!

"Wish I had time for just one more bowl of chili." - Alleged dying words of Kit Carson (1809-1868) Frontiersman and Mountain Man