From Our Recipe Box to Yours...

     This one's just because I was hungry for chili and the idea that there is chocolate in this recipe intrigued me...Plus, there are no beans, so my family ate it too!! Bonus!

Cincinnati Chili (a little background from the book A Man and His Pan by John Boswell..."Somehow, as chili was passing through Ohio, a tributary broke off and headed straight for Cincinnati. This strange concoction is unlike any other chili you've ever tasted and is positively addictive. The "secret ingredient" is a chocolate bar! Cincinnatians serve their chili over spaghetti topped with grated cheese and chopped onion, and accompany it with oyster or saltine crackers. the chili also works well over rice, doubles for sloppy joes, and makes a great taco filling.")

1 lb. ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1 can (28 oz.) stewed tomatoes
1/2 C. beef broth
1 T. red wine vinegar
1/2 chocolate bar (2 oz.) like Hershey's (no almonds)

1. In your nonstick frying pan, cook the ground beef, onion, celery, and garlic over medium high heat, stirring often to break up lumps of meat, until the beef loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Add the stewed tomatoes, beef broth, vinegar, and chocolate; cut up the tomatoes while cooking with a pair of kitchen scissors. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer 1 hour, adding more beef broth if the chili gets too thick.

Serves 4 to 6.

Note: We eat this over rice and I always add more chili powder and chocolate. Sometimes, I even add some hot peppers because we like it hot!! We also eat it with Fritos and cheese, too, if we have them. Try it and add your own twist!!