Venison Chili

This is my first "recipe" post. Now, I'm a pretty decent cook. I don't do it as much as I used to, but I know my way around the kitchen. One of Josh's recent favorites is venison chili. The problem is that I never follow the recipe! Am I the only one who cooks like that? I read like 3-5 different recipes and then take what I like from each one and combine it. In addition to that, I taste and season along the way. I typically have good results, but the problem is that I never remember what to do the next time! So, I am writing this one down as I go. Just hope it turns out as well as it did before - fingers crossed!

Venison Chili
1. I browned the 1.5 lbs of venison in a skillet and added salt and red pepper flakes. Like a dash of each? (Not only do I not follow recipes, but I also don't measure).

2. While the venison is browning, I chopped up a 1.5 green peppers and and 2 medium-ish yellow onions.  The extra half of green pepper was just because I had it in the fridge earlier in the week. If I hadn't had that, I probably would have use a whole number. I also chopped/added a couple cloves garlic. Sidenote - I always use fresh garlic and am currently growing my own on my counter. Anxious to see how my plant turns out!

3. Added all the chopped goodness to the venison and continued to brown it. Added another dask of red pepper flakes,chili powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder and some salt. This is when my house starts to smell like chili-goodness. Unfortunately my hands still smell like garlic. Ugh, I guess it is worth it.

4. After it was cooked and the veggies started to soften I put it all in my brand-new crockpot. I love my old and trusty crockpot, but I accidentally melted the face off of it and it no longer worked. Sometimes I am just not smart, but that is another story.

5. On top of all of it I added 3 cans of tomato sauce and 1 can of diced tomatoes with green chilies. I also sprinkled a packet of chili seasoning in there. I made my own once that was great, but I forgot the recipe (cause I didn't write it down as I was doing it. See? I have a problem).

6. Crockpot, on low for 4-5 hours. My new crockpot has an awesome attachment that actually stirs itself! So that's going right now. If you don't have that, then just stir it occasionally and add more seasonings as needed. While it is cooking I added about a teaspoon of each of the following: cumin, paprika,chili seasoning, red pepper flakes and  garlic salt.

We have guests coming over for dinner, so I am excited to see how this turns out! I'm also getting ready to bake a new cornbread recipe. Wish me luck on that one!

The verdict! It was great. So great that we are having friends over for leftovers today, but since there weren't a lot of leftovers I am making another half-batch. Unfortunately, it was the last of the venison in my freezer, so next time I will have to make it with regular ground beef. I have made it with beef before and it is just as delicious. The only change I would make to the recipe would be to drain the fat from the beef before putting it in the crockpot. We get all of our beef from a farmer in Iowa and it is delicious. Seriously, I will never buy grocery store beef again.

Cornbread was great too! Except I dropped the entire thing on the floor moments before dinner. It was the worst. But, my all of us tried a piece that hadn't hit the floor and agreed it was a great recipe. So, maybe next time I won't drop it and I will be able to actually eat a decent amount.