Well, we made it through a record-setting cold 24 hours without burst pipes or power outages. Still chilly here, which at my house means chili for dinner. Here's my 
recipe.
1 pound or thereabouts ground beef
some portion of chopped onion, maybe 1/2 to 1 full cup depending on your taste
1 can chili beans
1 can Rotel-type diced tomatoes (knock-offs ok)
1 8-oz can tomato sauce
1 package chili seasoning (cheapos ok)
Brown the meat and onion. Add beans, tomatoes, tomato sauce and chili seasoning. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Longer is fine. Enjoy with a sprinkling of shredded cheddar cheese, fresh chopped onion, sour cream, whatev. If you are really naughty and craving crunchy/salty, enjoy with Fritos Scoops.
Things you can fool around with on this recipe and it won't mess it up too much:
- chili beans with regular or hotter sauce
- flavor/variety of Rotel-type tomatoes. Notice I say 'Rotel-type'. Don't feel any pressure to use the real thing. Have you seen the price of authentic Rotel tomatoes lately???
- onion variety - any type will do (white, yellow, vidalia) though maybe not red
Things you best not fool around with:
- meat proportion - if you increase the amount of meat appreciably, increase everything else accordingly.
- meat type - just stick with the ground beef unless you are a chili pro. If you try the 'chili meat' grind from the grocery store, for example, it might be too tough/need longer cooking than recommended in this recipe, especially if it is cut into cubes rather than ground.
- beans - I have tried pinto, black, and kidney beans in this recipe. And Ranch style? Fugghedaboutit. Hate them all. My brother thinks I am a traitor for putting any beans at all in the chili, but what can I say? I like the plain ol' chili beans.
- tomato sauce - I used to make this without any sauce and it's okay, but better with. In a pinch, squirt some ketchup in there if you are out of tomato sauce. Just don't tell my mom I said to do that.
I have tried lots of chili recipes. I have one that calls for grilling the meat 48 hours in advance, growing your own tomatoes and chilies, stirring the pot counter-clockwise with a wooden spoon handed down from at least 6 generations of Native Texans while the Deguello scene from Rio Bravo plays in the background, etc. etc. To heck with that. This recipe is quick, simple, inexpensive, and satisfying. When the weather is frightful and you are worried about ice breaking tree limbs and knocking out your electricity at any moment, you don't have time for any stinking 48-hour grilling. As we say in Texas, 'git while the gittin's good'!
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