Chili Con Carne

About a month ago, I spent the weekend at an outdoor fall camp.  It was fun, but cold the whole time and all I wanted to do at the end was go home and make a nice, warm pot of chili.  So I did.  And it was delicious.  But I didn't record it entirely and had a couple small changes I thought could make it even better.  So, this week, I did it again and made my changes.  And it was pretty much prefect.  And the best thing of all?  I did it in my crock pot; chopped most of the ingredients the night before, then threw in the rest of the ingredients quickly before I went to work the next morning.  And when I came home, it smelled oh, so good and dinner was ready right away.  This one is definitely going in the memory bank.

Chili Con Carne
Makes 4 bowls
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-2/3 lb. ground hamburger
1 can beef broth
3/4 c. dark ( but non-smokey) beer, such as porter
1 small can or 1 and 3/4 c. canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 white onion, chopped
1 anaheim chile, finely chopped
1-2 serranos, with seeds, finely chopped*
4 green onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs ground cumin
1 Tbs chili powder
2 tsp. ground paprika
1/4-1/2 tsp ground cayenne*
1 1/2 tsp. salt

Place all ingredients in crock pot.  Stir to break up meat and distribute ingredients.  Place on cook time setting, according to your time line for the day.  Enjoy when crock pot has finished cooking.  Garnish with cheese, cilantro, tortilla chips, sour cream, or anything else desired.

*Note about the spicy-ness: for hot - use 2 serranos and 1/2 tsp. cayenne, for mild - use 1 serrano and 1/4 tsp. cayenne, for medium - use some combination in between.