Ultimate Fall Recipe Swap!

Join in this fun bloggy fall festival!  Today we are sharing our favorite fall-themed recipes!  Click on over to Life As Mom to see some great recipes and be entered to win a fantastic giveaway!

One of my all-time favorite fall foods is chili.  Hubby does not like beans in chili, so alas, I eat regular chili alone.  Years ago, though, we were introduced to a wonderful BEAN-FREE chili!  Cincinnati Chili (or Skyline Chili) has a unique flavor - a hint of cinnamon and is served in an unusual way - over spaghetti!

In the past, I have always used a package mix, however, I am embarking on an adventure to make this chili from scratch.  I found a great recipe that was featured in Southern Living magazine, so it HAS to be yummy, right?  I tweaked this recipe just a bit to suit our situation and our tastes.

Original recipe can be found on MyRecipes.  A thank you goes out to BusyMom for pointing out some omissions in her comment!  I have altered the recipe further to reflect these changes!  Remember - I have yet to make this myself without a package mix!

Because the meat in this chili is not browned and drained, use very lean ground beef.

Yield

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• 2  pounds  ground round
• 2  cups  water 1 Quart water
  
• 2  (6-ounce) cans no-salt-added tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
  
• 1  clove garlic, minced
• 2  large bay leaves
• 3  tablespoons  chili powder (I use a little less)
  
• 1  tablespoon  ground cumin
• 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate
  
• 2  teaspoons  ground allspice
• 1 1/2  teaspoons  ground cinnamon
• 1  teaspoon  salt
• 1  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
• 1  teaspoon  white wine vinegar (cider vinegar works as well)
  
• 1  teaspoon  Worcestershire sauce
• Hot cooked spaghetti
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Oyster Crackers
  

Preparation

Combine ground round and water in a 4-quart stock pot; stir with a fork until thoroughly blended. Stir in tomato paste and next 12 ingredients.
Cover with lid.  Heat to boiling.  Either reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2-3 hours or transfer to crock pot and cook 6 hours.  (If you have more time, you can cook from the start in the crock pot - plan on at least 8 hours to simmer.)  Chili is done when it resembles really meaty marinara sauce.

It is best to cool chili and keep in refrigerator overnight so the fat can be lifted off.

Remove and discard bay leaves, stirring well. Serve chili over hot spaghetti, and top with cheese and oyster crackers.  Add diced onion and kidney beans if you wish.