Crock Pot: A Bachelor's Dream

Today I'm featuring a recipe that my dear20-something bachelor friend made up entirely on his own with items he had handy in his kitchen one hungry night. You'll notice the cooking methodology is a bit unusual to say the least, but the final product is worth the effort.

My favorite part of attempting to duplicate this recipe was simply trying to follow it. It read alot like the recipes from my husband's Italian grandmother. No measurements, just "season with some of this". My type-A personality doesn't like the risk involved in that kind of cooking. So I got out some measuring spoons and made some guesstimates you'll see below. Feel free to delete all of my measurements and take this recipe back to its roots.

The finished product is a cross between a stew and chili. It's the best of both worlds and uses quite a number of ingredients you can grow/find locally. Per its creator, it's designed to be really spicy. In fact, he adds 3 jalapenos WITH SEEDS to his recipe. I've left them out in my slightly altered version.

Schwan's Stewchili (slightly adjusted by Ingrid)
1 lb ground beef
1 bottle light beer
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp Lawry's seasoned salt
1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1 minced garlic clove
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

Heat a large, non-stick skillet over high heat. Add the ground beef and all the seasonings above. After 3 minutes, add the bottle of beer to the pan and continue to cook until the beef is browned. Once the beef is brown, drain everything and put just the cooked beef in the largest slow cooker you've got along with:

1lb stew meat
2 Anaheim peppers, sliced
1 onion, diced
3 red potatoes with skin, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 Tbsp chili powder
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp salt
2 (15oz) cans diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 1/2 (8 oz) cans of tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Cook in your slow cooker for about 2 hours on low. The mixture should cook down and make a bit more room in your slow cooker. Then add:
1 additional (15oz) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained

Cook for 6-8 hours on low or until the potatoes are cooked through. Do NOT attempt to rush this one by cooking on high. The finished product will not be the same.

Enjoy with shredded cheddar and sour cream if you'd like.