Winter is time for Chili - Cooking with Vera offers this version

Here in North Carolina winter comes a little later than our Northern neighbors who have been having snow and frigid temps for more than a month now. But here in the second week of November it has finally gotten to be coat weather and all the pretty flowers froze over with dipping evening temperatures.

So that makes it a good time to break out the wonderful Cuisinart Slow Cooker that my kids gave me and cook up a batch of chili. I love this Cuisinart Slow Cooker because I can sautè in it as well as slow cook. Saves having to use multiple pans. There are only two in our small household now so this batch will last awhile, but it freezes well. So, hey, dinner again in a couple of weeks is ready to go. Best "take out" ever! You know, "take out of the freezer"!

So I decided to snap a few pictures and show you how this Southern Lady makes up a batch of chili. You can tweak it how-some-ever you want to and make it as hot as you wish. We prefer a mild chili that warms, not cooks our tummies. So here we go.....

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I used venison that my son provided. He is a hunter here in North Carolina and provides venison for himself, his son in another city, my husband and I, and families in need. I sautèed the meat in extra virgin olive oil and then added the chopped onion (I use a sweet or a valdia onion) and sautèed it a bit more. Ready to add  are a large can of Muir Glen organic fire roasted tomatoes, a standard can each of light red kidney beans, pinto beans, and great northern beans. I like to use a variety of beans in my chili.

Onion (sweet onion or vidalia) is chopped on my handy small chopping board. Then sautèed a bit more with venison. I use a El Paso mild taco seasoning pack which gives just enough heat. I don't add anything else to season it. Slow cooking enhances the flavor and spices so less is best in my opinion. I also don't add additional salt as the canned beans and tomato have adequate salt.

It is a simple process and a hearty meal. You can vary the beans and this particular slow cooker can hold twice as much. I used one pound venison but beef can be used as well. Just be sure you use lean meat, sautèed in olive oil, and toss the rest into the mix. Larger batches require an additional packet of seasoning and you can choose a spicier variety if that is to your taste.