Cook 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef with 1/2 c. of chopped onions till the beef is no longer red or pink.

Stir in 1 envelope of chili seasoning (I usually put more than one…) or your own chili spices.

Add 1/2 c. of water, 1 can (14.5 ounces) of diced tomatoes (undrained), 1 can (14 ounces) of kidney beans (undrained) and 1 Tbls of brown sugar.

Bring to boil. Let simmer for about 10 minutes or more.

If you want to make a bigger dish out of it, cook some macaroni and throw them in. That’s what my mom did and to me, chili was basically macaroni until I was about 20 years old. Crazy eh.

Heat up some oil in the bottom of a large pot.

Sauté 2 stalks of celery (diced) for about 5 minutes.

Chop and add a medium onion (chopped) in.

When the onions are limp, add 1 28 oz. can tomatoes (peeled and chopped, with the juice), + 4 15oz tomato sauce cans bring to boil.

Lower the heat and add a bit a sugar, season with basil (2-3 leaves of fresh or 1 1/2 tsp dry), salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, sauté 1 pound of ground beef in a separate pan. When it is browned, drain the fat and add the meat to the sauce.

Now take 3 or 4 Italian sausages that you can cut into small piece or in quarters. Sauté them and add them to the sauce.

Add one 4oz can of mushroom with the juice to the sauce. You can also use fresh mushrooms.

Cook over low heat for one to one and a half hours – covered.

Mix together:

2 lbs ground meat

1 onion

1 handful of oatmeal

1 or 2 eggs

Shape into a loaf and put in a “oven resistant” dish

Pour a 28oz tomato juice tin on top of the loaf (you might want to use only half the tin)

Cover with foil

Put in oven for 1:30 hours at 375

*When there is still one hour to go, you can put a couple potatoes (wrapped in tin foil) in the oven.