Doris' Chili Con Carne (my Mom's recipe)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 6 cloves of garlic, diced
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• red pepper flakes, to taste; or use your favorite fresh chile peppers
• 1 teaspoon salt
• black pepper, to taste
• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 15 oz can of kidney beans
• 1 large can of whole plum tomatoes
• small can of tomato paste

Directions:

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in large skillet. Saute onions, on medium-high heat, until they begin to brown.
2. Turn heat down to medium. Add garlic, saute another 2-3 minutes.
3. Add chili powder and cumin, saute another 2-3 minutes.
4. Add bell peppers, cook for another five minutes.
5. Take everything out of pan and put in bowl.
6. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil, in the skillet you just emptied. Add ground beef, cook on medium-high until nicely browned.
7. Add onions and peppers to ground beef. Add salt and pepper flakes (or fresh chile pepper if you prefer).
8. Add plum tomatoes, with juice. Break up the tomatoes with your spoon as you stir them in.
9. Add tomato paste.
10. Drain kidney beans and add them.
11. Cook for about 1 hour over medium heat. Stir occasionally to keep everything from sticking.
12. Good served with Italian bread with lots of butter.