Chili for a Crowd

This past weekend we hosted a surprise birthday party for my son's sweet girlfriend, Silvia. She turned 23 and is an active duty member of the United States Marines. She is a 4'11" martial arts "weapon of mass destruction". We are so proud of her!
Ain't she a cutie!



We had about 25 guests and I prepared a huge pot of chili and had a toppings bar with all kinds of goodies so each person could fancy it up to their own liking. It was easy to prepare ahead of time, which allowed me to participate in all the goings on instead of being stuck tending food in the kitchen. So here's the recipe:



Ingredients:
2 lbs lean ground beef, turkey or chicken
1 large onion, chopped
1 each red, green and yellow peppers, chopped
2 T garlic, minced
2 large jars taco sauce, mild, medium or hot (to taste)
1 jar salsa
1 - 15 oz jar diced tomatoes, juice included
4 - 15 oz cans of beans (any combination you like black beans, pinto beans, kidney beans, navy beans, garbonzo beans; drain and rinse well)
2 packages low sodium taco seasoning
2 T Apple Cider Vinegar
Optional Toppings:
Shredded Cheese
Onions
Jalepenos
Sour Cream
Corn Chips
Directions:
Brown ground meat with onions until well cooked and crumbled. Add 2 packages of taco seasonings and mix well. Add chopped peppers, garlic, taco sauce, salsa, tomatoes, beans and apple cider vinegar. Mix and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low temp and simmer to allow flavors to develop, at least one hour (the longer the better). Stir to prevent sticking. Serve in a bowl with toppings of your choice).