Super Easy, Very Pleasey, A lil Cheesey, CHILI!

The first winter we spent in our own home I must of made 20 disgusting, over seasoned, under seasoned, too spicy pots of chili.. I couldn't figure out why it was so hard to make a good chili.. Then I remembered that saying, "Keep it simple Stupid!:" So I went shopping the next day and found the Hunt's chili tomato sauce and then just bought ingredients you would find in chili, based on flavors I and my family liked and came up with this...

1 pound ground beef, browned then drained of fat
1 15 oz can of HUNT'S seasoned dice tomato sauce for chili
1 14-15 oz can of petite diced tomatoes, any brand
3 14.5-15.5 oz cans of any type of beans you like, undrained
      -I like pinto beans and black beans, but any bean would do, I just dont like kidney beans! <3
a pinch of chili powder
about 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 tsp of salt
1 1/2 tsp of pepper
I like to throw a handful of cheddar cheese in
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of corn (optional)
1 tablespoon of hot sauce of your choice (optional)

 I use a 5 quart crock pot but any size should work as long as its over 4 quarts.  This recipe is easily doubled and does well at potlucks, especially in the colder months!

It's an easy crock pot recipe, I put all ingredients in the crock, stir and cook on low for 6 hours or high for about 3-4 hours.. could also be cooked on your stove top; Place all ingredients into a large pot, this time using about 1 and 1/2 cups of water.  Cook about 30-45 minutes on med-high heat stirring about every 5-10 minutes.

Serve into bowls with a sprinkle of cheese and with either crackers or tortilla chips!