Chili is one of those meals that you really can’t screw up, well, as long as you have the basic ingredients, that is.  It usually tastes pretty much the same each time if you have beans, stewed tomatoes, ground beef (or pork) and the chili seasonings. I love making chili in my crockpot.
It’s easy to assemble and it makes enough for my whole family for pennies on the dollar. So, what makes chili special in my house?  Well, it’s the toppings. I usually make chili with a wide variety of toppings to choose from: cheese, onions, sour cream, avocado, croutons, crackers, hot sauce, etc. . . . The kids can decide what toppings they want – which makes them happy; not to mention they actually eating their meal without complaints. That’s a Flogger win no matter how you cut it.
I don’t have a standard, go to, recipe for my chili. I usually just grab a seasoning pack at the store; based mostly on which seasoning packet looks the most legit. :-/ This time around, I picked up Stubbs Chili Fixins Cooking Sauce. http://www.stubbsbbq.com/product/chili-fixins/
Flogger Deviation: Stubbs Chili Fixings required minimal ingredients, so I included beans and stewed tomatoes to the mix.  The seasoning mix was a decent flavor and this recipe required beef broth to the mix. That is pretty unusual in my chili making experience.
Flogger Tip: I usually include both ground beef and ground sausage in any of my casserole dishes; making chili is no different. This give my chili a kick in flavor.
I mixed everything in the crock pot on a Tuesday night and threw it in the fridge. The next morning, my wonderfully helpful husband turned the crock pot on while I was on my way to work.
When I come home from work, my work with dinner begins. . . like I said previously, the chili experience in my house is all about the toppings.  Cheddar cheese, avocado, sour cream, croutons, crackers, hot sauce are all staples in my house when chili night comes around. The kids have fun deciding what toppings they want for dinner and they make their own chili dinner special.