This is tasty chili. It's easy to make and feeds a family of five or one medium sized bachelor. This is my first published 'ible, so feedback is appreciated.

Step 1: Gear Up

you will need the following tools:

skillet
pot
spatula
spoon
measuring spoon
can opener
stove

Step 2: Materials

1 large can kidney beans
1 medium can baked beans
1 medium can tomatoes
1 pound ground meat of your choice (I use sausage)
2 tbsp dried onion
3 tbsp chili powder
hot pepper sauce of your choice
1/4 cup brown sugar or equivalent

Since I'm a type 1 diabetic, I use Splenda's brown sugar blend... you use half as much as you would normal brown sugar, so I just used a few tablespoons rather than 1/4 cup.

*NOTE* all seasoning amounts are approximate... I cook by feel rather than actually measuring stuff out. That way, my food suits my mood. If i want spicy, I go heavier on the chili powder and pepper sauce. If I want sweet, I go heavier on the brown sugar.

Step 3: Brown the Meat

get your skillet and spatula and start browning your meat. use the spatula to form the meat into medium sized chunks. The leaner your meat, the easier it is to keep in medium sized chunks.

Step 4: Start Building the Chili Base

While the meat is browning, put the 2 cans of beans in your pot. Stove should be on high at this point. Add in the dried onion and chili powder and give it a good stir.

Step 5: Finish the Assembly

Once the meat is fully browned, and mixture of beans and seasonings have reached a low simmer, it's time to put it all together.

some of the more health conscious among you may want to drain the excess fat off of the browned meat. Just drain it into one of the cans the beans came out of. personally, I leave it in there.

Pour the can of tomatoes, the meat, the brown sugar, and as much of the pepper sauce as you like into the big pot and stir. Bring the mixture back to a low simmer, cover and reduce to medium heat.

Step 6: WAIT!

Now it's time to let all the ingredients get good and acquainted with each other. Set your timer for around 20 minutes, grab a seasonal beverage, and relax. now's a perfect time to whip up some quick corn muffins... jiffy-mix cornbread muffins only take 25 minutes to make and go great with a hearty chili. I'll post an instructable about those later on.

Step 7: Taste, Adjust, Simmer More.

After 20 minutes, taste your chili. Now is the time to make adjustments.
Too sweet: cut the sweetness with something acidic... more pepper sauce usually does the job
Too spicy: add some sweetness, more brown sugar should take care of things
Too thick: add some water
Too thin: leave the cover off for the next 20 minutes

once you've made your adjustments, simmer for another 20 minutes.

Since this was my first time using the splenda brown sugar, mine was too sweet since I used too much. to adjust, I doubled the amount of pepper sauce, and added some more chili powder.

Step 8: Enjoy

Ladel up a bowl, grab a corn muffin or some tortilla chips, and enjoy. Too spicy for your taste? add some sour cream or shredded cheese. Not spicy enough? add a dash of pepper sauce.