[QUOTE=Raguleader]
Actually, I found a big jar of the stuff in the back, no idea how old it is, of course. The thing is, I dunno how spicy a cup of chili powder will make this, since my family doesn’t exactly share my love of spicy food (my mom made a beef/veggie soup dish of some sort the other day, and while everyone else (mom included) thought it was so hot as to be barely tolerable, I could barely taste it and was adding pepper for flavor. (The next day, the dish was nice and spicy, so maybe it just needed time to ferment or something). 
I figure it’s better to under-spicy the chili than it is to over-spicy it, since we have a variety of hot sauces (note to self: Buy tobasco sauce) that can be added if needed. Of course, if it gets over-spicy-ed, they can always cook hotdogs and I’ll have lunch for a month. 
[/QUOTE]
Yes, I also can’t tell you how hot it will be, since I don’t know how hot is was when new, how long it’s been stored under what conditions, etc. But we can work with it.
Have you ever made a basic meat sauce for spaghetti? Chili is the same thing, minus the basil, plus chili powder and cumin and beans (if you like beans.)
Cut up an onion and cook it in a pan over medium heat with a pound of ground beef. Throw in some chopped garlic when your onion looks almost translucent. How much? Two or three cloves. More if you like garlic. If you want to add green peppers or celery or anything fancy, do it now. Add a couple of cans of diced tomato, and if you have it, a can of diced chilli peppers. If you want beans, throw in a can or two (stir it up and see if it looks right - you’ll lose some water as it cooks, but see if the meat/bean ratio looks like you like it.) or a couple of handfuls of dried, rinsed beans. Good bean varieties, as mentioned, are kidney (classic midwestern chili bean), pinto, black bean (the most nutritious), white beans, pink beans. Heck, I’ve even used garbanzos in a pinch (don’t tell anyone from Texas, mmmm’kay?). Now throw in about a Tablespoon of dried oregano, a Tablespoon of chili powder and a Tablespoon of cumin. Get it bubbling, then turn the heat down real low, and let it simmer for an hour before you taste it. Now, taste it. What’s it lacking? Probably salt, so add some. If it’s just bland as all get out, add more chili powder. If it’s needs more “undertone”, an almost musky deep heat, then add more cumin. Let it simmer a while longer to let the heat come out of your dried spices. Taste again.
I’ve made chili in less than five hours, but it takes at least two. It’s always better the next day, though, as the flavors throw a little party in your fridge and get to know each other better.
Serve with chopped onion, shredded cheese, sour cream and oyster crackers, if you got 'em. Freeze any leftovers, and your next cooking night can be Chili-Mac. Just boil a pound of elbow macaroni and serve the leftovers over it.