Texas Chili

So one of the big deals around Texas is whether you use red or green chili peppers. Everyone seems to have an opinion, and it rivals the coke vs Pepsi debates I have witnessed; Or maybe even the Ford vs Chevy.
And I also found out that REAL Texas Chili does not have beans nor tomatoes.
Chili is a shortened version of Chili con Carne which means peppers with meat. Real texans make their chili with chunks of beef and red chili peppers and onion and few other ingredients. It is often referred to as a "bowl of red."
Beans were added to make it stretch to feed all the cow hands.
Tomatoes were a rare commodity for cowboys and were not used in their chili.
There are probably thousands of chili recipes and many claim to be the real deal. I don't know for sure so I will share my chili recipe with you.
But to be honest the only thing I knew about chili pepper is that it is found in the spice aisle and comes as a powder. And another thing, tomatoes are not a rare commodity anymore and in my opinion, they can improve just about anything, so I use them.

Noni's chili
2 lb hamburger
1 large onion diced
1 large green pepper diced
Salt and pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp oregano
1 12oz. Can tomato paste
1 can diced, fire roasted tomatoes
3 cans chili beans
1 tsp ground chili powder
1 tbsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (shh, that's a secret)
1 cup water

Brown hamburger with onion, green pepper, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano in a big pot. Break up the meat as it cooks. When browned, drain but don't rinse. Add tomato paste and reduce heat. Stir until blended.
Add remaining ingredients. Turn heat to low and cover pot. Cook for 20 minutes to blend flavors, stirring often. You can add more water if you like thinner chili. I like it thick.

Serve with cornbread and syrup.