Chili Mac

I am a huge connoisseur of all things chili. Even though it gives me heart burn like you wouldn't believe, I still love it and will eat it anyway. Because of my love of all things chili, I'm a huge fan of Hamburger Helper's Chili Mac. But damn those boxes are expensive and they never make enough for left overs. So I went on a quest to make my own and found a recipe for it here: Southernfood.about.com. I was skeptical at first looking at the ingredients. I mean, I make a pretty mean chili so I wasn't positive that this would turn out all right. But what the hell I love to experiment in the kitchen. Even if it turns out to be a huge flop at least I got to try a new recipe. And well, as it turns out, this recipe was a huge hit even though I didn't have all the ingredients. It tastes 5 times better then Hamburger Helper ever could.

Ingredients

1 to 1 1/2 pounds ground chuck, browned and drained well

2 cans (14.5 oz each) diced tomatoes with juice

1 can tomato paste (6 oz)

1 envelope taco seasoning mix

2 teaspoons ground cumin (I didn't have cumin so I substituted with cayenne pepper)

1 can (15oz) beans (pinto w/jalapenos, black, etc.) - (I used a can of black beans)

1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels, or 1 (16oz) can whole kernel corn, drained

1/2 cup chopped green pepper

Crushed red pepper to taste (optional)

2 tablespoons instant tapioca (I couldn't find instant tapioca at the store so I left this ingredient out)

1 package macaroni and cheese or shells and cheese, deluxe type (I didn't have the deluxe, so I used two boxes instead of one.)

Directions

Combine first 10 ingredients in a 3 1/2-quart or larger Crock Pot; cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Cook macaroni and cheese according to package directions and combine with Crock Pot mixture after it is done cooking (may need a separate large bowl). Add salt and pepper as desired.

Serves 6 to 8.

Anyway! Enjoy this meal. I'm sure it will be huge hit with the kids as it was with mine!