Christmas Chili

The only reason I call this Christmas Chili is because of a Christmas party that we've gone to since it started a couple years ago. At this party there has always been a chili cookoff contest and prizes were awarded. I never entered in  chili, I just wanted to go and have fun. But last year I thought at the last minute, why not? So I whipped up some chili taking a few different recipes and smashing them all together to kind of make my own and BAM, I won 2nd place! Granted, there were only 8 entries and the top 3 won, but still! The other chili's were awesome. There was everything from green chili, red chili, all-bean chili, no-meat chili, white chili, you name it. The theme to this Christmas party has always been Cowboy Christmas. It's awesome. Some of our good friends host it out in the country near Johnstown, CO and it is an absolute blast every year. Some years colder and more snowy than others but still a great time with great friends. That is one thing I am going to miss so much about being in Arizona this year. Might have to make this chili just to remember them all!

1 lb ground italian sausage (use ground beef for less spice)
1 onion chopped
1-2 cloves garlic chopped
1 green or rell bell pepper chopped (add another for more veggie if you like)
1 can black beans, drained & rinsed
1 can corn, drained
1-2 cans diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper

Add onions, garlic, bell peppers and a small bit of olive oil to a pan/skillet and cook for a few mintues until soft and onions are translucent. Cook the italian sausage (the secret ingredient!) in the same pan/skillet until cooked through. Now bring out the crock pot. Turn on medium heat, or low if you're going to cook it all day. Add the meat mixture and add beans, corn and tomatoes. **Here you can add more tomaotes if you like. I'm trying to remember if I added more, since I obviously did this on the fly and didn't write it down. Of course you can alter this and make it all tomatoes and no beans, all beans and not tomatoes, etc. Add the spices to your tasting and let it cook on medium for about 1 hour or low for 3-4 hours. I've been known to add more spice (fire) to my meals so here I think I added some hot sauce. Feel free to make this however you want. Like I said, I used many different recipes and ka-booshed them together to make my own.