No matter how you make it, chili's great for a winter's day

Last week we asked our readers what their favorite comfort food was on cold winter nights.

While macaroni and cheese was the number one vote-getter, chili was a close second. And why not? It's one of those dishes that warms you both inside and out.

Recipes for chili comes in many different varieties.

Put a dozen cooks in a kitchen and ask them all to make chili, and I guarantee you will have 12 very different recipes.

It's no different in my house, where there are only two cooks me and my husband, Jim.

I prefer a milder, simple chili (You can find that recipe here at tnonline.com/2013/dec/04/easy-does-it); while my husband enjoys a spicier, more robust version.

After years of eating chili the way I made it, which is the way my mother always made it, he came up with his own recipe.

It's a very good, much more traditional offering, and I enjoy it very much.

Depending on our mood, or what we have in the house, we will serve either version on rice, spaghetti, tortilla chips or all by itself.

You can also top it with some grated cheddar cheese or sour cream.

Jim's Chili

with Beans

1 pound lean ground beef

1 pound top round, cut in 1-inch pieces

1 28-ounce can red kidney beans

1 28-ounce can pinto beans

2 large onions, chopped

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon red pepper

1/2 cup chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

3 tablespoons flour

Tabasco sauce (optional)

Water, as needed

Brown beef, add onions. Add beans (do not drain), and remaining ingredients except for flour and water.

Cook for 1-2 hours, adding water as needed to keep from burning.

Just before serving, combine flour with enough water to form a thin paste. Add to chili to thicken.

Add Tabasco sauce to taste for additional kick, if desired.

For more recipes, go to tnonline.com/lifestyle/comfort-and-joy