Super Spicy Beanless Chili

For the last month, I have put cayenne pepper in and on EVERYTHING. I can't stop. I'm beyond obsessed with spicy food.

I get food obsessions. They last about two months and then they go away. And God bless Andy for putting up with them, because my last little obsession was with FunDip, and you can't get that in stores anymore.

So the other night, I was going to make this chili, but Andy wouldn't let me because we already had one soup in the fridge, and we don't need another, blah blah blah, whine whine, eat the soup before it goes bad.

Not to mention I told him I was going to put the chili on hot dogs and Andy is not a hot dog fan. Even a little. At all. But that's another story for another time.

The soup is gone now, but I still felt like a little rebel when, while Andy was at work tonight, I made this. I'm not going to lie, it made my lips sting a little, but I wish it was hotter.

The true problem, my friends, is simply that I do not have access to ghost peppers. That and there's only one habanero in my house right now, and I'm saving that for some special recipe that I have yet to make up.

BUT, without further ado, here it is. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef

2 cloves minced garlic

1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce

1/4 yellow onion, chopped

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 c. chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper*

1 tbsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp paprika

1/3 c. Frank's original buffalo sauce

1/2 tsp sea salt

*If you're not as big a spicy fan as me, I'd recommend 1/2 tsp cayenne

Directions

1. Brown the ground beef and mix in the minced garlic at the end
2. In a large sauce pan, combine beef and garlic with the remaining ingredients; bring to simmering over medium heat
3. Reduce heat to medium-low, stirring occasionally, and let simmer for 40 minutes, or until desired thickness is achieved

I ate about half a cup of the chili as it cooked. 

I told myself I was making sure I had the flavor right.

Which I did. I totally did.

After I let the chili simmer for a good 45 minutes, I cooked up some incredibly delicious Hebrew National hot dogs (seriously, if you haven't tried them, DO IT RIGHT THIS SECOND. Most amazing hot dogs EVER), plunked 'em right down in some buns, slathered them in chili, then topped the whole thing with a "fiesta cheese" blend. Ole! 

Now CHOW DOWN!!! Then prop yourself up on about a dozen pillows when it's time for bed, cuz you're gonna have some heartburn. But if you're anything like me, the desire for tongue-sizzling chili far outweighs the aversion to a little bit of indigestion.