Trying to make a decent Chili

I decided about a week ago that I was going to start using my slow cooker more often. Specifcally, I decided I was going to try and make a signature chili. I decided that I would start from humble beginnings and use the Chili Recipe on the McCormick Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning Package. It was a very basic recipe, with 5 ingredients:

1. 2 lbs. of Ground Turkey or Beef
2. 2 Cans of Kidney Beans (16 oz Each) – Drained
3. 2 cans of Diced Tomatoes (14.5 Oz Each) – Whole
4. 1 Can of Tomato Sauce (15.5 oz.)
5. 1 Package of McCormick Slow Cookers Chili Seasoning

I used Turkey Chili because both my son and I prefer the taste of Turkey over Beef.  I also used a single 28 oz. can of Muir Glen Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes and Cento Tomato sauce.

Well, I started with a basic recipe and ended up with a very basic Chili. M said that it had no flavor, and she was correct. It seems that the recipe was definitely made for Beef with some juices and fat still coating the meat. The Turkey I used was 99% fat free.

I wasn’t too upsed, I was planning on modifying the base recipe anyway. I will just have to modify the recipe a little more that I thought I would have to from the start. I am partial to having a tasty chili.

The Slow Cooker Chili Package has to go, but I have to have a decent replacement. I am thinking I should start with:

1. 1/4 cup of Chili powder
2. 1 tablespoon Ground Cumin
3. a couple of pinches of Salt
4. a couple of pinches of Pepper
5. 1 tablespoon of Celery Powder

I think my next attempt with cover the replacement of the McCormick’s Slow Cooker Chili Seasoning with the formula above, and include all the other items. This is probably as fast as I want to progress with this Signature Chili because I want to know when I put ingredient x in I get result y. So in the future I will probably only add and/or subtract only one ingredient and see how it works.

I am pretty sure I will have to add additional spices to the chili to make up for the exchange for Turkey for Beef.  Other items I look to add to the recipe in the future are Onions, Garlic and different kinds of beans. This will be an evolving receipe, probably for a long time, and I welcome all suggestions on how to improve my chili.