Secret Weapon


Basketball season is a busy time around our house. I only have one daughter currently playing and it still consumes almost every day of the week. Sometimes we get too busy for dinner at home. Not only does this become costly, it also causes us to not have dinner together as a family way too often.
One thing I have tried to do while raising kids is have sit down meals together. I think dinner time is where so many memories are made.
I've had to re-think dinner time and come up with some creative solutions.
One of the most used appliances around here is the Crockpot. We aren't all always home at the same time anymore, but if I plan ahead we can all have a home cooked meal.

Last night we had a family favorite for a cold night.

Secret Ingredient Crockpot Chili

1 1/2 lb. hamburger meat
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
2 cans of Ranch Style beans
chili powder
cumin
garlic
onion
***1 can of pumpkin

Brown the ground beef with garlic and onion. Drain and add to crockpot. Add all other ingredients. Simmer all day on low until dinnertime! Easy!
I like to have a variety of toppings on hand. Our favorites are crackers, fritos, grated cheddar, sour cream, and green onion.


***This addition was a first last night. I had heard about this on another website. Great addition! The canned pumpkin cannot be detected. It changes the texture of the chili and makes it stretch for a large family. Also it is added nutrition.
Everyone in my family loved it. Shhhh!

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