Sweet Chili
1 quart apple cider (get the real stuff, not that mis-labeled apple juice crap they're so fond of selling round here)
1.5 quarts tomato or vegetable juice
1 can cranberry sauce (berries in or out, doesn't matter much)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 lb lamb chunks (beef costs half as much, but is half as tender; your call)
1 lb ground pork
1 box of sliced mushrooms (hell if I know how much those usually are, 10 oz?)
1 jalapeno pepper, cut however finely you like
2 habanero peppers, see above
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 can beans (whatever kind you put in your chili, put here)
1 tsp(?) vanilla extract (having never measured it, I actually have no idea how much I pour in so I'm just putting a number that sounds reasonable)
2-3 tbsp cocoa powder
Seasonings: Put all these in to taste. * indicates one that's essential, the others are just the ones I use.
Garlic*
Cinnamon*
Cumin
Caraway seed
Lemon pepper
Dried red chili peppers (they're advertised as Japanese chili pods around here, dunno about how accurate that is) to reach desired level of spiciness (I don't add any, myself, unless I'm actually going for spicy)
Optional: Caffeinate by the addition of 400 mg caffeine, usually in the form of 2 pills. Actually, this is just something I do with all my food around exam time, ensuring I maintain a constant low-level amount in my system. It's hell when I go into withdrawal eventually, but meh. Worth it.
Combine all ingredients in large pot. Heat on high until it begins to boil, then on the slightly low end of medium for 3 to 4 hours, with no lid (you need to boil off a fair bit of water till it gets thicker; add more cider or juice if it gets too thick and starts to burn, and make sure to stir it every so often). The longer you cook it, the better it tastes, as is the way of chili. It'll keep on the stove indefinitely as long as you boil it every day, and ideally make sure to keep a lid on it when it's not open, not opening it when it's not hot (as it cools, it'll form an airtight-ish seal with the lid, but once you open it that's gone; it's canning but far less effective). This one's pretty mild (which, by my definition, means I can drink a can of soda with it).
Note that, as per usual, I've eyeballed the ingredients completely. So follow these instructions as written at your own risk; use your own judgment if a volume sounds suspicious.
