Excellent base recipe- however, I did alter it quite a bit to make it a full 5 stars. First, I substituted 2 pounds of lean, ground turkey in place of the ground beef. I browned the meat and added the onions, salt, pepper and garlic to the meat for about 2 minutes for the flavors to meet. I then transferred it to the slow-cooker along with the other ingredients. There's no need to drain, because the meat is so lean, and the juices add wonderful flavor to the chili. I reduced the salt by one tsp, used one can of diced tomatoes with zesty chiles (because we like things with a bit of a kick) and one can of diced tomatoes with green pepper and onion. I also added one tsp of cumin, and diced two celery stalks and added it to the rest of the ingredients. I cooked it on low for about 6 hours. Truly the best chili I have ever made. Everyone was begging for seconds!!

Reviewed On: Sep. 12, 2010

Very good, once a few changes are made. First, as others have suggested, I added 1/4 cup of Worcestershire sauce to the meat along with 2 cloves of minced garlic, however, i added it, AFTER I drained the meat. Also, I added one bag of frozen, mixed veggies and placed them directly on top of the meat mixture in the baking dish. I did not mix carrots with the mashed potatoes, I did however use instant because we prefer them to be lump free. GREAT recipe! Everyone always begs for more!!!

Reviewed On: Jan. 26, 2008

Very good and simple recipe. I give it a four because I made some changes for it to be a complete 5!! I added a 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, 1/4 tsp of parsley, salt and pepper to taste. and used organic chicken broth in place of water and one can of cream of chicken, and one of cream of celery, as other users suggested. Also, I added one bag of FROZEN mixed veggies (corn, beans and carrots)along with three celery stalks with the leaves (which I removed before eating) I added frozen veggies, because they are fresher than canned and maintain a very nice consistency when it is time to eat. Last, and perhaps most importantly, when there is about 30 minutes left of cooking time, I added my own biscuits. The first time I made the recipe with the refrigerator biscuits, and they were not the consistency of the traditional dumplings in my mother's soup. Therefore, I mixed 2 cups of bisquick with 1/3 cup of milk. The dumplings and soup turned out GREAT!!! With these alterations, this is definitely one that will keep them coming back for seconds and thirds!!!

Reviewed On: Jan. 26, 2008