Chili & Cornbread

I made a big honkin' pot of chili Saturday and a couple of loaves of yeast cornbread and had my mom and sister over for supper. The chili started with this recipe (Wendy's Chili Recipe) but I modified it quite a bit.

Formerly Wendy's Chili

2lbs ground beef (chuck, round, whatever, turkey is good too)
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 can rotel
1 lg (15oz) can tomato sauce
1 huge (28oz) can diced tomatoes (we like petite diced)
3 cans of beans (any kind, I used 2 chili and 1 ranch)
1 can water (maybe more)
3 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
Dash oregano
Dash paprika
Salt, pepper, and ground red pepper to taste

Brown beef, drain & rinse in hot water. Sautee onion, celery, and bell pepper. Mix tomatoes and sauce in large pan with seasonings. Add beef, veggies, water and beans (undrained) and stir it all together. Cover and Simmer at least 2 hours, the longer the better, stirring every 15 minutes or so. You may need to add a little more water as it simmers, depending on your family's tastes. Serve with Fritos, shredded cheese, sour cream, and green onion, if desired. Yum!

Yeast Cornbread

1 cup milk
6 Tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 cup warm water
2 packages. dry yeast
2 beaten eggs
3 1/2 cups unsifted flour
1 3/4 cups yellow corn meal

Scald milk; stir in sugar, salt and butter. Cool until lukewarm. Measure warm water into large bowl. Sprinkle yeast on water and stir until dissolved; then stir into warm milk mixture. Add eggs, flour and corn meal. Beat 2 minutes. Batter will be stiff. Place in two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans; cover and let rise until doubled in bulk. Bake at 375 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. Makes 2 loaves.