Easy Delicious Chili!

My mom gave me this recipe when I moved out 11 years ago and it's always been one of my favourites.  It's just so simple to make, especially once I got a crock pot (also from my mom:)).  Ok, I think I say that all of my recipes are easy, but this one really, really is!  And it costs less than $10 to make 4 large bowls of it.  I always make my chili into chili cheese fries, because I think that's the best way to eat it.  My hubby eats his with Tostitos.  We both top it with grated cheese, sour cream, and chopped green onion though.  It's also great with homemade cornbread.  Ok, I'm getting hungry, can't wait to leave work so that I can go home and eat some of this!

Chili

1 lb. ground beef

1 can tomato soup

1 can browned beans in tomato sauce

1 can kidney beans (small or large can, depends on how much you like them)

1 pkg. chili seasoning...or make your own (see below)

1 onion

1 celery stick

1 carrot (optional)

Peel carrot and remove skin from onion.  Finely chop the vegetables by hand or in a food processor.  Add a little bit of oil to a large frying pan and cook them for a few minutes to soften.*  Put them into a crock pot.  Brown the beef in the frying pan, drain, and add to crock pot.  Add all the other ingredients to the crock pot, stir, cover, and cook on low for anywhere from 2-8 hours.  Serve with any combination of sour cream, grated cheddar, sliced green onions, or bacon bits.  

*My crock pot will only cook vegetables fully if it's set to high heat, that's why I pre-cook them. I don't like crunchy pieces in my chili!  If you don't cook them first, you will definitely need to keep them in the crock pot for more than 2 hours.

Homemade chili seasoning:

This seasoning is good, but it does lack the bright red colour that the store-bought stuff has.  I just assume that means it has no dyes and is therefore healthier:)

-1 tsp. paprika

-1 tsp. cayenne pepper

-1 tsp. oregano

-2 tsp. ground cumin

-2 tsp. garlic powder