Chili con Carne    (after a Betty Crocker recipe)

2 cups dried red beans   | 3 bay leaves
2 lbs raw ground meat*   | 2 Tbsp salt
5-6 lg onions, chopped   | 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
3 green peppers, diced** | 1 tsp paprika
7 lbs tomatoes ***       | 2 Tbsp chili powder

*   Ground beef or turkey or chicken or . . .

**  I have also done 4 green peppers, together
    with two each yellow and red bell peppers

*** 4 large cans tomatoes, or 7 smaller cans, or
    7 pounds peeled fresh tomatoes

Sort the beans into a 3-qt saucepan; wash in cold
water; fill pan to about 3/4 full with water.
Add salt and bay leaves.  Bring to a boil and
simmer**** until done (concurrent with the chili).
Remove the bay leaves before combining the beans
AND their cooking liquor with the chili.

Brown ground meat (with oil, if very lean meat
like turkey or chicken) in a stock pot (at least
8 or 10 quarts); when brown, add the onion and
bell pepper and cook until the onion is tender.
Add the tomatoes (with juice, if canned) and the
rest of the seasonings (bay leaves and salt are
with the beans).  Bring to a boil, then simmer****
for about 2 hours (until the beans are ready and
the tomatoes have mostly cooked down).  Add the
beans and their liquor.

**** If you don't want a somewhat soupy chili, use
a fast simmer to boil off some of the liquid.  Be
sure that the beans are covered with liquid
throughout their cooking.