I will be frank with you. If I am making chili during the week when I am busy with life, then I resort to store-bought chili powder along with an extra hit of ground cumin. I realize that there could be all kinds of strange and unusual ingredients that have been ground into that bottle of chili powder, but I don't mind being ignorant to them for the sake of convenience. If I'm making chili on a lazy weekend afternoon, then I add dried spices individually. If you're ambitious, you can grind the spices yourself and make your own chili powder to use in the future. Chili powders include, but are not limited to: ground chili, oregano, cumin, cayenne pepper, paprika, and garlic powder.
Seasoning the Chili:
Add ½ c chili powder to the beef, vegetables (and beans if you added them) in the crock pot. I like heat in my chili, so I throw in some additional cayenne pepper (about 2-3 additional Tbsp) as well as cumin (additional 1 tsp) for a smokier flavor. Add salt and pepper to taste, though salt is something you can always add when you serve it.
Just because the summer sun is rapidly setting and cooler days are just around the corner doesn't mean that you have to say goodbye to the good old barbecue grill. You can keep the spirit of grilling alive with these adorable little salt and pepper shakers in the shape of kettle grills. Each shaker, made of ceramic, metal, and plastic, stands 3 ½" x 2 ½" x 2 ½" on three legs, two of which have tiny wheels that so that they can roll across the tabletop. They are avilable online at 
Chocolate-stuffed bananas on the grill
Tyler Florence welcomes new daughter
Beware kids' menus!
