I sent this in a while back and it has a good chili powder recipe on it, so here it is again. "Seasoned Greetings" -- From the L.A. Times. The most important ingredients in chili are the spices, and many cooks jealously guard their special blends. But there is a way you can give away your chili recipe without giving away the whole thing. Bottle your seasonings and attach the recipe--without the spice instructions. Tell them that information is too hot to handle. If you don't have a favorite spice mix or chili recipe, you can borrow ours. BASIC SPICE MIX 2 tablespoons ground cumin 2 tablespoons pasilla chile powder 2 tablespoons California chile powder 1 tablespoon salt 2 tablespoons basil 2 tablespoons oregano 2 tablespoons dry mustard 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder Chili powder comes in more varieties than basic red. In the Latino sections of most supermarkets, you can find ground chiles from different kinds of peppers, including pasilla and California chiles. Combine cumin, pasilla and California chile powders, salt, basil, oregano, dry mustard, cayenne pepper and garlic powder. Mix well. 2 cups. THREE-BEAN-AND-MEAT CHILI 1 pound mild or hot Italian sausage 4 pounds lean ground beef 1/4 cup olive oil 4 onions, chopped plus extra for garnish 1 cup Basic Spice Mix or spices of choice 1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste 1/2 cup red wine 1 (1-pound) can crushed tomatoes 2 (1-pound) cans peeled tomatoes 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans 1 (15-ounce) can black beans 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans 1 pound Cheddar cheese, grated, optional 1 bunch cilantro, chopped, optional Remove sausage from casings and add with ground beef to large stock pot over medium-high heat. Brown meat, then cook through, about 15 minutes. Using slotted spoon to drain excess fat, transfer meat to large mixing bowl. Discard any excess fat from pot. Heat olive oil in same stock pot, add onions and cook over low heat, until translucent, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low, stir in Basic Spice Mix, tomato paste and wine. Stir in crushed and peeled tomatoes. Add kidney, black and pinto beans and simmer, uncovered, stirring often for 30 minutes. Serve with grated cheddar cheese, extra chopped onion and chopped cilantro . 16 servings Chili Jar 1 to 2 cups spice mix 1 jar Hand-written recipe card Decorative ribbon or trim * Place spice mix in jar and decorate as desired. Use paints, for instance, to draw chile peppers on the jar. * Attach recipe card to jar with decorative ribbon. Judy Howle howle@ebicom.net Flavors of the South Recipes for "heat lovers" http://www.ebicom.net/~howle Hot and Spicy Food Editor Suite 101 http://www.suite101.com/topics/page.cfm/462