Chili

Chili is great for a number of reasons.  According to my husband, you can eat chili all year around, compared to soup that you can only have in the winter.  Another great thing about chili is that you can eat it in so many different ways.  You can eat it with rice, noodles, baked potatoes, oven fries, french fries, Doritos (according to my husband), fry bread, or hot dogs; you can serve it with all kinds of toppings, such as cheese, sour cream, plain yogurt, chopped onions, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.
Here is a very basic recipe.  You can add chopped celery and/or green peppers if you like.  The recipe calls for pinto beans, but I have also used kidney, black, and great northern beans.  I like using multiple kinds in the same recipe to add variety.  This recipe freezes well.

Chili

1 lb dry pinto beans OR 3 cans beans
1 lb ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
3 cans (14.5 oz) chopped tomatoes
1/2 tsp garlic salt
1 1/2-2 1/2 tsp salt
1/2- 1 Tbs chili powder

Cook dry beans.  When beans are recipe-ready, cook ground beef and onions until meat is cooked, and onions are soft.  Drain excess fat.  Add remaining ingredients.  Cover and simmer 1-2 hours.