New Year's Day Chili

Happy 2009. Today we got the year off to a great start. Todd has hosted a "Chili Ride" Party for many years, and this year I got to host it with him. I had helped make the chili last year, so I had a bit of practice. When we woke up this morning, it was 4 degrees, windy and there was 6 inches of snow on the ground from yesterday's storm, but the sun was shining, so we had that on our side. The wind chill was making for below zero temps, but we decided we should still bundle up and head out for a shorter than usual ride. We named the ride "Destination: Coffee" and 13 of us headed to the Starbuck's in Lexington by way of the snowy bike path. We had lots of fun trying to figure out how to best maneuver our way in the snow.
Back at the house, more people joined us and we had A LOT of food. I sampled pretty much everything: spinach bread bowl dip; fettuccine with veggies; baked mac and cheese; curried lentil soup; salad; sweet potato casserole; stuffed mushrooms; pb&j cookies, chocolaty marshmallow squares, cherry pie, hot mulled apple cider; brownies; and of course, chili.
Todd and I made 5 batches of chili, 3 of which had meat in it. That's a lot of chili! I think we'll be eating it for several days. Todd has allowed me to share his "secret" recipe:

Thick and Hearty Chili
1 tblsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1 small zucchini, diced
1 bell pepper, chopped
8 oz mushrooms, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 14 oz can tomato sauce
1 4 oz can chili peppers, diced
4 cups cooked kidney, black, pinto and/or adzuki beans
2-3 tblsp chili powder
1 tblsp dried oregano
2 tspns cumin
2 tspns paprika
1 tblsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tspn cayenne pepper

1. Heat olive oil in large soup pot. Add veggies and sautee for 20 minutes, sitrring requently.
2. Add tomatoes, beans and spices, cook for 30 minutes, stirring frequently
3. Add vinegar, simmer for a few minutes

optional toppings: sour cream, fresh cilantro, shredded cheese, slice black olives