Navajo Tacos - Sister 2

Yesterday I had a craving for Navajo Tacos. (You might know these tacos by a different name, but to me and my family they have always been Navajo Tacos.)
So I invited some friends over for dinner and proceeded to make chili and fry bread for dinner.

Here is my Chili recipe:

1 lb Hot sausage
1 medium onion, diced
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Ancho chili powder
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 cup apple cider *
2 cans diced stewed tomatoes
2 cans pinto beans
2 cans black beans
1 sm can tomato sauce
Brown the sausage in a large pot. When the sausage is almost cooked through, add the onion and jalapeno. Cook until the onion and jalapeno are soft, then add the spices and the apple cider to deglaze the pan. Stir, and let it cook down a little. Then add all the canned tomatoes, beans and tomato sauce. Turn down the heat to low and simmer for an hour or two. You can also simmer the chili in a crockpot. Just follow the directions until adding the canned vegetables. Before adding the canned "stuff" transfer the sausage mixture to your crockpot and then add the canned stuff to the crockpot. Cover and simmer on low for a few hours.
*When I make chili for Navajo Tacos I leave out the apple cider because I don't want a little hint of sweetness in the Navajo Taco.

For Fry Bread I use my Mom's recipe. When I was very young my parents were foster parents to quite a few Navajo Girls who needed a place to live while they attended High School. My Mom got her Fry Bread recipe from some of these girls. Here is the recipe for Fry Bread.

Navajo Fry Bread

4 cups bluebird flour
2 tsp baking powder (I like to add 1 tsp more baking powder because it helps my Fry Bread be puffier.)
1 tsp salt
2 cups of water
1/3 cup powdered milk
Mix all ingredients in mixer with a dough hook. If the dough is sticky add a bit more flour. Let the dough rest for 1/2 hour. Then fry in Lard, if you don't have Lard (Which I never have bought) fry in crisco heated to 350 degrees. Fry on one side til golden brown then turn to other side til golden brown, then remove and let drain on a paper towel.

To assemble a Navajo Taco tear a piece of fry bread into small pieces. Pile chili, shredded cheese, tomatoes, onions and lettuce on top. Then Enjoy!