To answer your question, Vixmom, I like hot chili, but I made it medium yesterday. I only used ground beef and pork, onion, garlic, tomatoes, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper and a few other spices to make it richer.
I like the Cincinnati chili style of building the chili afterwards, so you can add beans, cheese or a starch (pasta, rice, corn chips) and raw onion if you want.