Chillin' Out Making Chili

Last night on the way home from work, I was trying to decide what I would make for dinner. The only criteria was that there should be left overs for lunch the next couple of days. I'm kind of easy to please like that. As I was talking on the phone (while I was driving, but you should never do) I decided that I would make chili. Now I don't really know a good chili recipe. My mom taught me how to make her chili, but that was years ago and the only ingredients I really remember were beans and ground beef. So I decided to start there and kind of make my own recipe as I went along. I know. This could have turned out horrible and I would have a bunch of gross chili that just sat in the fridge. But it didn't. It actually turned out really well. At least I think it turned out really well. And my roommate seemed to like it too. But I thought I would put the recipe that I made up as I went along to see if anyone else thinks it's any good too. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Chili
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 15oz cans of beans (pinto, kidney, black,
etc.) rinsed and drained
2 10oz cans diced tomatoes with green
chilies
2 8oz cans tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
2 bay leaves
2 Tablespoons hot sauce

Brown & drain ground beef. Combine ground beef, canned beans, tomatoes with green chilies, tomato sauce, spices, and hot sauce in a large pot. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer covered for 20 - 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Now this recipe is in no way perfected. In fact there are some things that I would like to do different next time. I want to try using steak instead of ground beef, maybe add some flour to thicken up the sauce, and add onions and bell peppers. But in my opinion this first try turned out extremely well and no one is more surprised than myself. Like I said, if anyone decides to make it, let me know what you think by commenting.