LB - My wife is an absolute chilli nut. She hardly ever cooks, when she does it's always her blasted chilli. She makes it in the "traditional" way, beef, tomato, beans, garlic, chilli powder, that's about it. I've never interfered by suggesting anything different to her, 'cos why would I discourage her from making her one meal each month?
A while back we got into a debate about chilli, and beans and ingredients etc. She said "go ahead, make me your stinking chilli".
So I made it the way I'd always made it back before I met her, and it sounds a lot like your interpretation. Here's roughly what I do -
My wife tried it and reluctantly said it's the best chilli she's ever tasted. So her cooking days are basically over
(I'm happy about it really, she sucks at cooking).