Hi Everyone,

We had such a busy Halloween this year with all the donated raffles to prepare and the baking that went on in my kitchen. I promised to post the recipes for our traditional Halloween night chili and sour cream cornbread, so here it is……..

We have been making this meal for the past 25 years for Halloween and every year we just can’t give it up. It’s officially a tradition.

The only difference is now is instead of having all my sons friends over for chili, we freeze half the chili to deliver to my son, who is now an adult and lives over 8 hours away from us- it is part of a food “care package” for him because he misses all the family traditions.

I am working on some new recipes for sweet and savory meals coming up in the next few weeks (so keep your eye out for something new), but I wanted to make sure I posted the chili and cornbread for those of you who have been waiting. Enjoy!

Turkey and Three Bean Chili

Ingredients:

1- 2 tbsp. olive olive

1 large onion- diced (1 cup)

4 garlic cloves – minced

2 bell peppers- diced (I use one green and one red just for color)

3 carrots- diced in coins

2 (1 lb.) pkgs. of ground turkey OR ground beef

2 tsp. ground cumin

2 tsp. chili powder

2 tsp. cayenne

2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. oregano

salt & fresh ground pepper to taste

1 capful of hot sauce (Frank’s red hot or Revenge)

4 tsp. of green chiles (fire-roasted in a can found in the Mexican food aisle- I use the entire 4 oz. can of MILD because I find if I don’t use them all at once, I just end up throwing them out.

2 cups of water

1 ( 28 oz.) can of crushed tomatoes

1 (15.5 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5 oz) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 (15.5 oz) can pink beans (or pinto beans), drained and rinsed

½ cup green scallions plus additional for garnish

1 bag of shredded cheese (cheddar, jalapeno, or Mexican blend) for garnish

Sour cream for garnish

Optional–Chipolte peppers in adobo sauce (also in a can in the Mexican food aisle). These are very spicy so be careful…I usually use 1 or 2 chopped up because I like heat in my chili. You can freeze the rest for another meal.

Optional – for some added spice, I use a squirt of sriracha sauce ( You can tell I like spicy)

Cooks Note: if you choose to use both optional items perhaps you should keep a box of tissues handy on the table for the watery eyes and the runny noses that will follow from the spicy heat.

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat.

Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper, and carrots, COVER and cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

In the meantime, combine your spices, cumin, cayenne, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper.

After the vegetables are soft, ADD the spice mixture and stir well to incorporate the spices and vegetables. Cook for 1 minute.

Add the ground turkey or beef, raise the heat to high, and cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon into bite-size pieces, until the meat is no longer pink.

Reduce the heat to medium-high and stir in the tomatoes, water, green chiles, hot sauce, and scallions.

Add the chopped chipotle chiles in adobo sauce and sriracha, if using.

Cook partially covered, stirring from time to time for 30 minutes.

Remember, taste for seasonings!

Stir in the beans and continue cooking, partially covered, 20 minutes longer, stirring occasionally.

Season to taste with salt and fresh ground pepper before serving.

Garnish with shredded Hot Jalapeno, cheddar, or Mexican cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and additional scallions.

Serve with Sour Cream Cornbread (recipe to follow)

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Sour Cream Cornbread

(To get the top crusty -I used a lot of butter on top of the cornbread before baking but that is not really part of the recipe- just a personal preference- Follow the recipe as written and your cornbread will be lighter in color.)

You will need an 8 X 8 square pan

(I prefer a glass pan, I think it cooks evenly in glass)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Ingredients:

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup yellow cornmeal (fine or medium-coarse)

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt 

1 cup full-fat sour cream

1/4 cup whole milk

1 egg (beaten)

2 TBSP. melted butter

Additional butter and raw honey for garnish

Directions:

In a bowl mix all your dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine.

In a separate bowl mix all your wet ingredients – sour cream, milk, beaten egg, and melted butter. Whisk until well combined

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. (Batter will be very sticky)

Pour the batter into a greased, 8 X 8 square pan. Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean

Cut into squares. Best served warm with extra butter or raw honey.

Enjoy!

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I hope you try both recipes and enjoy!

Until my next post, make every day a celebration!

Diane

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