Chili Cook-off 2010

Ever since Emily got wind that the ward was hosting a Chili Cook-off she has requested to enter a pot in the contest. She complicated things this week by saying she wanted to make a unique chili - something different than my standard recipe. Something we've never made before is fine, but I wanted to make sure she would eat her chili too. I also wanted the recipe to be simple enough that she could literally make the chili all by herself. After consulting the one cookbook left on the self, and my Southern Living magazine, we found a recipe that fit all the criteria.

Emily's chili was really terrific, although it didn't even hit the judges radar screen. There was a lot of stiff competition this year, even with our attendance more than half what it typically is, (there was a big basketball game tonight between the two rival Kansas teams! thankfully our team pulled it out in the end, but man was it close!) Emily's chili was quite a hit with the audience members who tried it and she got LOTS of complements from them. It's a simple chili with great flavor and texture. It can be made with ground turkey, but since I forgot we had ground turkey in the freezer, she used the ground beef I knew about in the freezer.

Turkey-Black Bean Chili (from Jan. 2010, Southern Living)

(From SL) Black Bean Chili using meat crumbles or ground round received a "definitely a keeper" comment from our readers when we first shared it. Here is our update using ground turkey.

3 (15-oz.) cans black beans
1 large sweet onion, chopped
1 lb ground turkey (or ground round)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
4 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 ((14 oz.) can low-sodium fat-free chicken broth
2 (14.5 oz.) cans petite diced tomatoes with jalapeno peppers (we used one plain can, and one with green chilies)

Topping options: sour cream, shredded Cheddar cheese, sliced jalapeno peppers, chopped fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, lime wedges, corn chips.

Drain and rinse 2 cans blacks beans (do not drain or rinse the third can.)
Saute chopped onion and ground turkey in hot oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, 8-10 minutes or until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Stir in chili powder and next three ingredients; saute 1 minute. Stir in drained and undrained beans, chicken broth, and diced tomatoes.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Serve chili with desired toppings.

A fun addition to this years contest categories, cornbread. Hearing Emily was going to make something for the ward activity, Rebecca wanted to make something too. It took her a while, but she finally settled on cornbread muffins and made an excellent batch that was quickly gobbled up. It went up against Native American fry bread in the competition and didn't stand a chance! Someone brought homemade walnut honey butter - oh so very, very scrumptious, especially on Becca's great muffins.

* * * *
Today was a crazy day. It's our last weekend before the big move. Alex had a birthday party this morning, Kathy came and helped me pack boxes for most of the morning, and GR and I took a couple good sized loads to the basement of the new house. My Mom has been here all week long. She came to help with the kids so I can make better use of my time during the day. She was suppose to go back yesterday, because of assignments she had a home, but realized that since she was coming right back on Sunday, it wasn't worth the 10 hours in the car. And so she stayed. This morning, she got royally sick and has been in bed since about 9:30. This afternoon, GR and a friend gave her a priesthood blessing, and she says she's feeling a bit better but man, whatever she has, has really hit her hard! She did ask that we save her some of Emily's chili and one of Becca's muffins so she could try them.

ETA: Sunday morning about 3am, Mom woke up, felt up to eating a bit, and ate Emily's chili with Becca' muffin, and went back to bed. She was a bit slow moving today, but felt so much better. She said that in the blessing GR gave her, he said something to the effect of, ' this infection is going to take some time for you to recover from, but don't worry, we will be taken care of.' This has been so true.