Turkey Taco Chili

I love Fall. Let me say that again. I LOVE FALL. It's my favorite season, bar none. 

I'm one of those people who... {how do I put this...} is very in touch with my feelings. Yes, I think that's a good way to explain it. And Fall has always given me that warm, cozy, lovely, nostalgic, snuggly feeling inside every year it rolls around. 

When Fall comes, it's time to get a lot of things accomplished. In our house, this to-do list is comprised of the following: Watch A LOT of football, build fires in the firepit, roast marshmallows in said firepit, drink a little beer around same firepit (it's just necessary), raking leaves, possibly proceeding to jump in those piles of leaves (my husband and I are and will always be kids at heart), hosting a Halloween party, eating candy and various baked goods, spending an exceptional amount of time outdoors {OMG it's time to plan our next camping trip!! *insert squeals of excitement*}... OK, I think you catch my drift. The Curtis household loves Fall.

Fall also means it's time to make chili. It's a scientific fact.

That's why I'm presenting you with my favorite chili recipe: Turkey Taco Chili. It's easy peasy, a great source of protein, darn tasty, and bonus - it's fun to say {I'm far too easily amused}. It's also a man-pleaser in my experience. DJ and our group of guy friends all love it. In fact, I will be serving this tonight for dinner before we all go out back to gather around the...you guessed it! Firepit! This Fall-loving, expert mallow-roasting, outdoorsy girl is pretty excited about it. 

Here's the recipe... I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

(**Note: This is pretty spicy, because that's how we like it. If you're not a fan of spice, hold back on the cajun seasoning or red pepper flakes, or both. Play with the spices and do what works best for you!)

You will need:

1/2 cup chopped frozen onion (or you can use 1/2 medium onion, chopped)

1/2 Tbsp olive oil

1 lb. ground turkey

2 cans low-sodium tomato soup

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

2 cans corn

2 cans kidney beans

2 cans light beer

2 heaping Tbsp chili powder

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1/2 Tbsp garlic salt

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/4 tsp ground Jamaican allspice

1 tsp cajun/creole seasoning

1 tsp sugar

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions. Sautée 2-5 minutes, or until translucent. Add turkey. Cook until no longer pink. If some pieces are still not completely cooked through, that's okay, since all of this is going into the slow-cooker in a little bit. Set turkey/onion mixture aside on paper towel-lined plate. 

2. Add tomato soup, black beans, corn, kidney beans, and turkey/onion mixture to slow cooker. Pour in about 1 and 1/2 cans of the beer and give it a good stir. Add more if the chili seems too thick. It should look something like this -

- And maybe take a little sip of your own beverage while you're pouring... -

3. Add your spices. Now put the lid on, and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. 

4. Serve with some shredded cheddar, a dollop of sour cream (or greek yogurt is great too), and cornbread on the side. 

Dee. Lish. 

Pilot

Let's just throw this out there: I'm new at this. All of it. 

You know when you're having one of those Fridays at home when you should be studying for your test on Monday, but instead, you procrastinate studying by being incredibly productive in all areas of housekeeping, netflix-watching, and starting new blogs? Thought so. Well, I'm having one of those days. So here you have it... My first blog post. My "pilot" episode. We'll see how this goes ;)

I've actually been wanting to start one of these little blog thingys for awhile. Almost every time I cook, I find myself trying to snap pictures of the whole process, usually in hopes of posting them later and showing off the meal I cooked, while of course paying due credit to the original recipe creator. And I typically have a big cheesy grin {Mmm, cheese...} on my face while doing it. You can ask my husband or my friends, and they'll back me up on that statement. But let's be real. There's only so many instagram photos of food I can post before they start getting...annoying redundant. I think that's the word I'm looking for. So, here it is. I'm doing this. Here goes! Let's do this... OK, I'll stop now. (Can you tell I'm a little nervous?)

So let's talk about the bad news. I'm not cooking anything today. I know, I know. How boring is that? But honestly... How am I supposed to with all the procrastinating I have to do?! But for real y'all, I sadly have not been able to go on my weekly grocery store trip to stock up. And I can't drive right now (Long story. Don't ask.) So, no recipes today. But there's good news! I'll be stocking up sometime in the next couple days. Dennis (AKA DJ, husband, hubs, hubby, hubster...) and I are hosting a Halloween party/birthday party, complete with costumes, next Saturday for my sweet friend Misty. I really couldn't be more thrilled about it {OH. gotta remember to put Thriller on the playlist...}. I'll be making lots of fun recipes in preparation for that. So get pumped for some fun Halloween posts in the near future. In the meantime, have a kick-A weekend if you would. I would truly appreciate that! 

DJ and I will be enjoying our weekend at the movies this evening, and hopefully enjoying some super healthy movie snacks ;) Like Whoppers and Coke ICEEs. Ah, the sugary frosty goodness... Can't wait!

Till next time! Mrs. Curtis, out.