What's For Supper? Turkey Chili & Corn Bread

Quick & Easy. Two words that always get a Mama excited when it comes to Supper. When I get home from work, somedays, the last thing I want to do is make Supper, BUT, I can't have my babygirl cooking. Maybe when she turns 4 we'll give it a whirl. :-)

After going over a list of what I had on hand, because I was NOT going to go to the grocery store and fight the after work crowds, I decided to make Chili. I didn't have ground beef on hand, but I did have ground turkey. Healthier, so that's an added bonus. I don't always make this recipe the same way. It depends on my mood, so, another plus is that this recipe is versatility. Add what you want. Work with what you have on hand.

Ingredients

1 lb. Ground Turkey, cooked
Onion (however much you want), chopped ( I didn't have an onion, so I used my dried, minced onion)
1 Red Pepper, chopped
1 Green Pepper, chopped
Olive Oil
Chili Powder (at least 4 Tbsp)
Ground Cayenne Pepper (I add between 1/2 - 1 tsp, but add as much or as little as you like, or can handle)
Mrs. Dash, Southwest Chipotle (I use 2 - 3 tsp.)
Mrs. Dash, Fiesta Lime ( 1 - 2 tsp.)
1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can Chile Style diced tomatoes (about 15 oz size can)
1 can Red Kidney Beans
1 can Diced tomatoes w/onion, celery & green pepper
(again, use what you have on hand, mix it up. All these can are about 15 oz each)

Directions

In a small frying pan, brown your ground turkey. While that is cooking, add some olive oil to the saucepan you will be cooking your chili in, and add your chopped peppers and onions. While the veggies are cooking, I like to add my spices. Chili powder, Cayenne, Mrs. Dash combos. Add what you like. Maybe a little Sage, or Pepper. Whatever suits your taste. Have FUN with it. :-)

Once the turkey is browned, I add it to my seasoned veggies, and mix it up, usually adding more of my spices.

Veggies, ground turkey and seasonings all mixed up. Yum.

Now it's time to dump in your canned tomoatoes. Crushed, diced, seasoned or not, add them in. Then, add your Kidney beans. I drain off the excess liquid before adding them, but do what you prefer. Once it's all mixed up, and you're satisfied with the amount of seasonings added, bring it to a boil, then cover and turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer away for about a half hour. Stir it once in awhile, but you don't need to babysit it, hovering constantly. :-)

Okay, now while that's simmering, lets move on to the cornbread. YUMMY. It's my Mom's recipe that she has had forever (okay, it seems like forever to me). It is QUICK and EASY.  Here it is:

Ingredients

1 cup coarse yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup flour (I changed this, and use the half/half stuff, white whole wheat flour)
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 Tbsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
1 cup milk
1 extra large egg

Directions

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a loaf pan (I use a 9 x 5, but an 8 x 4 would do just fine). Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, pour into the greased loaf pan, and bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

YAY! See how easy that was? Now, everything is ready, and Supper is served. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Mom's Cornbread

Turkey Chili, ready to eat

~ Thanks for stopping by! ~

Jaime