Chili con Turkey

Wow, it's been four months since I've blogged and miss you guys.  I've missed baking, cooking, and just goofing off on Twitter too.  First I had knee surgery and that kept me from pretty much being able to do much.  Then later, it wasn't that I couldn't be on my feet, I just had no time because I was working 40 hours a week and going to physical therapy 3 times a week.   Then I got a wild hair and decided to sign up for two college courses; Photoshop CS5 and Commercial Photography.  What the heck was I thinking???  I always seem to bite off more than I can chew.  This is the drawback to having the type of personality that I have have (Orange). I jump into the fire with both feet and then pay the price later.  But it's not like it's all bad.  I mean I'm learning A LOT.  It's just not easy because both of my teachers give TONS of homework and it leaves very little time to do much of anything else.  But hey, that's ok.  It'll help improve my photography skills and when I screw up, I've got Photoshop to clean up my mistakes right?  Don't let tell my photography teacher that though, he'll just give me more homework for being a smart ass.

Well, it's finally getting chilly here in Arizona.  Cold for us is 60 degrees.  I know those of you on the East coast are snickering about right now but hey, we're used to it being over 100 degrees most of the year here.

This weekend was a cloudy, windy and rainy one so of course what better way to warm up than to make some delicious chili.  I scoured the internet for recipes that wouldn't require a whole lot of work and ingredients.  As I've said before, I'm all about easy.  Some recipes called for the use of beer and even vodka.  I like beer but I don't like it in my food and vodka? Umm...yuck.  Also, my family doesn't like cumin or coriander.  I, on the other hand, LOVE cumin.  I also love fresh cilantro so that makes me the lone ranger in our household because nobody likes it.  I read in the New York Times that to most, cilantro tastes like soap.  So, in this chili recipe, you'll find no beer, vodka, cumin, or coriander or cilantro as a garnish.  I adapted it to suit my family's tastes and also decided to use ground turkey instead of the meat suggested in the recipe to cut down on the calories.  But you know what?  It tastes pretty darn good anyway! And even better yet, it's simple!

Chili con Turkey recipe adapted from Cooks Illustrated recipe:

1 ea 14.5 oz can of chicken broth
1 ea 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, with juice
1 ea 29 oz. can of pureed tomatoes
2 ea 16. oz can of kidney beans, drained
1 ea 7 oz. can of diced green chilies
1 ea 7-3/4 oz can of El Pato brand sauce (Salsa de chile fresco)(if this isn't available in your area, you can substitute some salsa instead)
1/2 of 4 oz can of diced jalapeños (use the whole can if you like your chili HOT)
1 large onion, chopped
6 large cloves of garlic, chopped
1 green bell pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup chili powder
Salt & pepper to taste


Chop up onions and garlic.  Cut up bell pepper into 1/2 inch pieces and remove seeds.

In a large skillet pan, add oil, ground turkey, bell pepper, garlic, onion, El Pato sauce, and chili powder.  I also used garlic salt and black pepper (Use however much to suit your taste).  Cook it all together until the turkey is browned.  For those of you who don't know what El Pato Sauce is, click here for a picture of the can.  You'll find it either in the tomato sauce area or the ethnic foods (mexican) area of the grocery store.

Pour the turkey and vegetable mixture into a large pot.  Add beans, tomatoes, tomato puree, green chilies, chicken broth, and jalapeños.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for an hour.  Remove cover and continue to simmer for an hour longer, stirring occasionally until chili is a dark, rich, and slightly thickened.  Add more salt if needed.  Serve in a bowl with lime, cilantro (yay!) and/or a dollop of sour cream.  I baked sweet corn bread to accompany this meal.

You can find the recipe for the cornbread here on my blog.  So there you have it.  Easy turkey chili in less than 3 hours.  You'll have plenty of leftovers for later too. Yum, I'm going to have mine for lunch tomorrow!

Enjoy!!

Strawberry Upside Down Cake

It's summer and lots of my favorite berries are in season...strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, & raspberries. What better way to take advantage of these delicious fruits than by baking with them?

I found a photograph of this cake on Pinterest, which then took me to a site called TricksChefs.com  When I saw that it only called for four ingredients, baby, I HAD to try it!  The simplicity of the recipe reminded me of the kinds of desserts you'd find at a family picnic. You know what I mean.  There's always some aunt or relative that shows up with something she baked that looks like it's made from scratch and then you find out it's a super simple recipe full of short cuts. But hey, who cares as long as it tastes good!  If ever you're in a hurry to throw something together for a picnic or family gathering and you want it to be a hit, try baking this.

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed fresh strawberries
1 (6 ounce) package strawberry flavored gelatin mix
3 cups miniature marshmellows
1 (18 ounce) yellow cake mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Spread crushed strawberries on the bottom of a 9" x 13" baking pan.

Evenly sprinkle strawberries with dry gelatin powder.

Top with miniature marshmellows.

Prepare cake mix according to directions on the package.  Spread batter evenly over marshmellows.

Bake for approximately 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow cake to cool then run a knife around the pan to loosen cake from the sides. Turn cake out onto a serving tray.  Store cake in the refrigerator.

I took these photographs while the cake was still warm.  As you can see, the juices from the strawberry drip beautifully over the cake like glaze.  Once you refrigerate it though, the gelatin sets and it's a tiny bit firm. So, if you're going to bake it for a party or a picnic, bake it the same day so it'll be pretty like this.  If you decide to bake it the day before and refrigerate it, don't worry, it'll still taste good but just won't be as pretty.

ENJOY!!

Easy Cherry Cobbler (Crisp)

Cherry Cobbler

This recipe is super easy and requires only 4 ingredients!

Make this dessert for your beloved on Valentines Day (because it's a beautiful RED color) or serve it as a tasty sweet treat for a Super Bowl party.

Ingredients:

2 cans of cherry pie filling (21 oz each)

2 sticks of butter-salted (1 cup)

1 pkg of yellow cake mix

2 cups of walnuts (chopped)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

You'll need a 9" x 12" Pyrex baking dish (any 9 x 12 in pan will do though). 

Start out by chopping or breaking up the walnuts.  I used to chop them with a knife but that's a bit messy so what I do now is put the nuts on a cutting board, cover them with cellophane and "break" them up gently with a mallet.

Pour out the cherry pie filling straight into the pan.  Spread evenly.

Now empty yellow cake mix on top of the cherry pie filling.

With a fork, spread out the cake mix evenly over the top.  Don't press the mix down, just spread it.

Sprinkle walnut pieces over cake mix.

Spread evenly all over.

Cut sticks of butter into approximately 1/8" slices like below:

Now add pats of butter over the walnuts. Try to get them as close to the edge as possible.

Put into the oven on the middle baking rack.

Bake for 45 minutes at 350 degrees.  Cherry filling will be bubbling on the sides and the walnuts will look golden brown.

Hot & Right Out of the Oven!

It tastes best served warm. Once cooled you can microwave it for about 30 seconds to soften the topping.  I  I highly recommend adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream! It  is sooooo good!

Cherry Cobbler With Vanilla Ice Cream, Whipped Topping, & Chocolate Syrup

Serving suggestion for butches:  Put a small portion of the cobbler on an all white plate, top with ice cream and whipped cream then drizzle a little chocolate syrup (like above photo). As a sexy gesture, slowly spoon feed your femme then give her a soft kiss between bites.  Let me know how it goes! (You can thank me later.)