Chili and Cornbread

Well, I had fun writing about my dinner yesterday, so I decided to make a post about tonight's culinary fares.  And nothing's better on a fall day than a pot of chili with a side of cornbread.  Yum!  And it turned out quite well, despite the fact that I had to take a hiatus in the middle since I didn't realize I was missing an ingredient.

I got the recipe for Three Bean Turkey Chili from my sister-in-law Jenny shortly after moving here to Germany.  Since then, it's become a bit of a staple in our house.  Marshall loves chili, and it's kind of a comfort food of ours, especially in the winter.  Recently, I saw it in my Fall edition of Kraft Food & Family Magazine.  The ingredients are all the same, but the method of cooking is different.  Where the Kraft version calls for using a slow cooker, my sister-in-law's version, and the way I cook it, uses a saucepan.  You can find the recipe here.   

Over the past year and a half or so I've been making this, I've done quite a bit of experimentation with the recipe, and while the basic formula is the same, I've added a few things to it (big surprise, huh?).  First, I use a 2nd can of kidney beans.  Because there's more beans in what I make, I add a small can of plain tomato sauce into the mix also.  This is an addition I especially like, because I like my chilis tomato based and on the thinner side.  On top of all this, I use a 1/2 Tablespoon of each the chili powder and cumin instead of a teaspoon.  It's not a big change, but eh, it's a change nonetheless.  I also chop up some fresh cilantro to add into the mix, and keep a little bit on the side for a garnish in the end.  I let it simmer in the pot for about 20-30 minutes before serving, then add cheese and garnish with some chopped cilantro.  Marshall likes his with a dollop of sour cream, and I admit that sounds tasty, so next time I'll make sure to have some on hand, too.

And voila!  This is so simple to make, and so delicious.  What's not pictured here is the small side salad I made to go with it, which I ended up eating as this finished simmering.  (What?  Baby Jilly was hungry!)  As always, I try to choose meals that are healthy for us in addition to tasty.  The ground turkey is surprisingly yummy in this dish, although both Marshall and I have a thing for ground turkey.  The best part about chili: the leftovers!  I now have an excellent lunch for tomorrow before work!