Destination Chili

Some of you might have already heard that I did make a nice big crock pot of Chili. I couldn't find some of the ingredients on the list, and there were others I wanted to add so the Chili I made was a hotter, meatier version of Ken's Chili. But man, I have got to tell you, it was great! Not only does it taste good but aside from the sodium, it is very nutritious. I threw in large amounts of chopped red, yellow, and green Bell Peppers, two chopped fresh Jalapeno Peppers, Paprika, Chili powder, one roll of ground Spicy Breakfast Sausage, one pound of extra lean ground beef, 1.5 cans of black beans, one can of dark red kidney beans since my store didn't have any other kind, and a few more tweaks on the recipe. But the end result was fantastic.

Last Thursday we went up to the Farmer's Market and I saw the hard work of the volunteers for the Flash Mob come together to create an amazing scene. Definitely not something I will forget any time soon. The Flash Mob "Dance" wound up to the finale where the dancer's removed their sweatshirts to reveal custom t-shirts. Each t-shirt had one letter on it, and the Flash Mob formation spelled out a very sweet marriage proposal. The Proposer wore a t-shirt with a large question mark emblazoned on it. Luckily for all, mostly for the guy who put his heart on the line, she said yes.

The dog is once again in trouble. He is currently pouting from his kennel where he will stay for the rest of today. I came home from running errands to find that he had carefully chosen one can or Infant Formula, from amongst four in a shopping bag on the counter, carried it into the library area off of the kitchen, removed the plastic lid and found that the metal top was still on the container since it was brand new and unopened. So what did he do you ask? Did he decide to leave it alone? Walk away? My dog? Not a chance. After all his careful work he tips it onto its side and tears a hole in it. Then he ate it. He ate half a container of Infant Formula. he even had the mark of guilt on him when I got home, in the form of caked on powered formula on his black little doggy nose. Bad Dog!

I will make sure to post the actual recipe for Chili, at least as close as I can get to it, as soon as I can. It made quite a lot and has been very tasty. Probably one of the less expensive meal options out there.

Love, Katie

**UPDATE**

Katie's Chili Recipe
1.25 lbs extra lean ground turkey
1.25 lbs 93% to 96% lean ground beef
1 roll of ground spicy breakfast sausage (such as jimmy Dean)
1.5 cans black beans (organic)
1 can dark red kidney beans (reduced sodium)
2 cups chicken broth (low sodium, organic)
1 small red onion, diced
1 lb 12 oz diced tomatoes (organic)
1 can Campbells Select Harvest Zesty Tomato Bisque soup 18.7 oz
1 can Campbells Healthy Request Tomato soup 10 3/4 oz
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped yellow bell pepper
1 chopped green bell pepper
2 cups chopped celery
2 fresh Jalapeño Peppers, chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tbs black pepper
1 1/2 tbs chili powder
2 tsp Paprika
2 tbs fajita seasoning

Pour the chicken broth, tomato soup, and both cans of beans into a large soup pot, crock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a light simmer.

In another pan, saute the red onion, and bell peppers with a light coating of extra virgin olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until they soften. Stir in the celery and Jalapeño peppers and saute for an additional 2 minutes.
Add the sauteed vegetables to the broth and beans mixture. Using the same pan, brown the lean ground turkey, ground beef, and sausage, and drain the fat from the pan. Stir the drained meat into the rest of the mixture and add the spices.

Simmer the mixture on low heat for a minimum of 90 minutes, covered. Uncover and simmer for an additional 30 minutes, or until chili is thickened as desired.

** ( I just tossed mine in the slow Cooker for 4 hours while I went on about my day! Can't get easier than that.)**