Hello Lovies! So, who out there likes chili?  Who loves chili?  Who gets upset when you spell chili with one L instead of two or vice versa?  Who out there is a chili purest?  Everyone has opinions about chili! But some people are downright indignant if you stray from their preferred recipe for chili.  They are probably the same folks that are adamant about chocolate chip cookies.  If you are one of those people you should probably not read any farther. This recipe might upset you greatly. However, if you are an open-minded individual who just loves to eat yummy food no matter what the name, then please continue. Actually I would like for everyone to continue reading anyway. I promise you won’t regret it. 

I like chili. I am not a huge fan of chili who will eat it at every possible opportunity. I would never order it in a restaurant because there are always so many other options to choose. I do enjoy going to a chili cookoff and trying all the different types. This particular recipe is called Turkey Kind-Of Chili. This is my slightly tweaked version of a Rachel Ray recipe that I found years and years ago. I love this dish. My kids love this dish. Would I expect you to taste this and say, “Hey, this is chili.”? No, I would not. I would hope that you would make some noises of pure enjoyment and ask for more though.   

Why do I say that this doesn’t seem like chili? Well, there are no beans or chili powder for one thing. And it is made with turkey for another. So, why should chili lovers (and non-lovers) try it?  Because it is freaking delicious! 

This super comforting dish is made with ground turkey and very finely diced veggies with wonderful warming spices and a tomato base.  Add a dollop of sour cream and a corn muffin topper and you have the perfect tummy pleasing meal.  Don’t worry. I am going to tell you how to make the corn muffin toppers too.   

To concoct this beautiful pot of yum you will need extra virgin olive oil, unsalted butter, ground turkey, minced garlic, celery, carrots, onions, a fresh jalapeno, salt and pepper, ground cumin, ground coriander, your favorite beer, hot sauce, and canned tomato sauce. Amounts for everything will be in the recipe that follows.

To make the mug toppers you will need Jiffy corn muffin mix, milk, eggs, shredded Colby Jack cheese and dry minced onion plus some butter for the griddle or skillet.

Hi All!  Cold enough for you?  In my neck of the woods, the mercury has certainly spent a lot of time below freezing lately.  I am not a huge fan of the cold weather. I mean, it is nice to have a snowfall once in a while (as long as I don’t have to drive in it) and a little nip in the air is great during the holidays.  And, I must admit that I do love the change in the seasons when it comes to cooking and baking. I adore making soups and casseroles and there is nothing quite like baking a batch of chocolate chip cookies on a cold day.  Lately, I have been on a chili kick which is kind of weird for me. I have never been a lover of plain old traditional chili, but it is growing on me. I do really enjoy making and trying different types of chili with funky ingredients.  I have a turkey chili recipe that I absolutely love but it is far from traditional. The Green Bean Chili recipe that I want to share with you today is actually a variation of the Weight Watchers Chili from back in the day.

This recipe first came to me from family members.  I used to work at my sister-in-law, Bev’s, flower shop part-time.  I had such a good time working there and I learned so much about flower arranging.  I also learned a lot about good cooking. You see, during especially busy times like Valentine’s Day, Christmas Open House, and when there were several funerals or weddings at the same time the entire group of ladies might have to pull late-night sessions.  It was exhausting and sometimes stressful, but we relied on each other to get through with lots of laughs and some crockpots full of home cooking. One year, during a late-night session some wonderful family members brought us a crockpot full of Weight Watchers Green Bean Chili.  I had never eaten it before and was skeptical, but I really loved it. I made it a couple of times at home but then put the recipe aside because my boys were not terribly fond of it during their teenage years. Lately, I was reminded of that delicious concoction and looked online for the recipe.  I made a big pot asap. It was just as good as I remembered although I am not positive that this recipe is the exact one that I had 15 years ago. This one has turkey and I can’t remember using that before. Anywho, I made some to take to work for my lunches for the week. I was talking about how good it was to my bosses and both of them asked for the recipe.  I willingly shared and they both love it too. They made it for their families with great success which made me extra happy. So, I couldn’t wait to share it with all of you too! This version of chili is chock full of chunks of turkey and veggies. It has a wonderful thick tomato base and is spiced just right.

Now, this is definitely not a traditional chili.  While it does have chili powder and a tomato base, there are no beans other than green beans and you do use turkey rather than beef.  I like to make mine very thick, but you can easily control the consistency by draining (or not draining) the canned green beans. I like to use French style green beans, but you can use any type that you like. If you want the chili to be truly weight-watchers worthy you need to use the extra lean ground turkey.  When I add up all the calories of the ingredients for this chili, the whole pot is around 1000 calories! That is crazy low, and the flavor is crazy good!

So, for this chili, you will need 3 pounds of ground turkey.  Use the leanest you can get. Mine was 93% but you can sometimes find 99% which would be great.  You will need about 1 cup of diced onion. I just diced up 2 medium Vidalia onions for mine. You can use whatever type floats your chili boat.  Also needed are a 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, a 29 oz can of tomato sauce and 5 of the 14.5 oz cans of green beans. I like to use French style but feel free to use regular cut if you want a bigger bean bite.  For the spices, you will need salt and pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. I have given measurements for the spices, but you can adjust those to your own taste.

Sautee the ground turkey and onions in a large soup pot until the turkey is browned and completely done.  The onions should be softened and translucent by then. Season the turkey and onions while they are cooking with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Make sure to break the turkey up into small pieces while cooking.

Add the undrained crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3 or 4 Tablespoons of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like chili), 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper (this is the 2nd time that you add salt and pepper).  You can adjust the salt to your needs. Start with less and add more if you want.

Open all the cans of green beans.  I like to drain 4 cans and leave 1 undrained.  You can adjust this to your liking. I just happen to like thicker chili.  Add the beans and stir until everything is combined.

Cook over medium or medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  If the chili thickens too much you can add water. If it is too thin you can cook it a bit longer.

Turn off the heat and prepare to enjoy a nice bowl of comfort…without the guilt.  I like this chili because it is thick and flavorful and so easy to prepare. The fact that it is a healthier option is a great bonus.

Print Recipe

Green Bean Chili

This version of chili is chock full of chunks of turkey and veggies.  It has a wonderful thick tomato base and is spiced just right.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time45 mins

Author: Wench Sherry

Ingredients

• 3 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1 cup onion diced
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 29 oz tomato sauce
• 5 cans green beans (french or regular cut) 14.5 oz each
• 2 – 4 Tbs chili powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

• Sautee the ground turkey and onions in a large soup pot until the turkey is browned and completely done.  The onions should be softened and translucent by then. Season the turkey and onions while they are cooking with 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.  Make sure to break the turkey up into small pieces while cooking.
• Add the undrained crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, 3 or 4 Tablespoons of chili powder (depending on how spicy you like chili), 2 teaspoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper (this is the 2nd time that you add salt and pepper).  You can adjust the salt to your needs. Start with less and add more if you want.
• Open all the cans of green beans.  I like to drain 4 cans and leave 1 undrained.  You can adjust this to your liking. I just happen to like thicker chili.  Add the beans and stir until everything is combined. Cook over medium or medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring frequently.  If the chili thickens too much you can add water. If it is too thin you can cook it a bit longer. Remove from the heat and enjoy.

Hi Everybody!  How Ya’ll Are? Spring is slowly working its way into my brain.  By late February and early March, I am getting pretty desperate for the winter to end.  I’m tired of gray skies and brown landscapes. I’m tired of my winter clothes and being cold.  I’m even tired of the fires in the fireplace. I am just over all of it. When Valentine’s Day has come and gone, I finally begin to see the glow of the coming Spring on the horizon.  The promise of Easter is in the air but before that comes Fat Tuesday. Now, when I was a kid, my family did not celebrate this day. I actually did not really know much about it until I was an adult and working at Illinois College.  I knew about Mardi Gras, of course, but was unfamiliar with the concept of feasting on Fat Tuesday. I have always been drawn to Cajun and Creole cooking. Actually, I have always been interested in anything with French American or French Canadian aspects.  I once took a Canadian Culture class in college and we sampled some wonderful foods that were prepared by my professor. The dishes were such that this Midwestern farm girl had never experienced and I loved them.

After I started work at IC, my boss at that time, Steve, decided to introduce the idea of a Fat Tuesday potluck in our department.  Steve always made a crockpot Jambalaya to share. It was so good and he was nice enough to give me the recipe. Steve has since retired but I have made that dish for our Fat Tuesday potlucks several times.  

My current boss, Patrick, and I will use any excuse to have a potluck or celebration, so we still carry on the Fat Tuesday office event.  I am a huge advocate of sharing a meal with people and I love, love, love making something delicious to contribute to the meal. For these late winter soirees I have also made Bananas Foster and King Cake.  This year I will be making a King Cake again. Hint – my King Cake is really my Cinnamon Sugar Tea Ring with Mardi Gras colored sugar as decoration and a little plastic baby inserted inside. Check out that recipe here.  I want to bring a side too but I can’t decide what that will be. I am leaning heavily toward hushpuppies or crawfish cornbread. One of my co-workers (Kelsi) will bring Mardi Gras chili so I think I will skip the Jambalaya this year.  

However, I still wanted to have something warm, comforting and Cajun this weekend at home so I decided to make some Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.  I am no expert on Cajun cooking and so I don’t really know what the differences are supposed to be between gumbo and jambalaya and I think that what I make is a combination of both.  It doesn’t matter to me as long as it is delicious and warming to the tummy and soul. This weekend it was bitterly cold here in Illinois so we definitely needed it. We always enjoy this wonderful soup that is full of chicken, bacon, sausage, veggies and tomato spiked broth.  It has a huge amount of flavor and a little bit of spicy heat. It makes you want to say Ayeee!

Hi Everyone!  So, it went straight from summer to winter here in central Illinois in about a week’s time.  Seriously, it got cold. I know that Autumn will return but at the time of this writing it is chilly-willy.  I had the immediate urge to make soup. And, not just any soup, but one of our very favorite soups. This is absolutely Cody’s very favorite soup.  He has always been a baked potato fan and this soup incorporates all of the flavors of a loaded baked potato in a warm and cozy bowl of happiness. If I ever want to get him to come home for a visit, all I have to do is mention that I am making this soup.  He will be there, come heck or high water. And, I love having him at home so I am not above using this ploy to get some Cody-time. But Cody is not the only one who loves this soup. It is frequently requested at family gatherings and potlucks and holidays and Super Bowl parties.  This recipe makes a large pot of soup so there is plenty to share with guests and then have some for leftovers. It reheats well and so is ideal for a quick lunch.

The ingredients for this soup are baking potatoes, butter, milk, flour, sour cream (full-fat) and salt and pepper to taste.  You also want to have some bacon that has been cooked to crisp and crumbled and some shredded cheese (your choice of cheese but cheddar works well) to sprinkle atop the completed soup when served.  That’s it. You could probably make this soup today with what you already have in your kitchen.

You will need several large baking potatoes.  The number depends on the size of your potatoes.  If you buy the jumbos then you can get by with fewer – say 8 rather than 12.  When I get done wrapping my taters and have them on the baking sheet, they are side by side and cover the whole sheet.  That is how I gauge if I have the correct amount. Now, I like to bake my taters in the oven in foil. You can use the microwave but I just think that oven-baked potatoes taste better and have a better texture.  I bake mine in foil because that is the way that Mom did it and I just prefer the flavor. But, you do whatever makes you happy. So, scrub the potatoes clean and then pat dry. Tear off pieces of foil big enough to wrap your potatoes completely.  Place one potato on each piece of foil, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and add a pat of butter. I usually cut my stick of butter so that each pat is ½ of a Tablespoon.

Wrap all of this up tightly and place on a rimmed baking sheet.  When you get all of these guys wrapped up, place them in the oven and bake until tender.  I normally bake mine for 45 minutes at 425 degrees. You can test this by piercing the potato with a fork to see if it slides in easily, all the way to the center.  Once the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and open the foil so that they can cool for a bit. You want for them to be cool enough to handle. No one wants to play Hot Potato when they are making dinner.  Set them aside to cool.

When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin by using a knife to peel it away from the cooked flesh.  This is the part of the process that usually brings my family into the kitchen. We love to munch on the skins, especially that yummy part that comes from the bottom of the potato where the butter has caramelized a little and made the skin kind of chewy.  Delish! And potato peels have a lot of nutrients, I hear, so this is a good thing, right? Anyway, divide the peeled potato into two large bowls. Use a potato masher or something similar to mash up one bowl. The other bowl should be cubed into bite-size pieces.  Set these aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter and then add in the flour.  Stir this mixture constantly and cook for about 2 minutes until the roux has darkened in color.

Slowly add the milk and use a whisk to mix well so that virtually no lumps of roux remain.  Cook this mixture for 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add in the mashed potatoes and rapidly stir with a whisk to break up the potato and blend well.  Add in the chunks of potato and stir. Stir frequently and watch that the soup does not scorch on the bottom. Cook this mixture until it is heated through and steamy.  Add in the sour cream and stir well. Allow the soup to heat all the way through again but don’t let it come to a simmer or boil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls.  Top with crisply cooked and crumbled bacon and shredded cheese if desired. You could also add chives or bits of green onion. This soup turns out thick and creamy with hearty chunks of potato and a delicate sour cream flavor.  It is a definite comfort food that your family will appreciate on a chilly day – or any day.

Best Ever Baked Potato Soup

November 5, 2018

Servings: 8 - 10 servings

Difficulty: Easy

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This soup is thick and creamy with hearty chunks of potato and a delicate sour cream flavor.

By: Wench Sherry

Ingredients

• 8 - 12 large baking potatoes (depends on the size of the potatoes)
• 11 Tablespoons salted butter
• 2/3 cup flour
• 8 cups milk
• 16 oz. full-fat sour cream
• Crisply cooked and crumbled bacon for topping
• Shredded cheese for topping

Directions

• Step 1 Bake the potatoes by whatever method you prefer until done. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
• Step 2 When cool, remove the skins from the potatoes and discard.
• Step 3 Divide the potato flesh into 2 large bowls.
• Step 4 Mash one bowl and cube the other into bite-size pieces.
• Step 5 In a large heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter.
• Step 6 Add the flour and stir. Cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes or until the roux has darkened in color and thickened.
• Step 7 Add the milk and stir with a whisk until the mixture is as smooth as possible.
• Step 8 Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
• Step 9 Whisk in the mashed potatoes.
• Step 10 Add the cubed potatoes and stir until well blended.
• Step 11 Stir in the sour cream.
• Step 12 Heat until warmed through but do not let this come to a boil or simmer.
• Step 13 Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls.
• Step 14 Add crumbled crisp bacon and shredded cheese before serving.

Hello!  Happy Spring!  The temperature is supposed to fall to 28 degrees tonight here in central Illinois but spring it is.  Regardless of the official season, in my opinion, it is still soup weather. I love homemade soup. My family loves homemade soup.  So, darn it, I’m making soup. One of my family’s favorites also happens to be a very easy soup to make. In fact, when I was developing a list of family favorite recipes for The Kitchen Wench I was promptly reminded by my husband that this particular soup should be included.  The current cold weather just happened to initiate thoughts of a tummy warming Sunday supper and this soup was my first choice. Presenting….(drum roll) Sausage Potato Soup. This is a nice creamy, cozy, filling soup that pairs so very well with a crusty bread or some toast. This might be termed a pantry meal except for the sausage and onion because most of these items are probably already on your shelves.  I know that I may get some comments about the canned soup and all the sodium but I do try to use the Healthy Recipe or Low Sodium version of the canned soups. That is up to you but it can be a bit salty otherwise. This does make a big batch but the recipe can easily be halved. I just like to have leftovers and my boys always want to take some back to their own homes.

I start off with 2 lbs. of sausage.  I prefer to use the Jimmy Dean sage variety but whatever you love is what you should use.  Break the sausage up in a large skillet or large stockpot.  Finely chop 2 medium sweet or yellow onions and add to the sausage.

Cook these over medium high heat stirring occasionally until the sausage is browned and the onions are at least trans lucent if not browned.  Most recipes will say to just cook the sausage until no longer pink but I like to brown mine a bit. I think that it adds a deeper flavor and a little color.  By the way, look at this cool tool. My husband gave this to me a year or so ago and it is amazing for cooking burger and sausage. You can chop the large chunks of meat into small bits and it is made of some sort of plastic so it won’t scratch your pots and pans.  I don’t remember the brand name of this tool but he said that he got it at a dollar store. One of these days I will find out what it is and I will dedicate an entire post to singing the praises of this kitchen tool.

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