Pumpkin Chili- Fall in a bowl!

Much to my husband's dismay I think, chili is one of my absolute favorite meals. I was trying to think of what I could make this year using pumpkin (another one of my favorite things that my husband isn't a fan of) and thought, "I bet someone somewhere made a recipe for pumpkin chili" and I was right!

I absolutely LOVED this! In true Sarah fashion, I did make some adjustments to the recipe based on my own personal taste preferences. One I would do differently next time would be to add more pumpkin- either pureed or cube some up and add to the veggie mixture. While you could certainly TASTE the pumpkin, I didn't think that it was nearly pumpkin-y enough! I'm not sure an entire second can would be needed, but a little more wouldn't hurt. I also added chicken broth- because it didn't seem liquid-y enough (and for a little more flavor)- and nutmeg- because I think nutmeg and pumpkin go so well together.

Pumpkin Chili

From: What's Cookin, Chicago?

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped 
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped (Note: I used both whole peppers, because who needs a half pepper?)
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey
2 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with jalepenos (Note: I used Muir Glen Organic Fire Roasted tomatoes with green chiles)
1 14.5oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (Note: I did NOT drain these before adding them)
1 14.5oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup frozen corn (Note: I used AT LEAST a cup.)
2 cups (1 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
cayenne pepper to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Things I added:
Nutmeg to taste
Approx. 2 cups chicken broth




For serving:
fresh cilantro 
shredded Cheddar cheese 
sour cream 

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes.
When done, transfer mixture to a slow cooker. (Note: I didn't do this. I just cut up all the veggies and added them to the crock pot. Because really why saute them when you are going to put them in a crockpot for 4+ hours.)

In the same skillet over medium high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil starts to shimmer, crumble in ground turkey, and brown, about 10 minutes. When done, transfer mixture into slow cooker. 

Add the tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, and corn. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne. (and nutmeg if you want)

Cover slow cooker and cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 6-8 hours. 

To serve, garnish with chopped fresh cilantro, shredded cheese and sour cream, all to your tastes. (I thought the fresh cilantro was a GREAT finisher!)


I think this will make for a fantastic lunch today! :o) Enjoy!

Sriracha Mac 'n Cheese

For those of you who are unaware- I love hot sauce. I would even say that love is probably an understatement. I am obsessed with hot sauce- cholula, sriracha, franks... I love them all! So when The Sriracha Cookbook by Randy Clemens was released this past spring, of course I jumped at purchasing it!

Since I've purchased the book, I've made several recipes from it.... Chilaquiles, carne asada, gazpacho, pulled pork.. but one thing reigns about all others- the mac n cheese! The spiciness of the Sriracha mixed with the sharpness of the cheddar, sweetness of the nutmeg and the crunch from the bread crumb topping make this a fantastic fall meal! (Or any time of year meal for that matter- it just happens to be fall)

Baked Mac n' Cheese
8 tbsp. (1 stick) butter
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
8 oz. elbow macaroni
1/2 small sweet onion, diced
1/4 all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. dried mustard
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 Sriracha
7 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese (NOTE: I used 8oz. so I could just use the whole bag)
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spritz a 2-qt. casserole dish (I used my 9x13 baking dish) with nonstick cooking spray.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp. of the butter. Add the bread crumbs, stirring gently. Turn off the heat, allow the bread crumbs to absorb the butter and reserve.

In a large stockpot, bring 2 qts. of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the macaroni noodles and stir. Cook until the noodles are just slightly undercooked.

While the pasta is cooking, melt the remaining 4 tbsp. of the butter in a large saucepan (I used my Wok) over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Whisk in the flour, gradually. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Add 1/2 cup of the milk while whisking until it is absorbed and thickened slightly. Then add the rest of the milk, followed by the cream. Add the salt, dried mustard, pepper and nutmeg. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occassionally.

Stir in the Sriracha. Gradually add the cheddar cheese while slowly whisking, one handful at a time. (NOTE: the recipe says only add 1 1/2 of the cups here and put the rest on top. I add all the cheddar into the sauce and put extra parmesan on the top.)

Once all the cheese has melted, toss in the cooked macaroni, coating the noodles with the cheese sauce. (NOTE: this will almost look like cheese soup with a little bit of noodles. This is OK- the cheese thickens while in the oven.) Transfer the noodles and sauce to the baking dish. Top with remaining 1/4 cup cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese (or in my case, just parmesan). Cover with an even layer of the buttered bread crumbs.

Bake, uncovered, until golden brown for 18-22 minutes.

I took this to a potluck on Friday night and it was a HUGE hit! It's great a for any size group of people and makes GREAT leftovers! The breadcrumbs aren't usually as crunchy the next day, but they are still tasty!

Tonight's menu?? Pumpkin chili! Mmmm! I am clearly on a Fall foods kick!

Weird.

Vernal, Utah is weird.

More power to J for being able to live there. It wasn't so much the small town feel that turned me off (I did spend four years of my life in Clarion, Pa. people) as the people and the weird dinosaur statues.

NOTE: Vernal is located about 30 or so miles from Dinosaur, Colo. so while the statues make sense, it doesn't make them any less creepy.
NOTE 2: I tried my hardest to take photos of said statues while driving along the "main drag" in Vernal. I failed to do so.

About 40 miles outside of Vernal is the Flaming Gorge- very cool! I cannot wait to check out this place more in the summer- when it is warmer and there are no hunters!

In other news, I am now 25 years old. What does that mean? Well, now I can rent my own car without paying an additional million bucks a day. That's pretty much it.

J bought me a new board which I had been subtly hinting at for months. By subtly, I of course mean telling him nearly every day that a new board for my birthday would be much appreciated. BEHOLD... the Never Summer Infinity:

Isn't she beautiful? A Basin opens tomorrow and I am ready for a kick ass winter! Me and my new buddy up there will have tons of fun! May be someday soon I'll get to take my new buddy to Telluride...

Also, I am participating in a Rugged Maniac race this weekend. Wish me luck... This may very well be my last blog entry before death... :o)

Change...

As the aspens begin to change... so has my life. It's been awhile since I've written- and that is mainly because of the HUGE life altering changes that have occurred in my life. Well ONE huge life altering change.

Jonathan has moved to Utah. Vernal, Utah. Vernal is 5.5 hours from Denver.

No we are not divorced, nor are we GETTING a divorce. But, he had an incredible job opportunity and we decided it made sense for him to take it. Being the long-distance relationship pros that we are, I am looking at this for what it is- temporary. He should be back in our house by this time in 2012.

Does it make the next 10-12 months of my life any easier? No.

But, it does give us a really great opportunity to explore the western part of Colorado and into the easter part of Utah- which I am very excited to do. (Did you know there is a place called Dinosaur, Colorado? Yep. There is.)

In the mean time- I will be residing in Denver, in the house that we own, with our dogs, just living life... cooking, reading a lot and working out.

As the cliche goes... when life hands you lemons, ask for a bottle of tequila! Or, may be it is make lemonade? I like the first option best. :o)