Turkey Chili, Baked Beans, and I profess my romance with autumn.

Well fall is here and with fall comes my favorite season of eating followed by the holidays. Here's to burning an extra bajillion calories a day to feed Noelle. Makes keeping the pounds off just that much easier. I am swimming in butternut squash and apples over here at casa de Penny, and that makes me just plain happy as a clam. I also have a lovely little bag of pumpkin spice coffee beans in the cupboard and have been stirring cooked apples into my oatmeal in the morning. All good things, wow I love fall. My heart is happy just thinking about it. I'm a nerd for the colors and tastes. So much so that I need to end this paragraph or it will continue for pages.

Alright, I have now made it my goal to make as many different types of soups in fall 2009/winter 2010 as I can. So far I am only two soups in if you count turkey chili, and I do. I made chicken tortilla and turkey chili thus far. My turkey chili is really way too easy to make and barely worth posting but I may as well post it as a recipe. I am also throwing my home made baked beans recipe because I have had a few requests for it as well.

There will be many more soup postings to come as well as some fall flavors, so if you are looking for soup recipes I will try to share what I am experimenting with.

Ridiculously Easy Turkey Chili
1 lb ground turkey breast (Browned with however you like to season it, I do some minced onion)
1 regular black beans
1 regular can red kidney beans
1 large can chili beans (med or mild or spicy, whatever does it for you)
1 large can tomato sauce
1 Tbsp cumin
3 -5 Tbsp Chili Powder (more or less if you want it)
1 green pepper (adds SO much flavor- do it julienne and the pepper haters can pick it out)
Can of diced tomatoes and/or peppers (optional - Kel appreciates as few veggies as possible in his chili)

Brown meat, add all ingredients in pot or crockpot and allow to simmer so the flavors will marry. This is really easy and non fancy.

Now for another bean dish:

My Mom's Baked Beans Recipe

48 oz Great northern Beans (I hydrate and cook up my own- if you do this instead of using canned make sure to retain a portion or all of your cooking liquid or they will be really thick)
14 oz Ketchup
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 Tbsp Prepared Mustard
Some sausgage (lil smokies, turkey sausage, hot links- how much or little you desire)
Onion if desired ( I recommend at least some onion powder or dried minced for flavor)

I always make a double batch because it keeps in the fridge for a while and one hydrated cooked bag of beans makes a double batch. (If you are up north just grab a big can of randalls great northern beans in the glass jar because they are just as good, canned are just difft I can't put my finger on why)